Ralph Nader facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ralph Nader
Nader in 2007
Born	(1934-02-27) February 27, 1934 (age 91) Winsted, Connecticut, U.S.
Education	Princeton University (BA) Harvard University (LLB)
Occupation	Lawyer activist environmentalist author
Political party	Democratic (1952–1996) Green (1996–2003) Reform (2004–2008) Independent (2008–present)
Parent(s)	Rose Nader (mother)
Relatives	Shafeek Nader (brother) Claire Nader (sister) Laura Nader (sister)
Awards	Gandhi Peace Award Horchow Award for Public Service by a Private Citizen Automotive Hall of Fame
Military career
Allegiance	United States
Service/branch	United States Army
Years of service	1959
Signature

Ralph Nader (born February 27, 1934) is an American activist. He works to protect consumers, improve the environment, and make government better. He has also run for president many times. His 1965 book, Unsafe at Any Speed, criticized car companies for not making safe cars. This book helped lead to a new law in 1966 called the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act.

Nader's parents came from Lebanon. He went to Princeton University and Harvard Law School. He became very interested in how car designs could cause accidents and injuries. His book Unsafe at Any Speed was a big hit. It pointed out safety problems with American cars, especially the General Motors Corvair.

After his book, Nader led a group of young law students. They were called "Nader's Raiders." They looked into how the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) was working. Their work helped make the FTC better. In the 1970s, Nader started groups like the Public Interest Research Group, the Center for Auto Safety, and Public Citizen. These groups work to protect people's rights. Two famous cars he criticized were the Chevy Corvair and the Ford Pinto.

Nader ran for President of the United States four times. He ran with the Green Party in 1996 and 2000. He ran with the Reform Party in 2004. In 2008, he ran as an independent. He wanted to bring attention to important issues. In 2000, he received almost three million votes. Some people thought his campaign helped Republican candidate George W. Bush win against Democratic candidate Al Gore.

Nader has written many books. A movie about his life, An Unreasonable Man, came out in 2006. He has been called one of the "100 Most Influential Americans" by magazines like Life and Time.

Early Life and Education

Ralph Nader was born on February 27, 1934. His hometown is Winsted, Connecticut. His parents, Rose and Nathra Nader, were immigrants from Lebanon. His father worked in a textile mill. Later, he opened a bakery and restaurant. Ralph sometimes helped at his father's restaurant. He also delivered newspapers.

Nader finished The Gilbert School in 1951. Then he went to Princeton University. He was offered a scholarship. But his father said he should decline it. His father believed the money should go to a student who truly needed it. Nader graduated from Princeton in 1955.

After Princeton, Nader went to Harvard Law School. He found some classes boring. He often hitchhiked across the U.S. to learn about Native American issues and migrant worker rights. He earned his law degree from Harvard in 1958. After law school, Nader served in the U.S. Army as a cook.

Ralph Nader's Career

Early Work

In 1959, Nader became a lawyer in Hartford, Connecticut. He also taught at the University of Hartford. He traveled to places like the Soviet Union and Cuba. In 1964, he moved to Washington, D.C. He worked as a helper for Assistant Secretary of Labor Daniel Patrick Moynihan.

His First Big Fight: Car Safety

Nader became famous in 1965. This was when his book Unsafe at Any Speed was published. The book said that many American cars were not safe to drive. Nader looked at over a hundred lawsuits against General Motors' Chevrolet Corvair. He used these cases to support his claims.

The book quickly became a bestseller. But General Motors (GM) tried to make Nader look bad. Nader suspected he was being followed. He told Senator Abe Ribicoff about it. The senator held an investigation. GM's CEO, James Roche, admitted that the company had hired a private detective to watch Nader. Nader sued GM for invading his privacy. He won $425,000. He used this money to start an activist group called the Center for the Study of Responsive Law.

One year after his book came out, Congress passed a new law. It was called the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act. Everyone in Congress voted for it. Speaker of the United States House of Representatives John William McCormack said Nader's "crusading spirit" helped pass the law.

"Nader's Raiders" and New Groups

In 1968, Nader gathered seven volunteer law students. The media called them "Nader's Raiders." They looked into the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Their report said the FTC was not doing enough. This led to changes at the FTC.

Nader's Raiders also worked on other issues. These included nuclear safety, trade, and food safety.

After their report, Nader started the group Public Citizen in 1971. This group works to protect consumer rights. He was on its board until 1980.

From the 1970s to the 1990s

Nader, far right, with Sylvia Porter and U.S. president Gerald Ford in 1974.

Nader speaking in 1975.

