Born February 27, 1934
Winsted, Connecticut

Public interest lawyer and consumer advocate

Ralph Nader began his public career in consumer protection in 1964, when he exposed safety flaws in automobile design during hearings in Washington, D.C. Since that time he has focused on the enforcement of workplace safety laws, the establishment of food and drug safety laws, environmental protection, auto insurance reform, and many other issues.

Beginning in 1969, with the Center for Study of Responsive Law, Nader has founded numerous public interest groups that carry out his agenda of consumer protection, worker safety, and environmentalism. A sampling of the organizations established by Nader and staffed by “Nader’s Raiders” (young activists and lawyers who work for social change and accept low pay) includes the numerous statewide Public Interest Research Groups (PIRGs), Public Citizen, and the Project for Corporate Responsibility. Nader—a six-foot, four-inch tall...