William F. Buckley

Early Life and Education

William Frank Buckley Jr. was born on November 24, 1925, in New York City, to William Frank Buckley Sr., a wealthy oil magnate and lawyer, and Aloise Josephine Steiner, a devout Catholic of Swiss-German descent. The sixth of ten children, Buckley grew up in a privileged, devoutly Catholic, and multilingual household, splitting time between estates in Sharon, Connecticut, and Great Elm, South Carolina. His father’s fortune, amassed in Mexico and Venezuela, and his mother’s piety shaped Buckley’s conservative worldview and cosmopolitan outlook. Raised speaking English, Spanish, and French, he developed a precocious intellect and a flair for debate.

Buckley’s early education was eclectic. At age five, he attended a Catholic kindergarten in Paris, followed by private tutoring in London and Connecticut. In 1939, he enrolled at **St. John’s, Beaumont**, a Catholic preparatory school in England, but returned to the U.S. in 1940 due to World War II. He attended **Millbrook School** in New York, graduating in 1943. In 1944, Buckley briefly studied at the **University of Mexico** before enlisting in the **U.S. Army**, serving as a second lieutenant at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, until his discharge in 1946. He then entered **Yale University**, majoring in political science, English, and economics, and graduated with honors in 1950. At Yale, Buckley chaired the **Yale Daily News**, joined the **Skull and Bones** secret society, and honed his debating skills with the **Yale Debate Association**, clashing with faculty over his staunch anti-socialist views.

Early Career and Rise to Prominence

Buckley’s intellectual career launched with his first book, **God and Man at Yale** (1951), a scathing critique of Yale’s secular liberalism and perceived collectivist bias. Published at age 25, the book argued that universities should uphold Christian and capitalist values, sparking national controversy and establishing Buckley as a conservative prodigy. In 1952, he briefly joined the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), serving in Mexico City under E. Howard Hunt, a Skull and Bones classmate, as a deep-cover agent tasked with monitoring leftist groups. Disillusioned by bureaucracy, Buckley resigned after nine months, later reflecting in his 1976 novel *Saving the Queen* that espionage lacked intellectual rigor.

Returning to journalism, Buckley worked as an associate editor at **The American Mercury** in 1953, but his ambition led him to found **National Review** in 1955, a magazine that became the cornerstone of modern American conservatism. With $100,000 from his father and contributions from supporters like Willmoore Kendall, Buckley assembled a team including James Burnham, Frank Meyer, and Russell Kirk, uniting traditionalists, libertarians, and anti-communists. **National Review** championed free markets, limited government, and fierce anti-communism, shaping the conservative movement that propelled figures like Barry Goldwater and Ronald Reagan.

Public Intellectual and Media Presence== Buckley’s charisma and erudition made him a media sensation. In 1966, he launched **Firing Line**, a televised debate show on PBS, hosting 1,504 episodes until 1999. With his distinctive patrician accent, clipped diction, and sharp wit, Buckley debated luminaries like **Norman Mailer**, **Noam Chomsky**, and **Gore Vidal**, famously clashing with Vidal in 1968 during ABC’s Democratic National Convention coverage, where Vidal called Buckley a “crypto-Nazi,” prompting Buckley’s retort, “Now listen, you queer, stop calling me a crypto-Nazi or I’ll sock you in the goddamn face.” The exchange, widely publicized, underscored Buckley’s combative style and cultural impact.

Buckley authored over 50 books, including political treatises (**Up from Liberalism**, 1959), spy novels (**Marco Polo, If You Can**, 1982), and memoirs (**Cruising Speed**, 1971). His syndicated column, **On the Right**, appeared in over 300 newspapers, reaching millions. He lectured extensively, often at colleges, engaging liberal audiences with humor and logic, and founded the **Young Americans for Freedom (YAF)** in 1960, mobilizing conservative youth.

Political Influence and Conservatism

Buckley’s **National Review** purged the conservative movement of fringe elements like the **John Birch Society** and **Ayn Rand**’s Objectivists, advocating a “fusionist” conservatism blending traditional values and free-market principles. He supported Goldwater’s 1964 presidential campaign, though it failed, and later championed Reagan, whose 1980 election victory owed much to Buckley’s intellectual groundwork. Buckley also influenced policy through friendships with presidents, including **Richard Nixon** and **George H.W. Bush**, and advised Reagan on Cold War strategy.

