Priscilla Langford Buckley (October 17, 1921 – March 25, 2012)[1][2] was an American journalist and author who was the longtime managing editor of National Review.
Priscilla Buckley | |
|---|---|
| Born | Priscilla Langford Buckley October 17, 1921 New York City, U.S. |
| Died | March 25, 2012 (aged 90) Sharon, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Education | Smith College (BA) |
| Occupations |
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| Father | William F. Buckley Sr. |
| Relatives |
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Education
editBuckley graduated with a degree in history in 1943 from Smith College,[3] while there, one of her best friends was Betty Friedan.[4][1] Nancy Reagan was in the same graduating class at Smith as Buckley.[3]
Work for the CIA
editShe worked for the CIA in the 1950s and for United Press from 1944 to 1948 (in New York) and again from 1953 to 1956 (in Paris).[5][6]
Work for National Review
editPriscilla Buckley started working at William F. Buckley's publication, National Review, in 1956.[7] She became managing editor of the publication in 1959 following the retirement of the publication's original managing editor, Suzanne La Follette.[8] Whittaker Chambers recommended Buckley for the position. Buckley served as managing editor until 1985 and continued working at National Review until 1999.[7] She worked at National Review for a total of 43 years.[5] According to The New York Times, Buckley's influence at National Review led some to refer to the publication as "Miss Buckley’s Finishing School for Young Ladies and Gentlemen of Conservative Persuasion".[7] Writers whom she helped to train include Paul Gigot, Bill McGurn, Mona Charen, and Anthony R. Dolan.[9]
Pro-life stance
editBuckley was opposed to abortion and in the 1970s and 1980s served on the board for the Ad Hoc Committee in Defense of Life.[10]
Publications
editBuckley authored String of Pearls, a 2001 memoir about international journalism, and a 2005 book entitled Living It Up with National Review: A Memoir.[11][5]
Personal life
editBuckley was born in New York City. She was the third of 10 children of William Frank Buckley Sr., and Aloise Josephine Antonia Steiner. Buckley's siblings included future United States Senator and federal judge James L. Buckley and William F. Buckley Jr., a future conservative author.[7] Her nickname was "Pitts".[3]
Later years
editBuckley died of kidney failure on March 25, 2012, at the age of 90[7] at Great Elm, the house in Sharon, Connecticut, where she lived and where she and her siblings had grown up.[9]
References
edit- ^ a b "Nomination of Priscilla L. Buckley To Be a Member of the United States Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy". Retrieved 2012-03-25.
- ^ Lopez, Kathryn Jean (25 March 2012). "A Death in the Family". National Review. Retrieved 2012-03-25.
- ^ a b c "Remembering Priscilla Buckley". National Review. 2012-03-30. Retrieved 2023-05-11.
- ^ Boughton, Kathryn. "Priscilla Buckley Remembered by Family Members, Sharon Residents as a Benevolent Force of Nature". Retrieved 2012-03-28.
- ^ a b c "Living It Up with National Review: A Memoir". Retrieved 2012-03-25.
- ^ "Nominations, November 18, 1983". Retrieved 2012-03-25.
- ^ a b c d e Fox, Margalit (26 March 2012). "Priscilla L. Buckley, Who Edited at National Review, Dies at 90". The New York Times – via NYTimes.com.
- ^ Bolduc, Brian. "Around the World with Priscilla Buckley". National Review. Retrieved 2012-03-25.
- ^ a b Robinson, Peter. "Priscilla Buckley, RIP". Retrieved 2012-03-25.
- ^ "The Ad Hoc Committee in Defense of Life" (PDF). Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. September 15, 1982.
- ^ Brookhiser, Richard (25 March 2012). "Priscilla Buckley, R.I.P." National Review. Retrieved 2012-03-25.