Atlas Shrugged Characters

Eddie is Dagny Taggart’s loyal assistant and lifelong friend. Though not a creative genius, he is earnest, hardworking, and deeply moral. He represents the common person who supports and depends on the achievements of great minds but cannot survive without them.

Once a renowned philosopher and student at Patrick Henry University, Ragnar becomes a pirate who intercepts government aid shipments. He targets looters and redistributes stolen wealth to its rightful owners. He remains largely offstage but plays a key role in supporting the strike’s goals through direct action.

Lillian is Hank Rearden’s wife. She lives off his wealth while scorning his work and values, and she tries to maintain her social standing by clinging to appearances and attacking Hank’s sense of pride. Lillian eventually blackmails Hank when she learns of his affair with Dagny.

A corrupt industrialist who runs Associated Steel, Boyle gains success through government favoritism rather than merit. He colludes with politicians to undermine Hank Rearden and represents the type of businessman who survives by manipulating laws instead of producing value.

Once a brilliant scientist and teacher of Galt, Francisco, and Ragnar, Stadler compromises his integrity by aligning with the State Science Institute. He becomes increasingly bitter and erratic, especially after losing control over Ferris.

Ferris is a high-ranking government scientist at the State Science Institute. A manipulative and power-hungry man, Ferris uses fear and torture to enforce control. He authors Why Do You Think You Think?, a book promoting irrationality. He also plays a major role in the regime’s worst abuses.

Daniels is a young physicist whom Dagny hires to reconstruct the abandoned experimental motor. Eager and capable, he begins to grasp the philosophical divide underlying society’s collapse. Galt intercepts him during his journey west and recruits him to the strike.

Originally assigned to Hank Rearden as a government watchdog, the Wet Nurse begins with a casual, cynical attitude. Over time, he comes to admire Hank’s strength and integrity, slowly rejecting the system he serves. He dies protecting Hank’s property during a government raid.

Initially Hank Rearden’s lobbyist, Mouch betrays Hank and rises to become one of the most powerful government officials. He helps implement directives that nationalize industries and destroy free enterprise. Mouch avoids making decisions, deflects blame, and fears being held accountable when the system begins to fall apart.

A bold and outspoken oil producer based in Colorado, Wyatt rebuilds the industry with his own innovations and refuses to tolerate government interference. When government policies harm his business, he sets fire to his oil wells and disappears to join Galt’s strike.

A renowned composer who vanishes after a sold-out performance, Halley secretly joins the strike. He later reappears in Galt’s Gulch, where his music is performed privately for the strikers. His earlier work is a source of inspiration for Dagny.

A rising executive at Taggart Transcontinental, Kellogg surprises Dagny by resigning without explanation. She later discovers he joined the strike. Quiet and competent, he appears again as a resident of Galt’s Gulch, where he takes on a more visible role.

Philip, who is Hank’s younger brother, lives in the Rearden home but contributes nothing to the business or family. He dislikes Hank’s work ethic and aligns himself with social causes to feel superior. Hank supports him out of guilt, despite Philip’s growing hostility.

Mrs. Rearden is Hank Rearden’s mother. She is controlling and emotionally needy. She favors Philip and constantly criticizes Hank for not being more generous or emotionally available.

A timid businessman and friend of Hank Rearden, Paul receives one of Hank’s mills when forced redistribution is enacted. Though not malicious, he lacks the strength or conviction to resist political pressure and ends up playing along with the looters.

Ted Nielsen is the head of Nielsen Motors, one of the independent companies that depends on Dagny’s Colorado Line. He operates responsibly and efficiently but is ultimately forced out of business as the economy crumbles and directives make it impossible to continue operating on rational terms.

Thompson is the head of state and the highest political figure in the novel. He is not an ideologue but a political survivor who cares only about holding power. Clueless about economics or philosophy, he relies on others to keep the collapsing system afloat.

A coal magnate, Danagger runs one of the most essential energy operations in the country. Overworked and harassed by bureaucrats, he meets with Dagny shortly before vanishing to join the strike. He understands what is happening and chooses to walk away rather than comply with the state’s demands.

Stockton owns a foundry that produces vital equipment for Ellis Wyatt and other industrialists. Known for his no-nonsense approach and practical leadership, he joins the strike after government oversight harms his business.

A major automobile manufacturer, Hammond is among the first successful businessmen to disappear from public life. He joins John Galt’s strike after the government repeatedly interferes in his business.

Pat Logan is the skilled Taggart engineer who captains the Comet, the company’s flagship train. Reliable and competent, he represents the kind of employee Dagny depends on to keep operations running when chaos looms.

