It was King Solomon who observed, “The glory of young men is their strength, but the splendor of old men is their gray hair” (Proverbs 20:29).
Culture has long celebrated and championed youth, but we ignore seasoned citizens at our peril. Not only do the years and gray hairs often bring wisdom, but they also provide us with wonderful examples of pathways to emulate.
I was recently thinking about three conservative giants who once filled headlines, halls – and mailboxes. All three are now in their 90s. In varying degrees, they’ve understandably stepped back from the spotlight – but all are worth noting, remembering, and thanking before they head off to eternity and into history.
At one time, Dr. Thomas Sowell, age 95, Harvey Mansfield, age 93, and Richard Viguerie, age 92, all held prominent positions of significant influence in the conservative world. In fact, the current generation of leaders are standing on their shoulders.
Dr. Sowell, long considered one of the nation’s most influential thinkers, was born into a sharecropping family in North Carolina. He was orphaned and raised by a great aunt in Harlem. Learning to read by the age of 4, he grew up in the golden age of New York City despite the Great Depression.
“I cannot recall ever hearing a gunshot or even having to think about gunshots when I slept out on the fire escape on hot summer nights,” he reflected.
Sowell joined the Marines, went to Harvard, Columbia University, and then earned his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago. After all that liberal indoctrination he became a Marxist, but eventually saw the light.
“The vision of the left — and I think many conservatives underestimate this — is really a more attractive vision,” he said. “The only reason for not believing in it, is that it doesn’t work … I stopped being a Marxist after the facts stopped adding up.”
Before making his mark at Stanford’s Hoover Institution for over four decades, Dr. Sowell taught at Cornell University, Rutgers University, Amherst College, Brandeis University and UCLA.
As an academic and nationally syndicated columnist, Sowell influenced legions of politicians and citizens. He has regularly stressed the importance of prioritizing outcomes over intentions. Whether decrying Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal or Lyndon Johnson’s “Great Society,” he points out the old adage: the pathway to hell is paved with good intentions.
Dr. Harvey Mansfield began teaching at Harvard in 1963 and only recently retired in 2023. Best known for teaching political philosophy, his conservatism was a rarity on the left-leaning campus.
Born into an academic family, Dr. Mansfield’s father taught political science at Yale and Ohio State. The young Mansfield was a liberal when he arrived at Harvard as a student but began his journey to a conservative perspective after reading the work of the political philosopher Leo Strauss. As a professor, Mansfield taught extensively about Machiavelli, Tocqueville, and Edmund Burke, and how their philosophies helped shape American political thought.
Dr. Mansfield’s “Masculinity” book advanced the biblical concept that the two genders are unique and healthy. He believes manly men take risks and take charge. Real men pursue greatness.
At 92, Richard Viguerie, best known for pioneering direct mail fundraising in conservative circles, is still working. Chairman of ConservativeHQ.com, the talented writer remains committed to educating and mobilizing citizens in a lifelong quest to advance pro-family and pro-freedom ideals.
Considered a modern-day Thomas Paine, Viguerie began his consulting and conservative strategy career in the early 1960s. His early clients included the Anti‐Communist Book Club, the National Rifle Association’s Legal Foundation and countless conservative politicians.
All told, it’s been estimated that Richard Viguerie mailed over four billion fundraising letters for clients. His techniques helped inspire grassroots activism and propelled like-minded candidates into office. Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the House, has said, “Richard understands the values that help our government and economy serve the interests of the people. And he knows how to put those values into action.”
Life moves quickly and figures and personalities can pass even more rapidly from the public square. But never forget that everything affects everything else. Yesterday shaped today – and today will shape tomorrow. We give thanks for the long lives of Drs. Sowell and Mansfield, as well as the creativity and ingenuity of Richard Viguerie.
Image credit: Hoover Institute
