Sam Falk/New York Times
William F. Buckley Jr., shown in 1965, said his decision to divest his shares in National Review had more to do with his own mortality
Thank you for your great works, William Frank Buckley Jr.
Posted on 06/28/2004 7:31:10 PM PDT by neverdem
Is that true about Spanish and Jesuit boarding school?
Who will take his place?
William F. Buckley biography
A brief biography of William F. Buckley, the founder of National Review magazine, an author, lecturer, sailor, socialite, and pop icon.
William F. Buckley was born on November 24, 1925, in New York City, the sixth of ten children in a devoutly Roman Catholic family. Because his grandfather had made a fortune in the oil business, Buckley's childhood in Connecticut was one of wealth and priviledge, but also one of discipline and intellectual rigor. He was educated in England and France, and graduated from the Millbrook School in Millbrook, NY, in 1943.
Buckley's first language had been Spanish, having been raised by Mexican nannies, and he now studied at the University of Mexico before being drafted into the Army in 1944. After being discharged in 1946, he worked briefly for the CIA. He then attended Yale University, graduating in 1950. Shortly thereafter, at the age of 25, he became a literary sensation with the publication of his book, "God and Man at Yale," a scathing indictment of what would later be called "political correctness."
Buckley founded National Review magazine in 1955, at a time when the words "conservative" and "intellectual" were rarely seen in the same sentence. His magazine revolutionized political thinking, and had a profound affect on conservative leaders such as Barry Goldwater and Ronald Reagan. He became even more influential when his newspaper column, "On the Right," was syndicated in 1962. In 1965 he ran for mayor of New York under the Conservative Party banner and received 13.4 of the vote.
What finally propelled Buckley to iconic status was his weekly television show, "Firing Line." He had been a skilled debater at Yale, and viewers loved to watch him spar with such guests as Norman Mailer, Germaine Greer, the Dalai Lama, and Groucho Marx. A Psychology Today poll conducted in the early Seventies found that an alarmingly high percentage of women fantasized about Buckley while having sex with their husbands.
With the election of Ronald Reagan in 1980, Buckley and his wife, Pat, became the most sought-after socialites in Washington. His Blackford Oakes spy novels were consistent best sellers. With the high life, however, came contraversy. Many were shocked at Buckley's callous response in the early years of the AIDS epidemic; he went so far as to suggest that those who suffered from the disease should be tattooed on their backsides.
In the early 1990's, Buckley stepped down as editor of National Review, though he continued on as a contributing editor, and devoted more time to such passions as sailing and playing the harpsichord. He broadcast his last "Firing Line" in the year 2000.
= = = = = = = = =
The Carolina Navy
By Becket Knottingham
becket@jollyroger.com
Come lighthouse builders, soldiers of the word,
Come gather 'round me on this soft spring eve,
Prime yer wit's pistols, polish wisdom's sword,
For we're setting sail for all we believe.
Where principle transcends all politics,
Where lawyers are replaced by higher law,
Where children amongst the Great Books frolic,
Defenders of honor are held in awe.
For isn't forever worth fighting for?
Where rhyme and reason resound once again,
What sailor's soul could ever ask for more,
Than to serve the Lord with poetry's pen?
And I think I feel that ancient wind rising,
It's a choice I made, girl, so long ago,
The tide's turning, and we're both realizing,
That far, far away, this captain must go.
With all these castles built on shifting sands,
There's not much left for a poet 'round here,
All that can keep me now, from far off lands,
Is fearing that this fog will never clear. This fog--
I just can't help dreaming beyond,
Dreaming a dream so bold it must be real,
Until that day which has never yet dawned,
Is crossed by my spirit's thundering keel.
'Cause I know there's just got to be a place
With wondrous mountains and a shining sea,
With Caroline's grace and beautiful face,
Where moral beauty's anchor sets ye free.
And I know that in-between here and there,
I'll sail on by some more who don't believe,
Forgive the blind leading the blind nowhere,
For in the end it's themselves they deceive.
Tonight I'm setting sail for victory,
Too many people talking of decline,
Tomorrow is the children's history,
So in me wake I'll leave them something fine.
