Contact: J.P. Duffy or Maria Donovan, 866-372-6397, both with Family Research Council (FRC)

WASHINGTON, Feb. 28 /Standard Newswire/ -- Family Research Council (FRC) released the following statement on the passing of William F. Buckley, Jr. :

"It is with great regret that we at FRC learned of the passing of William F. Buckley, Jr. One risks understatement calling Mr. Buckley a titan of the conservative movement. The fact is that there would likely be no conservative movement were it not for him. While still a young man Mr. Buckley marshaled some of the finest minds of his age in an effort to make conservatism a viable political philosophy under the auspices of his National Review. Bringing together traditionalists, anti-communists, and libertarians, Mr. Buckley was at the heart of "fusing" the disparate elements of the conservative movement together. A mere nine years after he founded his magazine, conservatism had gone from a fringe ideology to one with a Republican presidential candidate in Barry Goldwater. A mere sixteen years later, conservatives had elected an actual president--Ronald Reagan. Without William F. Buckley it is unlikely that momentous event would have occurred.

"Mr. Buckley was a tireless stalwart for the cause of human life and what he termed 'the organic moral order.' His very career began with a book, God and Man at Yale, which was a withering broadside against atheism and collectivism--twin evils equally pernicious to America as a whole as they are to the Ivy Leagues. All the while, however, Mr. Buckley went about his crusade to defend tradition and freedom with considerable elan. Whether in writing his column or debating on Firing Line, he engaged his opponents with charm, humor, and grace.

"William F. Buckley will be sorely missed. We pray that he might find eternal happiness with his Lord. Our prayers are with the Buckley family."