William F. Buckley, Jr. - A Pioneer Of Modern American Conservatism

1925-2008

This obituary is coming a little late, but I couldn't leave my blog without a remembrance of the life of a great pioneer of modern conservative thought.

William Frank Buckley, Jr. was born in New York City on November 24, 1925. His father was an oil baron from Irish descent, and his mom was from the American South, and from Swiss-German descent. From a young age, he became interested in music, horses, sailing, hunting, skiing, and story-telling. From 1945-50, he was enrolled at Yale University, where he graduated with honors.

In the early 1950s is when Buckley would begin probably his best-known career, writing. He co-wrote McCarthy and His Enemies with L. Brent Bozell Jr., in which the two men mostly supported Former Wisconsin Senator Joseph McCarthy in his fight against communism. Buckley worked as an editor for The American Mercury magazine from 1951-52.

In 1955, he founded National Review, which became the standard-bearer of the conservative movement. The magazine still is a crucial leader in American conservative thought today. Buckley became a strong opponent of communism at a time when conservatism as we know it was just getting off its feet.

He founded Young Americans For Freedom in 1960. This is an organization of youth rallying for the conservative cause. The organization was founded on Buckley's estate in Sharon, Connecticut in the September of that year. YAF's guiding document is called the Sharon Statement, which are said to be Buckley's principles. The document is named after the town in Connecticut where it was drafted. At this time, the Republican Party was split into two factions, the liberal wing led by New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller, and the conservative wing led which was being led by Arizona Senator Barry Goldwater. The GOP was mostly led by the liberal wing in those days. Buckley strongly supported the Presidential candidacy of Goldwater in 1964, and used National Review as a forum for gathering support for the Arizona Senator.

In 1965, Buckley ran for Mayor of New York as the candidate of the Conservative Party because of his disapproval of the incumbent candidate, liberal Republican John V. Lindsay. Buckley lost the race and carried only 13.4 percent of the vote.

Over the last decades of the 20th Century, he became a strong influence on conservatives holding office, especially Presidents Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush, as well as Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.

Buckley passed away on February 27th, but his influence and his legacy will not be forgotten. His influence in helping to pioneer American conservatism and fighting communism is a great contribution that will last generations. We still need to keep his family in prayer. May God rest the soul of William Buckley, Jr.