Economic growth within countries varies sharply across decades. This paper examines one explanation for these sustained shifts in growth – changes in the national leader. The findings are that leaders matter, particularly in autocratic settings. Moreover, the death of autocrats appears to lead towards improvements in growth. Autocrats influence political institutions that, in turn, appear to affect growth. In particular, small movements toward democracy following the death of an autocrat appear to improve growth, while dramatic democratizations are associated with reductions in growth. The results suggest that individual leaders can play crucial roles in shaping the growth of nations.