Author, advisor, columnist, politician, adventurer, editor, philosopher, television personality, lecturer . . . and the list goes on.

 

He founded the political magazine National Review in 1955, hosted the television show “Firing Line” from 1966 until 1999, and is a nationally syndicated newspaper columnist.  His writing style is characterized by the use of uncommon words.

 

Mr. Buckley ran for mayor of New York City in 1965, and he has been a presidential appointee to the U.S. Information Agency, the United Nations, and the National Security Council (1987).

 

Mr. Buckley has made four transoceanic voyages, journeyed to the South Pole and written such best-sellers as Atlantic High and Airborne, which he based on his travel experiences.

 

As an author, his diversity holds no bounds.  Mr. Buckley is philosophical in God and Man at Yale, Up from Liberalism, and Right Reason.  He is autobiographical in Overdrive  and The Unmaking of a Mayor and creative in his fictional works, which includes a series of novels featuring the character of CIA agent Blackford Oakes.  Mr. Buckley has written a story for children titled  The Temptation of Wilfred Malachey, and a play, which was produced at the Theatre of Louisville.  His most recent books are  Last Call for Blackford Oakes (2005), Miles Gone By:  A Literary Autobiography (2004) and The Fall of the Berlin Wall (2004).

 

Buckley refers to himself “on and off” as either libertarian or conservative and has recently criticized certain aspects of policy within the modern conservative movement.  He has said, “Bush is conservative, but he is not a conservative”.

 

On November 1, 2006, at the Yale Political Union, Buckley delivered a speech which he said would be his last on matters of policy.  The topic of his speech was “Resolved:  The Democratic Candidates for November 7th Should Withdraw”.