It is with deepest grief that we note the passing of William F. Buckley, Jr. A writer, an editor, a debater, and a public intellectual, Mr. Buckley is perhaps best known as the principal founder of the modern conservative movement. In the early days of the Cold War, Buckley stitched together a coalition from traditional conservatives, libertarians, anti-New Dealers and former Southern Democrats. This coalition would later give birth to Barry Goldwater and Ronald Reagan, the guiding lights of the American conservative movement.
Mr. Buckley's moral clarity led him to realize that resisting communism would be the defining struggle of the late twentieth century. As a part of this mission, he founded National Review in 1955, in order to "stand athwart History [Karl Marx's definition of progress], yelling 'Stop!'" After 50 years, National Review continues to provide news and commentary while championing liberty, traditional values, and free markets.
As an author, Buckley also wrote a series of fictional novels about a CIA operative who consistently did the right thing--a rebuttal to much of Cold War spy fiction, which portrayed the CIA and the KGB as morally equivalent, corrupt institutions.
This moral clarity did not occur in a vacuum, however; William F. Buckley, Jr. was a devout Roman Catholic whose faith profoundly influenced his words and actions. His first book, "God and Man at Yale" criticized his alma mater for its embrace of a secularist perspective and its growing disdain for Christianity.
Though best known for his intellectual conservatism, Buckley also deployed his erudite wit and formidable intellect in passionate defense of his Christian faith. When discussing faith vs. skepticism, Buckley once wrote "The skeptics get away with fixing the odds against the believer, mostly by pointing to phenomena which are only explainable... by the belief that there was a cause for them."
That was Buckley's way; at his most passionate, he remained thoughtful and polite. For thirty-three years, he engaged guests with wit and civility on his televised debate show, "Firing Line."
Friends and acquaintances also remember his kindness, unfailing cheerful nature, and generous spirit.
There can be no better epitaph for William F. Buckley, Jr. than his own words:
"I mean to live my life an obedient man, but obedient to God, subservient to the wisdom of my ancestors; never to the authority of political truths arrived at yesterday at the voting booth."