His nuanced positions included early support for segregation in the 1950s, arguing in a 1957 **National Review** editorial that Southern whites were “entitled to prevail” to preserve order, a stance he later renounced, embracing civil rights by the 1960s. Buckley opposed the Vietnam War’s escalation, criticized the **Watergate scandal**, and endorsed drug legalization in the 1990s, reflecting intellectual flexibility within his conservative framework.

Connections

- Operation PBSuccess: Buckley’s brief CIA stint in 1952 under E. Howard Huntin Mexico City coincided with planning for **Operation PBFortune**, a precursor to the 1954 Guatemala coup (**PBSuccess**). While Buckley had no direct role, his anti-communist writings in **National Review** supported U.S. interventions like PBSuccess, aligning with CIA goals, per *Bitter Fruit* by Stephen Schlesinger and Stephen Kinzer. - Operation Condor: Buckley’s fervent anti-communism and support for Pinochet’s 1973 Chile coup, expressed in **National Review** editorials, indirectly endorsed the repressive context of Operation Condor. His 1974 meeting with Pinochet and defense of Chile’s “economic miracle” under the Chicago Boys overlooked Condor’s atrocities, including Orlando Letelier’s 1976 assassination.

CIA

Buckley’s CIA service and friendships with agency figures like James Jesus Angleton and William Casey tied him to intelligence circles. **National Review** received early funding from **C.D. Jackson**, a CIA-linked media executive, per *The Mighty Wurlitzer* by Hugh Wilford, suggesting indirect agency support, though Buckley denied control. Colonia Dignidad: Buckley’s defense of Pinochet ignored Colonia Dignidad’s role as a DINA torture center, but no evidence implicates him in its operations.

Personal Life

Buckley married **Patricia Aldyen Austin Taylor** in 1950, a Canadian Protestant who converted to Catholicism. The couple had one son, **Christopher Taylor Buckley**, born in 1952, a novelist and humorist. Known for his charm, Buckley hosted lavish parties at his Manhattan townhouse and Stamford, Connecticut, estate, socializing with conservatives like **Clare Boothe Luce** and liberals like **John Kenneth Galbraith**. An avid sailor, he crossed the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, chronicled in *Airborne* (1976) and *Racing Through Paradise* (1987). Buckley played the harpsichord, enjoyed Bach, and skied annually in Switzerland, embodying a patrician lifestyle.

Later Years and Death

In the 1990s, Buckley reduced his **National Review** role, naming **Rich Lowry** as editor in 1997, and ended **Firing Line** in 1999. He continued writing, publishing *The Redhunter* (1999), a novel about Joseph McCarthy, and *Let Us Talk of Many Things* (2000), a speech collection. Health issues, including emphysema and diabetes, slowed him. His wife, Patricia, died in April 2007, a profound loss. On February 27, 2008, Buckley died of a heart attack at his Stamford home, aged 82, while working on a column. He was survived by Christopher and siblings **James**, **Priscilla**, and **Carol**.

Legacy and Critical Perspective

William F. Buckley Jr. was the intellectual architect of modern American conservatism, transforming a fragmented movement into a cohesive force through **National Review** and **Firing Line**. His defense of free markets, anti-communism, and traditional values shaped the Republican Party, paving the way for Reagan’s presidency. His early segregationist views and support for authoritarian regimes like Pinochet’s remain controversial, though his later moderation on civil rights and drug policy showed growth.

Conclusion

William F. Buckley Jr.’s life as a writer, broadcaster, and conservative icon redefined American politics, founding **National Review** and **Firing Line** to champion free markets and anti-communism. His brief CIA stint and support for Pinochet’s Chile tied him indirectly to Operation PBSuccess and Operation Condor. His legacy, blending intellectual brilliance with controversial stances, remains divisive. For further research, consult Buckley’s papers at Yale, *The Pinochet File* for Chile context, and National Security Archive’s CIA files, verifying X claims (@Aaron_Good_) against primary evidence.

