WASHINGTON — Heritage Foundation President Kay C. James today issued the following statement on the death of James Gattuso, a senior research fellow in regulatory policy at The Heritage Foundation.

“The Heritage Foundation is mourning the loss of our longtime colleague and our dear friend James Gattuso. He was a brilliant policy expert, kind human being, and witty coworker. 

 

“James loved liberty. He was principled. He never had a bad thing to say about anyone and no one had a bad thing to say about him. He was truly what we should all strive to be.

 

“In two stints and more than 20 years at Heritage, James worked to advance a range of policy issues, most recently regulatory and telecommunications issues in our Roe Institute for Economic Policy Studies. He was passionate about his work and eager to collaborate with others. Many of our current and former staff counted him as mentor and deeply respected his knowledge and insight.

 

“James’ contributions to the conservative movement and our country run deep. He helped advance free-market policy at the Competitive Enterprise Institute and Citizens for a Sound Economy. While working at the Federal Communications Commission, he was detailed to the office of Vice President Dan Quayle. No matter the assignment, you could always count on James’ integrity and honesty.

 

“The entire Heritage team will miss James’ cheerful presence and sensible wisdom. We are praying for his wife Dana and their family.”