I’m at a loss for words about the death of Kent Snyder late last week, which I heard about just yesterday. Kent was the campaign chairman of the Ron Paul Presidential Campaign Committee and had been involved with Dr. Paul since his 1988 Libertarian Party run. Kent was a spirit of tranquility on the campaign this year: he worked ceaselessly for Dr. Paul’s nomination, but never seemed in the least irritated or discouraged no matter what happened. That was vital for maintaining the whole campaign’s morale. And although he was the top man in the campaign, he was also the most approachable.

Kent had extensively studied Eastern philosophy and Buddhism as well as the traditions of Western liberty, and he was drawn to the peacefulness of the Quakers. He embodied the best traits of all those traditions: calm and kind-spirited in the face of all adversity. His passing is a bigger loss to those who knew him, even those who only knew him slightly, than I can say. A terrible loss for the Ron Paul Revolution as well, to which Kent devoted his life (he even wrote his MA thesis on Dr. Paul) and which he did so much — more than anyone else but Dr. Paul himself — to set into motion.

Addendum: At the Ron Paul Blog, Don Rasmussen links to several of Kent’s articles and interviews, including this appearance on the Tucker Carlson show: