1934-
Consumer Advocate, Lawyer

The Consumers' Watchdog.

Progressive magazine once hailed him as "Citizen of the Republic" because of his crusading efforts to protect the public; others, less sympathetic to his causes, have referred to him as the nation's nag. But whether regarded as a hero or a villain, Ralph Nader has been the country's leading consumer advocate since the mid 1960s. Yet, in an ironic twist, this defender of consumer rights is in many ways a nonconsumer. He does not own a car, lives in an inexpensive rooming house, avoids all junk food, and dresses plainly. In fact, as of 1983, he was still wearing the same pair of shoes he purchased in 1959.

Unsafe at Any Speed.

Nader graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Princeton and then attended Harvard Law School, where he became interested in automobile safety. After practicing law in Connecticut for several years, he...