Nader, << NAY duhr, >> Ralph (1934-…), is an American lawyer who became famous for fighting business and government practices he felt endangered public health and safety. He also is an outspoken critic of the influence of large corporations on the American political system. Nader ran for president of the United States in 1996, 2000, 2004, and 2008. However, he won only a small percentage of the votes in each election. Nader was the first Arab American to campaign for president. In the 1996 and 2000 elections, he represented the Green Party. The Green Party’s platform stresses community leadership, environmental responsibility, respect for diversity, improved health care, and social justice. In 2004 and 2008, Nader ran for president as an independent candidate.
In his book Unsafe at Any Speed (1965), Nader argued that the U.S. automobile industry emphasized profits and style over safety. The National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1966, which established safety standards for new cars, resulted largely from his work.
Nader’s studies of the meat and poultry industries, coal mines, and natural gas pipelines also resulted in stricter health and safety laws. He publicized what he felt were the dangers of pesticides, food additives, radiation from color TV sets, and excessive use of X rays. He said the government was not strict enough in enforcing antipollution and consumer protection laws.
Nader’s operating funds come mainly from his writings and speeches, from foundation grants, and from contributions. In 1971, Nader founded an organization called Public Citizen, Inc., which he headed until 1980. The organization specializes in energy problems, health care, tax reform, and other consumer issues. Its members assisted Nader in conducting investigations, preparing reports, bringing lawsuits, and lobbying for certain legislation. Nader and his staff conducted a major study of Congress in 1972. Their findings were published in a book, Who Runs Congress? In 1982, another Nader group published a study of the Ronald Reagan administration called Reagan’s Ruling Class: Portraits of the President’s Top One Hundred Officials. Nader was a coauthor of The Big Boys: Power and Position in American Business (1986), which looks at the structure and control of corporate business in the United States.
In 1988, Nader’s efforts helped bring about the passage of California’s Proposition 103, a law that provided for lowering some auto insurance costs. Nader won another battle in 1989 when General Motors announced it would make air bags standard equipment on many 1990 models. Nader had promoted the use of the safety feature for more than 10 years.
In the 1990’s and early 2000’s, Nader spoke out on such issues as campaign finance reform, trade policy, globalization, corporate abuse, universal health care, and criminal justice reform. In 2001, Nader founded Democracy Rising, an organization aimed at bringing together community activist groups. He also wrote Crashing the Party: Taking on the Corporate Government in an Age of Surrender (2002) and The Good Fight: Declare Your Independence and Close the Democracy Gap (2004). A documentary film released in 2006, An Unreasonable Man, focuses on Nader’s work for reform and his bids for the U.S. presidency. The film’s title refers to a quotation from the Irish writer George Bernard Shaw: “The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.”
Nader was born in Winsted, Connecticut, on Feb. 27, 1934, the son of Lebanese immigrants. He graduated from Princeton University and Harvard Law School.
