At the age of 23, John Ramsey does not act like what you would imagine from a young single millionaire. Instead of choosing the “Southern Charm” lifestyle of never growing up and depleting inheritances on lavish purchases and parties, Ramsey remains true to his humble upbringings and exudes the southern gentleman’s character that can be very hard to find these days. My visit with John Ramsey was only for a few days but it will have lasting effect on me for years to come as I now understand a little bit more about what makes the young man tick and what makes him believe that he can have a major impact on changing the ideas of people all over the world.
Upon visiting Ramsey, I expected to be introduced to some of the glitz and glamour that goes on within the Austin city limits. I had never visited Austin before and I had never stayed with a millionaire that was just a few months out of college. What would he drive? Where would he live? What would his office look like? These are some of the questions I pondered as I traveled to Texas. How this young Texas millionaire lives his life surprised me as it will probably surprise you but, as you will find out, a lot of it has to do with how he was raised.
As a boy, Ramsey grew up in a rural area of east Texas. He was the youngest of three children in a family that lived quite frugally. His town had a population of less than 3,000 people and about a quarter of that population lived below the poverty line. His parents were both social workers and worked with kids in troubled households so he often heard the stories about the struggles of nearby families.
During his childhood there were plenty of hard times as he watched his mother battle cancer. According to him, it was a battle that was hard to watch as she so bravely would not give up as she believed she needed to do her best to survive cancer in order to make sure her youngest son had a mother.
Ramsey told me that he learned about persistency by watching his mother work so hard to try to win her battle against cancer. It was while Ramsey was 12 years old that his mother passed away. It was an experience that changed his life and undoubtedly helped mold him into the person he is today.
The Most Generous Young Millionaire in America?
Well-known around the nation as the youngest power player in American politics, Ramsey devotes the majority of his time to the cause of liberty. When I asked Ramsey why he supports the cause of liberty, he said, “The principles of human freedom and liberty have unarguably resulted in maximized wealth and human flourishing. Poverty, wealth inequality, war, crime and corruption are all very consistent with societies based upon authoritarianism. When I see young minorities’ lives ruined for simply possessing a plant that God put on this planet or when I see crony elites profiting from shady backroom deals, it motivates me to take action to stop these crimes against humanity.”
Although he’s a big player in politics and has a number of business ventures he’s involved in, when I asked him about his full time duties he jokingly said, “I’m a troublemaker and spending my time as a troublemaker is a full-time job.” It was a quip that made me feel at ease to ask him about anything in regards to his life so I could understand the inner drive behind his generosity.
His generosity became well-noticed shortly after he spent millions to propel several liberty-minded outsider congressional candidates to victory, most notably coming from nowhere to lift Thomas Massie to victory in Kentucky’s 4th seat. When I asked Ramsey how much money he has donated to the cause of liberty he said rather nonchalantly, “Oh, I’ve donated just over 3 mill”. A number that I’m almost certain no one else in their 20’s has come close to donating towards the cause. “I see a lot of my friends being deeply affected by the bad economy. Money printing, inflation, debt and taxes have devastated so many working families from where I grew up in East Texas, while the top 1% make out like bank robbers.”
One of Ramsey’s most successful business ventures is called Never Hungover, a natural hangover preventative shot. It is already one of the hottest selling products in GNC stores around the country, and Ramsey believes it will “fund liberty for a long time”. The CEO of Never Hungover Parrish Whitaker told me that, “Without John, there wouldn’t be a company. He had the vision for the company before it took off. He’s a visionary and that’s what sets him apart.”
Ramsey sees all business as charity and despises crony capitalism. When I asked Ramsey about some of the accusation people make towards him he said, “People on the left accuse me of being in politics because it is profitable; I can assure you that it is the opposite. There is no financial ROI or benefit. I’m in this because my generation doesn’t deserve to be burdened with endless debt, wars and government surveillance.”