Sanders is a successful entrepreneur who quietly disappears early in the novel. Later, he is revealed to have joined the strike.

Jed was the founder of the Twentieth Century Motor Company, once respected for his leadership and innovation. After his death, his heirs took over and implemented destructive collectivist policies that led to the company’s collapse.

Yonts is a bureaucrat and political figure mentioned briefly in connection with the collapse of productive industries. He is one of many faceless names used to represent the spread of incompetence among people in positions of authority.

A former philosophy professor at Patrick Henry University, Akston taught Galt, Francisco, and Ragnar. He now works as a cook in a roadside diner, having joined the strike.

An unhinged government enforcer, Meigs thrives on brute force and chaos. He seizes railcars for personal use and undermines the economy through recklessness.

Mulligan is a reclusive banker who disappears after rejecting government orders to make irrational loans. He was once the most respected financial mind in the country. After vanishing, he builds Galt’s Gulch and becomes its legal guardian, providing the sanctuary for the strikers.

Bill Brent is the efficient, no-nonsense editor of the Taggart Transcontinental newspaper. He handles Dagny’s announcements and notices without asking questions, respecting her authority.

Nealy is an incompetent construction foreman hired to complete the Rio Norte Line after Hank and his team are removed. Nealy has no idea how to manage a major project but is protected by political connections.

Locey is the man appointed to replace Dagny as Vice President of Operations at Taggart Transcontinental. He is clueless about the technical and logistical demands of the job and quickly proves incapable of managing the railroad during its most critical moments.

Conway runs the Phoenix-Durango, a rival railroad that serves Colorado’s booming industry. He is forced to shut down under the Anti-Dog-Eat-Dog Rule, despite his efficiency and service.

A party organizer with political influence, Slagenhop operates behind the scenes to manage relationships among the looters. He has little real power or insight but is effective at navigating bureaucratic circles to maintain the illusion of control.

Mitchum is an arrogant and incompetent station agent who undermines Dagny’s authority and botches basic procedures. He gets his job through political connections and resents those who expect him to do real work.

Pritchett is a philosophy professor who preaches that reason is meaningless and truth is unknowable. He taught at Patrick Henry University but stands in direct opposition to Galt, Francisco, and Akston.

Hendricks is a pioneering brain surgeon who walks away from his practice and joins the strike. He later serves as the resident doctor in Galt’s Gulch, trusted by the strikers.

Lawson is a former banker who lent money based on need rather than merit. He now works in government and takes pride in his “moral” intentions, despite the destruction his policies have caused.

Kay is a Hollywood actress who was once the mistress of Francisco d’Anconia. Disillusioned with the entertainment industry and its embrace of mediocrity, she vanishes and is later seen living quietly in Galt’s Gulch, married to Ragnar.

Kinnan is a labor union leader who openly admits he supports the union for power, not ideology. Unlike most looters, he’s blunt and cynical, showing no pretense of moral justification.

Narragansett is a retired judge who joins the strike and lives in Galt’s Gulch. He spends his time rewriting the Constitution to reflect strikers’ moral principles.

The government uses Morrison, a spokesperson, to boost public morale with optimistic platitudes. He avoids facts and focuses on empty reassurances.

Holloway is a minor government official mentioned during policy meetings. He operates as part of the growing bureaucratic web but has little direct influence.

Bascom is the small-town mayor who provides Dagny and Hank with information about the abandoned Twentieth Century Motor Company.

Ivy is one of Jed Starnes’s heirs who helps run the Twentieth Century Motor Company into the ground.

Colby is one of the unnamed workers who quietly upholds the day-to-day function of the railroad. He appears in passing and is noted for his reliability.

Allen is a tramp who shares a train ride with Dagny and recounts the downfall of the Twentieth Century Motor Company.

Laura Bradford is a minor character who appears at one of James Taggart’s social events.

Weatherby is a government railroad official who takes orders from those in power without question.

Atwood is a physicist involved in the State Science Institute’s Project X.

Chalmers is a loud, self-important politician whose demands during a train ride lead to disaster.

An engineer and construction contractor, McNamara is among the earliest to join the strike.

Hammond is a successful automobile manufacturer who vanishes with the other strikers.

Marsh is a banker who disappears early in the novel, later revealed to be one of the first strikers.

Betty is a shallow socialite who has an affair with James Taggart.

Eubank is a pretentious, talentless writer whom critics celebrate, nonetheless.

A columnist for the New Frontiers magazine, Scudder regularly attacks businessmen like Hank and Dagny in print.

Hastings is the last known associate of the inventor of the revolutionary motor Dagny and Hank discover.

Harper is an elderly printer who works for Taggart Transcontinental.