About: Mark Rutherford

Chairman, Atlas!Liberty

Mark is the immediate past State Chairman of the Libertarian Party of Indiana (2000-07). He also served as a member of the Libertarian National Committee (2001-06).

Mark is a shareholder in the Indianapolis law firm, Thrasher, Buschmann Griffith & Voelkel, P.C. He practices primarily in the areas of general business law, business litigation, administrative and criminal corporate regulatory compliance, and business transactions.

His business clients include restaurants, a waste water treatment facility and specialist, a business development company that specializes in biofuel production, a manufacturer of composite products made from recycled rubber and plastic, a designer and manufacturer of electronic controls, a designer and manufacturer of dental fixtures, and a builder of custom mailboxes.

Mark is a 1982 graduate of Wabash College. He earned his J.D. from Valparaiso University School of Law in 1986 and currently serves on its National Council.

Mark was recently appointed by Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels to the Indiana Public Defender Commission. An avid tennis player, Mark serves as the 2nd Vice President of the Central Indiana Tennis Association. He also serves on the faculty of the Trial Advocacy Skills College of the Indiana Continuing Legal Education Foundation.

He is a recipient of the Order of Merit, the highest honor bestowed on volunteers by the Lambda Chi Alpha International Fraternity. He is also an Eagle Scout.

He is a member of Woodstock Club, Skyline Club and Columbia Club.

Mark traces his Libertarian influences to his father John Rutherford, who has advocated voting for Libertarian ballot access races since 1980, a philosophy class reading assignment of Robert Nozick's Anarchy, State and Utopia while in college and his fraternity brothers who worked for Ed Clark's campaign for president in 1980.

Mark has been actively involved with various political campaigns since 1968, when his father was the press director for a US House campaign. Being eight years old, his job was often putting stamps on the direct mail pieces.

His active involvement with the Libertarian Party itself began in 1998 when good friend and Libertarian leader Steve Dillon asked Mark to be his treasurer for his Secretary of State campaign.

Mark is married to Linda Hensley and resides in the Butler-Tarkington neighborhood of Indianapolis.