RIP: "Godfather of Neoconservatism" Irving Kristol Dies at 89

Meredith Jessup | September 18, 2009 11:04 PM

Born in 1920s Brooklyn, Irving Kristol grew to become one of America's leading conservative columnists and authors. Kristol was a founder and publisher of a number of conservative publications, including

The National Interest. He was a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a fellow emeritus with the American Enterprise Institute.

Kristol also served as a member of the Wall Street Journal's board of contributors, writing monthly columns from 1972-1997. He also served on the National Endowment for the Humanities from 1972-1977. In 2002, President George W. Bush recognized his significant contributions and presented Kristol with the Medal of Honor--America's highest civilian honor.

Kristol was married to historian Gertrude Himmelfarb and had two children, Elizabeth and William, the current editor of The Weekly Standard.

Irving Kristol died today from complications with lung cancer in Arlington, Va.