Willmoore Kendall
Encyclopedia
Willmoore Kendall was an American
conservative
writer and Professor
of political philosophy
.
minister in Oklahoma
. He learned to read at age two, graduated from high school at 13, from the University of Oklahoma
at 18, and published his first book at 20. In 1932, he became a Rhodes scholar and studied at the University of Oxford
. He became a Trotskyist and went to Spain
during the Spanish Civil War
. His experiences with the Spanish Republic
led him to renounce his communist convictions. In 1940, he obtained a Ph.D.
in political science
from the University of Illinois
writing his dissertation upon John Locke
on Majority Rule
under Francis Wilson. He served in the OSS
during World War II
, and stayed on when it became the CIA in 1947.
He joined the Yale University
faculty in 1947, where he taught for fourteen quarrelsome years until Yale paid him a handsome sum to resign. In 1961, he surrendered tenure
and departed. Among his students was William F. Buckley, Jr.
, with whom he participated in the founding of National Review
; as a Senior Editor he constantly fought with the other editors (they say he was never on speaking terms with more than one person at a time). A friend of Kendall's, Professor Revilo P. Oliver
, gave him credit with convincing him to enter political activism by writing for NR. http://www.heretical.com/oliver/index.html
He later converted to Roman Catholicism, taught at the University of Dallas
, was a founder of the politics program, and was co-founder of the doctoral program there. He stayed at that institution until he died of a heart attack
in 1967.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
conservative
Conservatism
Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...
writer and Professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
of political philosophy
Political philosophy
Political philosophy is the study of such topics as liberty, justice, property, rights, law, and the enforcement of a legal code by authority: what they are, why they are needed, what, if anything, makes a government legitimate, what rights and freedoms it should protect and why, what form it...
.
Biography
Kendall was born in 1909 to a blindBlindness
Blindness is the condition of lacking visual perception due to physiological or neurological factors.Various scales have been developed to describe the extent of vision loss and define blindness...
minister in Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
. He learned to read at age two, graduated from high school at 13, from the University of Oklahoma
University of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...
at 18, and published his first book at 20. In 1932, he became a Rhodes scholar and studied at the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
. He became a Trotskyist and went to Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
during the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
. His experiences with the Spanish Republic
Second Spanish Republic
The Second Spanish Republic was the government of Spain between April 14 1931, and its destruction by a military rebellion, led by General Francisco Franco....
led him to renounce his communist convictions. In 1940, he obtained a Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
from the University of Illinois
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign is a large public research-intensive university in the state of Illinois, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Illinois system...
writing his dissertation upon John Locke
John Locke
John Locke FRS , widely known as the Father of Liberalism, was an English philosopher and physician regarded as one of the most influential of Enlightenment thinkers. Considered one of the first of the British empiricists, following the tradition of Francis Bacon, he is equally important to social...
on Majority Rule
Majority rule
Majority rule is a decision rule that selects alternatives which have a majority, that is, more than half the votes. It is the binary decision rule used most often in influential decision-making bodies, including the legislatures of democratic nations...
under Francis Wilson. He served in the OSS
Office of Strategic Services
The Office of Strategic Services was a United States intelligence agency formed during World War II. It was the wartime intelligence agency, and it was a predecessor of the Central Intelligence Agency...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, and stayed on when it became the CIA in 1947.
He joined the Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
faculty in 1947, where he taught for fourteen quarrelsome years until Yale paid him a handsome sum to resign. In 1961, he surrendered tenure
Tenure
Tenure commonly refers to life tenure in a job and specifically to a senior academic's contractual right not to have his or her position terminated without just cause.-19th century:...
and departed. Among his students was William F. Buckley, Jr.
William F. Buckley, Jr.
William Frank Buckley, Jr. was an American conservative author and commentator. He founded the political magazine National Review in 1955, hosted 1,429 episodes of the television show Firing Line from 1966 until 1999, and was a nationally syndicated newspaper columnist. His writing was noted for...
, with whom he participated in the founding of National Review
National Review
National Review is a biweekly magazine founded by the late author William F. Buckley, Jr., in 1955 and based in New York City. It describes itself as "America's most widely read and influential magazine and web site for conservative news, commentary, and opinion."Although the print version of the...
; as a Senior Editor he constantly fought with the other editors (they say he was never on speaking terms with more than one person at a time). A friend of Kendall's, Professor Revilo P. Oliver
Revilo P. Oliver
Revilo Pendleton Oliver was an American professor of Classical philology, Spanish, and Italian at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, who wrote and polemicized extensively for white nationalist causes....
, gave him credit with convincing him to enter political activism by writing for NR. http://www.heretical.com/oliver/index.html
He later converted to Roman Catholicism, taught at the University of Dallas
University of Dallas
The University of Dallas is a private, independent Catholic regional university located in Irving, Texas, established in 1956, which is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. According to U.S...
, was a founder of the politics program, and was co-founder of the doctoral program there. He stayed at that institution until he died of a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
in 1967.
Trivia
Kendall is the model for the character Jesse Frank in S. Zion's 1990 novel Markers (Source: Book review with interview, by Jeffrey Hart in the National Review, June 11, 1990)Books by Kendall
- BaseballBaseballBaseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
: How to Play It and How to Watch It (1927, as Alan Monk), Haldeman-Julius Publications. - Democracy and the American Party System (1956 with Austin Ranney), Harcourt, BraceHarcourt Trade PublishersHarcourt was a United States publishing firm with a long history of publishing fiction and nonfiction for children and adults. The company was based in San Diego, California, with an Editorial / Sales / Marketing / Rights offices in New York City and Orlando, Florida.In 2007, the U.S...
. - John LockeJohn LockeJohn Locke FRS , widely known as the Father of Liberalism, was an English philosopher and physician regarded as one of the most influential of Enlightenment thinkers. Considered one of the first of the British empiricists, following the tradition of Francis Bacon, he is equally important to social...
and the Doctrine of Majority-Rule (1959), The University of Illinois Press. - The Conservative Affirmation (1963) (republished in 1985 by Regnery Books).
- Willmoore Kendall Contra Mundum (1971, edited by Nellie Kendall), Arlington House (republished in 1994 by University Press of America, ISBN 0-8191-9067-5).
- The Basic Symbols of the American Political Tradition (1970, with George W. Carey), Louisiana State University Press (republished in 1995 by Catholic University of America Press. ISBN 0-8132-0826-2).
- Oxford Years: Letters of Willmore Kendall to His Father, (1993, edited by Yvonna Kendall Mason), ISI Books. ISBN 1-882926-02-1
About Kendall
- Willmoore Kendall: Maverick of American Conservatives, Alvis, John, and Murley, John, eds. Lexington Books. (Review.)
External links
- The Willmoore Kendall Site.
- Jeffrey HartJeffrey HartJeffrey Peter Hart and raised in New York, New York, is a cultural critic, professor emeritus of English at Dartmouth College, essayist, and columnist who lives in New Hampshire, United States. After two years as an undergraduate at Dartmouth, he transferred to Columbia University, where he...
, 2002, "The 'deliberate sense' of Willimoore Kendall," The New Criterion 20 (7). - Peppe, Enrico, Review of The Conservative Affirmation (17 March 2004).