Amy Ridenour

Amy Moritz Ridenour, an influential advocate for conservative causes in Washington since the Reagan administration, when she pushed for an arms buildup, died on Friday March 31 2017 in Glen Burnie, Md. She was 57. The cause was complications of breast cancer, her brother Christian Moritz said. In 1982, Mrs. Ridenour (pronounced RIDE-en-our) was a founder of the National Center for Public Policy Research in Washington, a think tank promoting free market economic policies and a muscular national defense. She was the center’s chairwoman at her death. In 2006, Mrs. Ridenour’s National Center for Public Policy Research was one of five conservative groups identified by a United States Senate investigating committee as appearing “to have perpetrated a fraud” on taxpayers by favoring the policy agenda of Jack Abramoff, a disgraced lobbyist, whose clients had funneled money to the groups. Mr. Abramoff, who had been a colleague of Mrs. Ridenour’s in a national Republican organization of college students, was a member of her center’s board. Amy Moritz was born on Nov. 9, 1959, in Pittsburgh, the daughter of Karl and Carol Moritz. Her father was an engineer; her mother, a real estate broker. Mrs. Ridenour was a deputy director of the College Republican National Committee and graduated in 1981 with a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Maryland. Besides her brother, Mrs. Ridenour is survived by her husband, David Ridenour; their children, Christopher, Jonathan and Katherine Ridenour; another brother, Karl Moritz; and her mother.