William F. Buckley Stamp is Fitting Tribute

Conservatives have a rare reason to cheer the United States Postal Service: It is releasing a stamp in honor of one of the godfathers of American conservatism, William F. Buckley Jr., this fall.

This new stamp is fitting and timely for several reasons.

Bill, as he was known to friends and colleagues, was a prolific, bountiful letter writer. He relished corresponding regularly with allies and adversaries alike—and with exacting graciousness and generosity. His letters were always heartfelt and intellectually stimulating, often drafted from whatever airport, train, sailboat, car, or gondola in which he found himself. That magnanimity of voice, which was unmistakable, was rooted in his faith.

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As a devout Catholic, Bill treated all with dignity and respect. Because of his organic brio and elegance, he was able to develop strong and lasting friendships even with those with whom he disagreed. For Bill, it was always an intellectual debate over ideas and never about personal attacks. The decision to honor Bill’s life and legacy with the stamp is also a tribute to the man Bill was quite outside the spotlight.

As the recipient of one of Bill’s letters when I was a young and lowly deputy press secretary in Washington, D.C., I found myself not just corresponding with one of my personal heroes. I had also found a professional mentor, and even more importantly, a cherished friend.

From an incredible dinner with him and other conservative intellectuals in New York City at his pied-a-terre in an elegant Upper East Side neighborhood, to having the honor of sailing with him in the Long Island Sound aboard his beloved boat Patito, my memories of my time with Bill will always fill my heart with overflowing joy. He is exactly the kind of patriot we should be honoring with those little works of art otherwise known as Forever Stamps.

That is why it is also so gratifying to see that the U.S. Postal Service has chosen to have ideological balance—as all agencies should—in who and what it honors with a commemorative stamp. It’s much better than just saluting those who align with what or who is deemed “politically correct.”

This is important because Bill’s opinions were often seen by the political Left and their media allies as “polarizing”—a term that is often used to marginalize anyone who disagrees with the current political orthodoxy and zeitgeist.

Yet Bill would never allow himself to be placed in any corner or fixed space. He found glory in the variety of life, and lived in celebration of American freedom and independence of thought.

For instance, in his seminal book “God and Man at Yale,” Bill peeled back the layers of the onion at Yale University and exposed its leftist core. As former National Review editor Richard Brookhiser wrote, “Yale in 1951 still pretended to be a bastion of capitalism and Christianity; Bill told the world this was a con, to keep alums sending their sons and their money to New Haven.”

He also saw that with the Left there was too often no room for debate. So Bill created new spaces to discuss major ideas and currents as chairman of the Yale Daily News and later in founding both National Review magazine and hosting the longest-running talk show of its kind, “Firing Line.”

As he put it, “Though liberals do a great deal of talking about hearing other points of view, it sometimes shocks them to learn that there are other points of view.” Those words turned out to be prophetic as we face the “cancel culture” of the 21st Century.

But thankfully, the Postal Service has chosen not to cancel Bill. For that we can be grateful.

Bill also knew in his heart that it is religious faith that brings people together—regardless of political persuasion—and provides hope and healing. As that faith came under assault—and was later scorned, attacked, and mocked—our national fabric frayed with it.

It is no coincidence that our current poisonous political and cultural climate are the result. Yet Bill was among the first of the major pundits and writers to defend men and women of faith, and he demonstrated in his person that being a Christian was perfectly intellectually respectable. 

It is also why he always tried to build bridges with those he disagreed with rather than burn them. We have much to learn, both on the Left and the Right, from his example of inveterate optimism.

It is my hope that by the Postal Service recognizing Bill in this manner, it will help Americans learn more about this great and faithful man and the principles that guided his life and worldview.

Meanwhile, many of us who received letters from Bill will reflect on the deeply cherished notes and asides he wrote over the years—always written with panache, elan, and wit. Each one was a small gem, and more often than not, had one animating and consistent golden thread: those notes stimulated us intellectually while providing us with hope and vision for a brighter future.

That is the legacy of Bill Buckley we can celebrate in what would have been the 100th year of his birth. This fall, we will have the pleasure of attaching a Forever Stamp with his image to an envelope and placing it in a mailbox for delivery.

We publish a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Daily Signal.