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'''William Frank Buckley Jr.''' (New York City, November 24, 1925 - Stamford, February 27, 2008) was born in a devoutly [[Roman Catholic]] family. Buckley was a prominent [[conservative]] author and commentator, and the founder of the [[National Review]]. He was also host of [[Firing Line]], a talk show featured for years on the otherwise [[liberal]] public television.  He was admired on both sides of the political spectrum for his seemingly limitless vocabulary, and his intellectual wit.   

'''William Frank Buckley Jr.''' (New York City, November 24, 1925 - Stamford, February 27, 2008) was born in a devoutly [[Roman Catholic]] family. Buckley was a prominent [[conservative]] author and commentator, and the founder of the [[National Review]]. He was also host of [[Firing Line]], a talk show featured for years on the otherwise [[liberal]] public television.  He was admired on both sides of the political spectrum for his seemingly limitless vocabulary, and his intellectual wit.   

Buckley's political views did not represent the future of the conservative movement as much as its past, and he did not speak out much about the big social issues that would dominate the future of politics.  For example, he was mostly silent about [[ERA]], the defining issue for the modern conservative movement.  Buckley's views could be almost summed up in one word -- anti-collectivist -- as reflected by his book "Up From Liberalism" (1959):<ref>http://www.politico.com/blogs/joe-scarborough/2013/08/conservatism-defined-170716.html</ref>

Buckley's political views did not represent the future of the conservative movement as much as its past, and he did not speak out much about the big social issues that would dominate the future of politics.  For example, he was mostly silent about [[ERA]], the defining issue for the modern conservative movement.  Buckley's views could be almost summed up in one word—anti-collectivist—as reflected by his book "Up From Liberalism" (1959):<ref>http://www.politico.com/blogs/joe-scarborough/2013/08/conservatism-defined-170716.html</ref>

{{cquote|I will not cede more power to the state. I will not willingly cede more power to anyone, not to the state, not to General Motors, not to the CIO. I will hoard my power like a miser, resisting every effort to drain it away from me. I will then use my power, as I see fit. 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. That is a program of sorts, is it not? It is certainly program enough to keep conservatives busy, and Liberals at bay. And the nation free.}}

{{cquote|I will not cede more power to the state. I will not willingly cede more power to anyone, not to the state, not to General Motors, not to the CIO. I will hoard my power like a miser, resisting every effort to drain it away from me. I will then use my power, as I see fit. 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. That is a program of sorts, is it not? It is certainly program enough to keep conservatives busy, and Liberals at bay. And the nation free.}}

Buckley belatedly supported [[intelligent design]], a halfway position for an intellectual not willing to admit that the [[theory of evolution]] is as much a liberal hoax as [[global warming]] is.

Buckley belatedly supported [[intelligent design]], a halfway position for an intellectual not willing to admit that the [[theory of evolution]] is as much a liberal hoax as [[global warming]] is.

During [[World War II]] Buckley was in the U. S. Army, but was never deployed overseas. <ref>http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/02/27/qa-with-sam-tanenhaus-on-william-f-buckley/?_r=0</ref>

During [[World War II]] Buckley was in the U. S. Army, but was never deployed overseas.<ref>http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/02/27/qa-with-sam-tanenhaus-on-william-f-buckley/?_r=0</ref>

Buckley wrote over 50 books about history, politics and sailing, and a series of spy novels (which featured the fictitious Yale graduate Blackford Oakes) that were  consistent best sellers.   

Buckley wrote over 50 books about history, politics and sailing, and a series of spy novels (which featured the fictitious Yale graduate Blackford Oakes) that were  consistent best sellers.   

{{quotebox|Buckley, doing it his way, became one of the most influential writers and journalists of the past century – in the august company of [[Walter Lippmann]], [[Alexander Solzhenitsyn]] and [[George Orwell]]. The latter two came to symbolize what was at stake in the spiritual and moral struggle against the [[totalitarian]] mentality. But Buckley spearheaded the counterrevolution in the West that emboldened [[Ronald Reagan|Reagan]], [[Margaret Thatcher|Thatcher]] and [[John Paul II]] to confront and defeat the [[Soviet Empire]]. <ref>http://www.intellectualconservative.com/2008/03/05/introduction-to-crossing-swords/</ref>}}

{{quotebox|Buckley, doing it his way, became one of the most influential writers and journalists of the past century – in the august company of [[Walter Lippmann]], [[Alexander Solzhenitsyn]] and [[George Orwell]]. The latter two came to symbolize what was at stake in the spiritual and moral struggle against the [[totalitarian]] mentality. But Buckley spearheaded the counterrevolution in the West that emboldened [[Ronald Reagan|Reagan]], [[Margaret Thatcher|Thatcher]] and [[John Paul II]] to confront and defeat the [[Soviet Empire]].<ref>http://www.intellectualconservative.com/2008/03/05/introduction-to-crossing-swords/</ref>}}

{{quotebox|Even friendly biographers do not give him adequate credit in deconstructing liberalism ...  Buckley did not elevate conservatism to a major political force simply because he was a charming guy, though that didn’t hurt; but because he laid bare with a penetrating logic the inconsistencies of liberal and leftist thought. <ref>http://www.intellectualconservative.com/2008/03/05/introduction-to-crossing-swords/</ref>}}

{{quotebox|Even friendly biographers do not give him adequate credit in deconstructing liberalism ...  Buckley did not elevate conservatism to a major political force simply because he was a charming guy, though that didn’t hurt; but because he laid bare with a penetrating logic the inconsistencies of liberal and leftist thought.<ref>http://www.intellectualconservative.com/2008/03/05/introduction-to-crossing-swords/</ref>}}

Buckley liked to go yachting, twice crossing the Atlantic himself, and playing the harpsichord. He married Patricia Alden Austin Taylor in 1950.

Buckley liked to go yachting, twice crossing the Atlantic himself, and playing the harpsichord. He married Patricia Alden Austin Taylor in 1950.

Buckley died of a [[heart attack]] in 2008.

Buckley died of a [[heart attack]] in 2008.

== See Also ==

== See also ==

* [[Conservative links]]

* [[Conservative links]]

* [[Young Americans for Freedom]]

* [[Young Americans for Freedom]]

* [[Big Government]]-[[Welfare State]]-[[Nanny State]]-[[Police state|Police State]]: [[Globalist]]-[[Statist]]-[[Socialist]]-[[Communist]]

* [[Big Government]]-[[Welfare State]]-[[Nanny State]]-[[Police state|Police State]]: [[Globalist]]-[[Statist]]-[[Socialist]]-[[Communist]]

==External Links==

==External links==

* http://www.nationalreview.com

* http://www.nationalreview.com

{{DEFAULTSORT: Buckley, William F.}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Buckley, William F.}}

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