By the early 1970s, Ralph Nader was a well-known name. People saw him as a hero for ordinary Americans.

In 1971, some people wanted Nader to run for president. This was with the New Party. Author Gore Vidal wrote about it in Esquire magazine. But Nader said no to running that year.

In 1974, Nader received an award for his public service.

In the 1970s, Nader also focused on the environment. He became a leader in the anti-nuclear power movement. He started the Critical Mass Energy Project in 1974. This group worked against nuclear power. It became the largest anti-nuclear group in the U.S.

Through his work with Public Citizen, Nader kept fighting for consumer rights. He helped pass important laws. These include the Freedom of Information Act and the Clean Water Act. He also helped with the Consumer Product Safety Act.

In the late 1990s, Nader said that Microsoft was too powerful. He organized a meeting for people who criticized Microsoft.

Running for President

1972 Campaign

A campaign button from 1972.

In 1971, the New Party asked Ralph Nader to be their presidential candidate. He said no. The party then chose Benjamin Spock. Nader did receive one vote for Vice President at the 1972 Democratic Convention.

1980 Campaign

In 1980, the Citizens Party asked Nader to run for president. He again said no. He stated, "I will never run for president."

1992 Campaign

A button from 1992.

Nader ran as a write-in in the 1992 New Hampshire Democratic and Republican Primaries. He also ran in the Massachusetts Democratic Primary.

1996 Campaign

Campaign button from 1996

Nader was asked to run for president on the Green Party ticket in 1996. He was not officially chosen by the main Green Party group. Instead, different state Green parties nominated him. He appeared on the ballot in 22 states. He received 685,297 votes, which was 0.71% of the total. This helped the Green Party grow.

Nader did not spend much money on his campaign. He wanted to avoid certain reporting rules.

2000 Campaign

In the 2006 movie An Unreasonable Man, Nader explained why he ran in 2000. He said his groups' ideas were not being heard in Washington. He ran as the candidate for the Green Party.

Nader's supporters protesting in 2000.

In June 2000, the Green Party officially nominated Ralph Nader and Winona LaDuke for president and vice president.

In October 2000, Nader held a big rally in New York City. 15,000 people paid to hear him speak. Nader said that both major parties were controlled by big companies. He called Al Gore and George W. Bush "Tweedledee and Tweedledum". Many famous people spoke at the rally, including Susan Sarandon and Michael Moore.

Nader and LaDuke received 2,883,105 votes. This was 2.74% of the total votes. This was not enough to get public funding for the Green Party in the next election.

Nader sometimes said he hoped Bush would win over Gore. He thought it would make people more active. He said, "It doesn't matter who is in the White House."

2004 Campaign

Nader said in December 2003 that he would not seek the Green Party's nomination in 2004. But he did not rule out running as an independent candidate.

Ralph Nader and Democratic candidate John Kerry met in 2004. Nader gave Kerry a list of important issues. He said if Kerry focused on three of them, Nader would not run. Kerry did not respond. So, on February 22, 2004, Nader announced he would run as an independent.

Many Democrats asked Nader not to run. They worried he would take votes away from Kerry. This is called a "spoiler effect." Nader received 463,655 votes, which was 0.38% of the total.

2008 Campaign

Nader campaigning in October 2008.

In February 2008, Nader announced he would run for president as an independent. He chose Matt Gonzalez as his running mate. Many people supported him, including Howard Zinn and Jesse Ventura. The Nader campaign raised $8.4 million. Nader and Gonzalez received 738,475 votes. This was 0.56% of the total votes.

Campaign		Running mate	Ballot access	Funds raised	Popular vote	Party affiliation Co-nominators	Media and organizational endorsers	Notable endorsers
Ralph Nader presidential campaign, 2000		Winona LaDuke		$8.4 million	2,882,995 (2.74%)	Green Party USA Vermont Progressive Party	* California Nurses Association * United Electrical Workers * Hemp Industries Association * Village Voice * The Austin Chronicle * Worcester Magazine * San Francisco Bay Guardian	Susan Sarandon, Michael Moore, Howard Zinn, Eddie Vedder, Bill Murray, Pete Seeger, Linda Ronstadt, Paul Newman, Willie Nelson, Noam Chomsky, John B. Anderson, Phil Donahue
Ralph Nader presidential campaign, 2004		Peter Camejo		$4.6 million	463,655 (0.38%)	unaffiliated Reform Party USA Independence Party of New York Independent Party of Delaware		David Brower, Patti Smith, Noam Chomsky, Howard Zinn, Phil Donahue
Ralph Nader presidential campaign, 2008		Matt Gonzalez		$4.3 million	738,475 (0.56%)	unaffiliated Independent Party of Delaware Ecology Party of Florida Natural Law Party Peace and Freedom Party Socialist Alternative		Howard Zinn, Jesse Ventura, Justin Jeffre, Tom Morello, Val Kilmer, Rocky Anderson, James Abourezk, Patti Smith, Jello Biafra, Chris Hedges, Phil Donahue, Cindy Sheehan, Sean Penn

Later Activities

Nader has continued his activism. In 2019, his grandniece died in a plane crash. Nader spoke out about the Boeing 737 Max plane. He said it should not fly again. He also called for leaders at Boeing and the Federal Aviation Administration to resign.

