Stanley Yankus
Stanley Yankus was a Michigan farmer who, in 1959, moved from the United States to Australia. He did so out of protest over growing limits imposed by Federal law.
Speech Relevance[edit]
Yankus is briefly mentioned in Reagan's 1959 Business, Ballots and Bureaus speech:
A Michigan farmer named Yankus has the dubious distinction of being the first American to leave these shores in search of freedom.
Reagan also mentions him in one of his radio commentaries. Yankus passed away of a heart attack in 1978 shortly after purchasing 10 acres of land, still in Australia.
The law Yankus violated was the Agricultural Reform Act of 1938. His chicken farm was allocated 10 acres for growing wheat. He planted 45 of his 100 acres with wheat and, as a result, was fined $5070. In protest, Yankus sold his farm, paid the fine and moved his family to Adelaide, Australia, where he became a electrical salesman.