Personal Life

Buckley married **Patricia Aldyen Austin Taylor** in 1950, a Canadian Protestant who converted to Catholicism. The couple had one son, **Christopher Taylor Buckley**, born in 1952, a novelist and humorist. Known for his charm, Buckley hosted lavish parties at his Manhattan townhouse and Stamford, Connecticut, estate, socializing with conservatives like **Clare Boothe Luce** and liberals like **John Kenneth Galbraith**. An avid sailor, he crossed the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, chronicled in *Airborne* (1976) and *Racing Through Paradise* (1987). Buckley played the harpsichord, enjoyed Bach, and skied annually in Switzerland, embodying a patrician lifestyle.

Later Years and Death

In the 1990s, Buckley reduced his **National Review** role, naming **Rich Lowry** as editor in 1997, and ended **Firing Line** in 1999. He continued writing, publishing *The Redhunter* (1999), a novel about Joseph McCarthy, and *Let Us Talk of Many Things* (2000), a speech collection. Health issues, including emphysema and diabetes, slowed him. His wife, Patricia, died in April 2007, a profound loss. On February 27, 2008, Buckley died of a heart attack at his Stamford home, aged 82, while working on a column. He was survived by Christopher and siblings **James**, **Priscilla**, and **Carol**.

Legacy and Critical Perspective

William F. Buckley Jr. was the intellectual architect of modern American conservatism, transforming a fragmented movement into a cohesive force through **National Review** and **Firing Line**. His defense of free markets, anti-communism, and traditional values shaped the Republican Party, paving the way for Reagan’s presidency. His early segregationist views and support for authoritarian regimes like Pinochet’s remain controversial, though his later moderation on civil rights and drug policy showed growth.

Conclusion

William F. Buckley Jr.’s life as a writer, broadcaster, and conservative icon redefined American politics, founding **National Review** and **Firing Line** to champion free markets and anti-communism. His brief CIA stint and support for Pinochet’s Chile tied him indirectly to Operation PBSuccess and Operation Condor. His legacy, blending intellectual brilliance with controversial stances, remains divisive. For further research, consult Buckley’s papers at Yale, *The Pinochet File* for Chile context, and National Security Archive’s CIA files, verifying X claims (@Aaron_Good_) against primary evidence.

Personal Life

Buckley married **Patricia Aldyen Austin Taylor** in 1950, a Canadian Protestant who converted to Catholicism. The couple had one son, **Christopher Taylor Buckley**, born in 1952, a novelist and humorist. Known for his charm, Buckley hosted lavish parties at his Manhattan townhouse and Stamford, Connecticut, estate, socializing with conservatives like **Clare Boothe Luce** and liberals like **John Kenneth Galbraith**. An avid sailor, he crossed the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, chronicled in *Airborne* (1976) and *Racing Through Paradise* (1987). Buckley played the harpsichord, enjoyed Bach, and skied annually in Switzerland, embodying a patrician lifestyle.

Later Years and Death

In the 1990s, Buckley reduced his **National Review** role, naming **Rich Lowry** as editor in 1997, and ended **Firing Line** in 1999. He continued writing, publishing *The Redhunter* (1999), a novel about Joseph McCarthy, and *Let Us Talk of Many Things* (2000), a speech collection. Health issues, including emphysema and diabetes, slowed him. His wife, Patricia, died in April 2007, a profound loss. On February 27, 2008, Buckley died of a heart attack at his Stamford home, aged 82, while working on a column. He was survived by Christopher and siblings **James**, **Priscilla**, and **Carol**.

Legacy and Critical Perspective

William F. Buckley Jr. was the intellectual architect of modern American conservatism, transforming a fragmented movement into a cohesive force through **National Review** and **Firing Line**. His defense of free markets, anti-communism, and traditional values shaped the Republican Party, paving the way for Reagan’s presidency. His early segregationist views and support for authoritarian regimes like Pinochet’s remain controversial, though his later moderation on civil rights and drug policy showed growth.

Conclusion

William F. Buckley Jr.’s life as a writer, broadcaster, and conservative icon redefined American politics, founding **National Review** and **Firing Line** to champion free markets and anti-communism. His brief CIA stint and support for Pinochet’s Chile tied him indirectly to Operation PBSuccess and Operation Condor. His legacy, blending intellectual brilliance with controversial stances, remains divisive. For further research, consult Buckley’s papers at Yale, *The Pinochet File* for Chile context, and National Security Archive’s CIA files, verifying X claims (@Aaron_Good_) against primary evidence.