D.C. Library Project

In 2002, Nader started the D.C. Library Renaissance Project. This group tried to stop a new library from being built in Washington, D.C. They said the project had problems with housing rules and land value.

Writing Fiction

In 2009, Nader published his first fiction book. It was called Only the Super-Rich Can Save Us!. Many characters in the book were based on real people. He also wrote a collection of fables called Animal Envy in 2016.

Radio Show

Since 2014, Nader has hosted a weekly radio show. It's called the Ralph Nader Radio Hour. He interviews important people and talks about current events.

American Museum of Tort Law

In 2015, Nader opened the American Museum of Tort Law in his hometown. He donated money to start the museum. It teaches people about tort law, which deals with civil wrongs and injuries.

Harvard Admissions

Nader tried to get a seat on the Harvard University Board of Overseers in 2016. He wanted Harvard to be more open about how it chooses students.

Newspaper Work

Nader has helped start local newspapers in his hometown. He provided funds for The Winsted Phoenix in 2018. Later, he helped start the Winsted Citizen in 2023. He also founded the print newspaper Capitol Hill Citizen in 2022. This paper focuses on government corruption and corporate influence.

About Ralph Nader

Nader's family was Greek Orthodox Christian. He also speaks several languages, including Spanish and Arabic.

He sees his beliefs as "moral empiricist." This means he focuses on what works and what is right. He has lived in Washington D.C. since the 1960s. But he is registered to vote in Connecticut.

His siblings are Laura, Claire, and his late brother Shafeek. After Shafeek died in 1986, Nader had a temporary facial paralysis. He joked about it, saying his opponents couldn't say he was "talking out of both sides of my mouth."

Nader is a big fan of the New York Yankees.

His Personality

People have described Nader as a simple person. He lives in a modest apartment. He spends little money on himself. He often uses a typewriter for his writing. He doesn't own a television. He mostly uses public transportation. For many years, he wore shoes he bought at a sale in 1959. His suits are often described as "wrinkled" or "styleless." He has been called a "conscientious objector to fashion."

Nader has never married. He once said he chose to focus on his career instead of a family.

His Finances

In 2000, Nader's financial report showed he owned over $3 million in stocks. He owned a lot of stock in Cisco Systems, Inc.. He said he lived on $25,000 a year. He gave most of his stock earnings to the many non-profit groups he started.

Nader owns shares in Amazon and Apple Inc.. He believes Amazon should pay dividends to shareholders. He also thinks Amazon's business practices should be investigated. In 2018, he criticized Apple for buying back its own shares.

Media Appearances

Movies

Nader appeared as himself in the 2005 movie Fun with Dick and Jane.

The movie An Unreasonable Man is a documentary about Ralph Nader's life. It came out in 2006.

Magazines

Nader has been on the cover of many magazines. These include Newsweek, Time, and Esquire.

Television Shows

Nader has been a guest on many TV shows. These include Saturday Night Live, Real Time with Bill Maher, and The Daily Show.

In 1988, Nader appeared on Sesame Street. He was a "person in your neighborhood." He famously changed a line in the song. He refused to sing "a person that you meet each day." Instead, he sang "a person whom you meet each day."

Recognition and Awards

Nader received the Gandhi Peace Award in 2016.

• In 1967, he was named one of the "Ten Outstanding Young Men of the Year."
• In 1990, Life magazine listed him as one of the "100 Most Influential Americans of the 20th century."
• In 1999, Time magazine also named him one of the "100 Most Influential Americans of the 20th Century."
• In 1999, his book Unsafe at Any Speed was ranked among the top 100 pieces of journalism of the 20th century.
• In 2006, The Atlantic named him one of the "100 Most Influential Americans."
• In 2016, Nader was added to the Automotive Hall of Fame.
• In 2016, he received the Gandhi Peace Award.

Electoral History

See Also

• The Case Against Free Trade
• Corporate welfare, a term Nader helped make popular