James L. Buckley, a former senator from New York and judge on the U.S. Appeals Court for the District of Columbia Circuit, died at 100.
Buckley, the brother of the late influential conservative and founder of National Review William F. Buckley Jr., also served in the Reagan administration and was appointed to his position at the U.S. appeals court by President Ronald Reagan.
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The former judge died at a hospital in Washington on Friday after spending his latter years in Bethesda, Maryland, and celebrating his centennial in March.
The influential conservative won a term as senator from the Empire State, running under the Conservative Party, in 1970 but failed to win reelection under the Republican Party’s nomination in 1976, losing to Democrat Daniel Patrick Moynihan. He later held various roles in the Reagan administration, including as president of Radio Free Europe, before being appointed as a judge.
Buckley served as a judge on the federal appeals court for more than a decade before moving to be a senior judge on the circuit in 1996.
On the occasion of Buckley’s 100th birthday, Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) delivered a speech on the Senate floor calling the former senator a “hero” “not just in the Senate but really throughout the United States.”
“My own interactions with James Buckley have helped me understand why he remains a hero to this day, not just in the Senate but really throughout the United States. I invited him to address the Senate Republican Conference in our steering lunch just a few years ago, in which he provided observations that were timely, relevant, compelling, and delivered with incredible enthusiasm,” Lee said.
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Lee also commented on Buckley’s conservative advocacy, along with his defense of federalism and constitutional government, during the March speech.
Buckley was one of only a few public officials to serve in all three branches of government in history.