The young millionaire has a garden in the front and back part of his residential property where he enthusiastically tells others that he believes more people should be growing gardens, not lawns. When I asked him about why he believed we should be replacing our lawns with gardens he said, “If we all grew food instead of lawns, it would be much easier to feed those in need. It would be a much more logical and sustainable solution to a complex societal problem. It also fits into my belief that problems are best solved on the local level, when communities come together to provide better welfare to the poor.”
While at Ramsey’s house, I was enamored with his business practices. I watched as he paced through the room, charming PAC donors on the phone, discussing business opportunities with his associates and even handwriting several thank you notes to be sent with a bag of East Texas rich lighter pine. When I asked Ramsey about how he goes about building relationships, he said that, “We have to build healthy relationships, since we can’t force people to join our cause at gunpoint. We can’t print the money, we have to earn it.” All the while, my head continues to spin with the sound of Bitcoin mining machines humming in the background.
When I visited Ramsey I expected that he would have a nice downtown office, maybe an executive office on the top floor of a high rise building. To my surprise, he lives a very simple life in his home — a home that he calls The Liberty Compound. It should have been no surprise from a guy who told me before my visit, “I don’t need all that fancy stuff; we need as many resources as possible on the battlefield, whether that be investing in a new business or dethroning a crony career politician. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter how nice your house or car is if you live in an authoritarian police state.”
An Inside Look At Ramsey’s Liberty Compound
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHacDDMtXDo
An Interview with James Benefico, John Ramsey’s Close Friend and Business Partner
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUMvAj2U6lE
An Interview with Michael Germanow, John Ramsey’s Gardener
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvj7e9AP_3s
What The Future Holds For Ramsey
There is no doubt that John Ramsey will be continuing on his path to be the best example of what a young millionaire should be doing in the United States. While most millionaires stay out of taking on a leadership role in the fight for liberty, Ramsey not only takes on the leadership roles but he creates them.
In 2012, his Liberty For All Action Fund played a role in numerous elections where his candidates won over 90% of the time. According to Ramsey, he already has quite a reputation where those who don’t like his fund’s pro-liberty message will quiver when they know that he is going to get involved in another campaign. When I asked Ramsey about the name of his action fund, he said, “Our organization is named Liberty For All for a reason. We want liberty for everyone, not just liberty for the insider political class. Collectivist policies ultimately lead to the latter and we’re here to level the playing field.”
With a smirk I then asked Ramsey about his biggest competitor Karl Rove and he quickly replied back, “I think it is shameful that political hacks like Karl Rove, profit off of donor’s hard earned dollars, while funding elitist candidates who are out of touch with the American public. Here at Liberty For All, our goal is to give voters the option to drop buddy buddy politics and stand up against the corrupt Washington DC establishment. If I’ve learned one thing since getting into politics, its that you deal with a ton of unprincipled scumbags who are in the game for money and power. Liberty For All is trying to change that toxic culture.”
Ramsey says that the question of what the future holds for him now is the million dollar question but some may jokingly say that he’s not too far away from having it be a billion or trillion dollar question. As for right now, his top desire is to spend more time on the road finding mentors who can help him strategically and financially to fund causes and projects that he supports.
When I asked Ramsey about his wealth he said, “I’m not infinitely wealthy by any means; I certainly hope others will continue to join me in investing significantly in this cause. I happened to come into some resources by God’s grace and have made the most of this opportunity by putting them to use to defend our natural rights. It’s ultimately up to me to grow those resources with wise investments, building a Rolodex of mentors and high net worth individuals and by surrounding myself with individuals who are much smarter than me. Trust me, that last part is easy for me to do!” (Ramsey chuckles).
With so many questions about what the future holds for this young millionaire from Texas one thing can be absolutely certain, John Ramsey will be making waves in entrepreneurship and the liberty movement for many years to come — and considering today’s politics, that’s something that all Americans should be excited about.