Come sailors and sinners, it's not too late,
Serve something Greater, mate, and it shall save ye,
Set sail to make eternity yer fate,
Come serve aboard the Carolina Navy.
Very Buckleyesque, no? (But I still can't envision him speaking Spanish in that unique patrician accent.)
= = = = = =
Thank you, WFB ... you lit the fire! Go with God.
I heard they just about came to blows during the Chicago 68 convention. I missed it. I was always hoping to see a re-run.
Thank you very much!
Glad somebody finally said it.
Thank you. :)
You must be a mind reader. Thank you very much. Bookmarked
I spent many years watching Bill Buckley's FiringLine and enjoying the political debating skills of a master communicator. Buckley will forever be remembered as one of the founders of the modern conservative movement in America today. Nothing will change with Buckley`s stepping down as head-honcho of NR. He will still write his weekly column and he will remain a voice for conservatism.
A legend to whom we owe much. My favorite of his formal televised debates was the one in which he opposed Ronald Reagan on the question of whether we should keep the Panama Canal. Only time I've seen him bested.
Wait, won't he have more leisure time? Time to surf the Web, stopping off at FR to join in the fun? Or goad the mental dwarfs over at DU......
Sam Falk/New York Times
William F. Buckley Jr., shown in 1965, said his decision to divest his shares in National Review had more to do with his own mortality
Thank you for your great works, William Frank Buckley Jr.
I was a very small child when I met WFB for the first time. It was at the home of Henry Regnery; publisher of his first tome, God and Man at Yale. Somehow, I never forgot that meeting. Though the political discussions that evening were lost on my then 7 year old self, I was fascinated by the man. I've remained so ever since. Though I doubt I would have admitted it at the time, he even survived the rancor of my obligatory political rebellion during the 60s. I met him a second time in the early 1990's at a book party in Dallas. May I say that that meeting was not a disappointment. He entered that room exuding charm and yes, charisma - and was a delight to speak with.
I'm very happy to hear that he will continue to write. In periods of political upheaval, I often reach out to see what he has to say. I believe we owe him a great debt of gratitude. Though I may not always agree with what he has to say, I am always cognizant of the fact that "the Buckley revolution" is largely responsible for the underpinnings of how and what I understand today. In my opinion, he is a man of great intellect and courage. I hope he knows that many of us feel that way.
btw:One of my favorite books of all time is his 'The Unmaking of a Mayor' a book he wrote about his run for mayor of NYC in 1969-it's hilarious.
His primary character, Blackford Oakes, was one of the best spies in literature. That is how I found National Review as well. Buckley always mentioned Blackie's favorite magazine - NR. I know this is trite but reading the Blackford Oakes novels served as a primer for me of the Conservative viewpoint to all of the major events in the Cold War.
His most recent book, again published by Regnery, "Getting it Right" was sheer delight.
Regards,
TS
Any time I start to suffer from the delusion that I am relatively bright I reread "Up From Liberalism". That usually cures my pretentiousness.
TS
"Firing Line," which ceased production in 1999 after 33 years, is one of the longest running television programs in history. It is the progenitor of the modern, "talking head" gabfest, and its commentators, with host Buckley and regular sparring partners like Alan Ginsburg, Margaret Thatcher, William Sloane Coffin Jr. '49 DIV '56, and Daniel Patrick Moynihan, make those appearing on "Crossfire" or "Hannity and Colmes" look like bellowing Neanderthals.
Yes - though I don't remember the exact ages. Before going into the oil(?) business, WFBs father was an attorney that was practicing in Mexico, until he ran into trouble with the extremely anti-catholic PRI that had come into power a few years earlier. In fact, he was declared a "pernacious foreigner" by no less than the President of Mexico. After leaving Mexico, the family lived overseas in France, Switzerland, and England for 4 years, before settling in Connecticut.
Back home in the US, the senior Buckley employed a staff of mostly Spanish speaking cooks, maids, and nannies for his family (WFB was one of 11 children, I believe).
The Jesuit school was St John's, Beaumont.
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