The sad news came today of the death of Forrest MacDonald, one of the greatest intellectual historians America has produced. McDonald’s specialty was the Founding Fathers and he was unapologetically conservative. He once said the two facts were closely related, because a proper understanding of the Founders’ concerns and intentions – particularly their obsession with constraining and dispersing political power – inevitably pointed one toward an appreciation of the conservative virtues. A humorous and courtly gentleman, McDonald was an embodiment of those virtues himself.
In 1987, the National Endowment for the Humanities chose him to give its annual Jefferson Lecture, “the highest honor the federal government confers for distinguished intellectual achievement in the humanities.” The honor came with a $10,000 award. McDonald, however, was a strenuous opponent of the NEH as a violation of limited government. He was happy to deliver the lecture, but he declined the ten grand – quietly. Few people outside the NEH knew about his refusal to take the money.
Unfailing adherence to principle isn’t often accompanied by reticence, but for McDonald they were a natural fit.
Anyone wanting a flavor of McDonald’s work should see the interview he gave to Brian Lamb of C-Span in 1994. The interview is perhaps best remembered for this odd revelation.
But the whole thing is worth watching. McDonald celebrated his 89th birthday earlier this month.
