James L. Buckley, 1923-2023, RIP – The American Spectator
One of the brightest lights of one of the most illustrious American families of recent memory has passed away, and with his passing his family is about gone. Jim Buckley, the older brother of William F. Buckley, passed away last week. He was 100 years old and had led an amazing life. He was a businessman, a public servant serving in the Reagan Administration, and he was also appointed to the U. S. Court of Appeals. What is more, he served as an upstart United States Senator, where he challenged a campaign finance law on the grounds that campaign expenditure is a form of political speech. The decision had long-term consequences for the Court and the Country. He was a great defender of the First Amendment.
He was also a bird watcher, a conservative version of an environmentalist, and a great gentleman. I shall never forget dining at the home of William F. and having a vaguely familiar fellow stand up to give me his seat. It turned out to be my first meeting with Jim. It was not to be my last. The conservative movement will miss him and his illustrious family. R. I. P. Jim.
R. Emmett Tyrrell, Jr. is the founder and editor in chief ofThe American Spectator. He is the author of The Death of Liberalism, published by Thomas Nelson Inc. His previous books include the New York Times bestseller Boy Clinton: The Political Biography; The Impeachment of William Jefferson Clinton; The Liberal Crack-Up; The Conservative Crack-Up; Public Nuisances; The Future that Doesn’t Work: Social Democracy’s Failure in Britain; Madame Hillary: The Dark Road to the White House; The Clinton Crack-Up; and After the Hangover: The Conservatives’ Road to Recovery.
He makes frequent appearances on national television and is a nationally syndicated columnist, whose articles have appeared in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Baltimore Sun, Washington Times, National Review, Harper’s, Commentary, The (London) Spectator, Le Figaro (Paris), and elsewhere. He is also a contributing editor to the New York Sun.
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