[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 34 (Friday, February 29, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1434-S1435]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
HONORING THE LIFE OF WILLIAM F. BUCKLEY, JR.
Mr. REID. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate
proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 466.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution by title.
The legislative clerk read as follows:
A resolution (S. Res. 466) honoring the life of William F.
Buckley, Jr.
There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the
resolution.
Mr. REID. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the
resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motions to
reconsider be laid upon the table; that any statements relating to this
matter be printed in the Record.
[[Page S1435]]
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The resolution (S. Res. 466) was agreed to.
The preamble was agreed to.
The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:
S. Res. 466
Whereas William F. Buckley, Jr. was born on November 24,
1925, in New York City, the 6th of 10 children in a devoutly
Catholic family;
Whereas William Buckley studied at the University of Mexico
before serving his country in the Army and then later
graduating with a B.A. with honors (in political science,
economics, and history) from Yale University in 1950;
Whereas William Buckley worked briefly for the Central
Intelligence Agency;
Whereas, at the young age of 25, William Buckley published
his first popular book entitled ``God and Man at Yale'';
Whereas William Buckley has since gone on to write more
than 55 books and edit 5 more, which include ``Let Us Talk of
Many Things: the Collected Speeches'', the novel ``Elvis in
the Morning'', and his literary autobiography, ``Miles Gone
By'';
Whereas he has written more than 4,500,000 words across
over 5,600 biweekly newspaper columns, ``On the Right'';
Whereas William Buckley founded the popular and influential
National Review magazine in 1955, a respected journal of
conservative thought and opinion;
Whereas William Buckley wrote in the first issue of
National Review that in founding the magazine, it ``stands
athwart history, yelling Stop, at a time when no one is
inclined to do so, or to have much patience with those who so
urge it'';
Whereas William Buckley served as editor of National Review
for 35 years from its founding in 1955 until his announced
retirement in 1990 and as editor-at-large until his death on
February 27, 2008;
Whereas, in 1965, William Buckley ran for Mayor of New York
City and received 13.4 percent of the vote on the
Conservative Party ticket;
Whereas William Buckley was host of the Emmy-award winning
and long-running ``Firing Line'', a weekly television debate
program with such notable guests as Barry Goldwater, Margaret
Thatcher, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, and George H.W. Bush;
Whereas the New York Times noted that ``Mr. Buckley's
greatest achievement was making conservatism--not just
electoral Republicanism, but conservatism as a system of
ideas--respectable in liberal post-World War II America. He
mobilized the young enthusiasts who helped nominate Barry
Goldwater in 1964, and saw his dreams fulfilled when Reagan
and the Bushes captured the Oval Office'';
Whereas as well-known columnist George Will once said,
``before there was Ronald Reagan there was Barry Goldwater,
before there was Goldwater there was National Review, and
before there was National Review there was William F.
Buckley'';
Whereas William Buckley received the Presidential Medal of
Freedom in 1991;
Whereas William Buckley has received numerous other diverse
awards, including Best Columnist of the Year, 1967,
Television Emmy for Outstanding Achievement, 1969, the
American Book Award for Best Mystery (paperback) for
``Stained Glass'', 1980; the Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism
Award, 1989, the Adam Smith Award, Hillsdale College, 1996,
and the Heritage Foundation's Clare Booth Luce Award, 1999;
Whereas William Buckley spent over 56 years married to the
former Patricia Alden Austin Taylor, a devoted homemaker,
mother, wife, and philanthropist, before her passing in April
2007;
Whereas William Buckley passed away on February 27, 2008,
and is survived by his son, Christopher, of Washington, D.C.,
his sisters Priscilla L. Buckley, of Sharon, Connecticut,
Patricia Buckley Bozell, of Washington, D.C., and Carol
Buckley, of Columbia, South Carolina, his brothers James L.,
of Sharon, and F. Reid, of Camden, South Carolina, a
granddaughter, and a grandson;
Whereas William Buckley is recognized as a towering
intellect, a man who, in the words of Ronald Reagan, ``gave
the world something different,'' and, most of all, a true
gentleman who encountered everything he did with grace,
dignity, optimism, and good humor: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) honors the life of William F. Buckley, Jr. for his
lifetime commitment to balanced journalism, his devotion to
the free exchange of ideas, his gentlemanly and well-
respected contributions to political discourse, and his
extraordinary positive impact on world history;
(2) mourns the loss of William F. Buckley, Jr. and
expresses its condolences to his family, his friends, and his
colleagues; and
(3) respectfully requests the Secretary of the Senate to
transmit an enrolled copy of this resolution to the family of
William F. Buckley, Jr.
Mr. REID. Madam President, I think we are all going to miss Mr.
Buckley. We have all watched him on TV. He has used words which were
not developed in Searchlight, NV, but he had a great knowledge of the
English language. He was always such a gentleman, even though many of
the things he said were not in keeping with some of the things I
believe in. We will all miss him. I think of the many tributes written
for him--for example, in today's newspaper there was a wonderful piece
written by George Will about William Buckley. So I am happy that we
have this resolution honoring his life.
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