Barry Goldwater

Barry Goldwater
Born	Barry Morris Goldwater January 2, 1909
Birthplace	Phoenix, Arizona Territory, United States
Died	May 29, 1998 Paradise Valley, Arizona, United States
Nationality	American
Occupation	Politician, businessman, military officer
Known for	1964 Republican presidential nominee, U.S. Senator from Arizona, Goldwater–Nichols Act, modern American conservative movement
Education	University of Arizona (attended, no degree)
Spouse(s)	Margaret "Peggy" Johnson (m. 1934–1985; her death), Susan Wechsler (m. 1992–1998; his death)
Children	4
Awards	Presidential Medal of Freedom (1986)

Barry Morris Goldwater (January 2, 1909 – May 29, 1998) was an American politician, businessman, and United States Air Force major general who represented Arizona in the United States Senate from 1953 to 1965 and again from 1969 to 1987. He was the Republican Party's nominee for president of the United States in the 1964 election, in which he lost to incumbent Lyndon B. Johnson by one of the largest margins in American electoral history. Despite that decisive defeat, Goldwater's candidacy is credited with reshaping the Republican Party and American conservatism, mobilizing a grassroots movement that would eventually contribute to the election of Ronald Reagan as president in 1980. A plainspoken Arizonan who built his early reputation managing his family's department store and flying military aircraft during World War II, Goldwater became one of the most consequential figures in twentieth-century American politics — not because he won the presidency, but because of the ideological transformation he set in motion. His later career was marked by an increasingly libertarian stance on social issues, including support for gay rights, abortion rights, and the legalization of marijuana, positions that placed him at odds with many in the party he had helped to redefine.

Early Life

Barry Morris Goldwater was born on January 2, 1909, in Phoenix, in what was then the Arizona Territory, three years before Arizona achieved statehood in 1912. He was the eldest son of Baron Goldwater and Josephine Williams Goldwater. His paternal grandfather, Michel Goldwasser, was a Jewish immigrant from Poland who had settled in the Arizona Territory during the 1860s and established a successful chain of department stores. His mother was Episcopalian, and Goldwater was raised in the Episcopal faith, though he maintained a connection to his Jewish heritage throughout his life.

Goldwater grew up in Phoenix and developed an early love of the Arizona landscape, spending time exploring the desert and developing interests in photography and amateur radio — hobbies he would pursue for the rest of his life. He attended Staunton Military Academy in Virginia, where he excelled and served as captain of the freshman swimming team. The discipline of military school left a lasting impression on him and contributed to his lifelong affinity for the armed forces.

After his father's death in 1929, Goldwater left the University of Arizona, where he had been enrolled for one year, to help manage the family business, Goldwater's department store in Phoenix. He modernized the store's operations and became known as an innovative retailer, helping to introduce fashionable Southwestern-themed clothing lines. His business acumen earned him prominence in the Phoenix community, and he became active in local civic affairs during the 1930s and 1940s.

Education

Goldwater attended Staunton Military Academy in Staunton, Virginia, graduating in 1928. He subsequently enrolled at the University of Arizona in Tucson but did not complete his degree, leaving after his freshman year following the death of his father to take over responsibilities at the family department store. Despite lacking a college degree, Goldwater became one of the most influential political figures of the twentieth century. His education in military discipline at Staunton and his practical business training at the family store shaped the pragmatic, straightforward approach he would bring to public life.

Career

Military Service

Goldwater was an avid pilot from a young age and obtained his pilot's license in the 1930s. When the United States entered World War II, he sought to serve in the military and joined the United States Army Air Corps. Although he was initially assigned to noncombat duties because of his poor eyesight, Goldwater flew transport missions across the North Atlantic and between the United States and India, ferrying supplies and personnel over hazardous routes including the dangerous "Hump" route over the Himalayas to supply Allied forces in China.

After the war, Goldwater helped organize the Arizona Air National Guard and continued his military career in the reserves. He eventually rose to the rank of major general in the United States Air Force Reserve, retiring from military service in 1967. His military background profoundly influenced his political career, particularly his hawkish stances on national defense and foreign policy during the Cold War.

Entry into Politics

Goldwater's entry into politics began at the local level. After World War II, he became involved in Phoenix municipal government, serving on the city council. In 1949, he ran for a seat on the Phoenix City Council as part of a reform slate that sought to clean up corruption in city government. The reform effort was successful, and Goldwater's visibility in the community grew.

In 1952, Goldwater ran for the United States Senate against the incumbent Democratic senator Ernest McFarland, who was then the Senate Majority Leader. In what was considered a major upset, Goldwater defeated McFarland, riding the coattails of Dwight D. Eisenhower's presidential victory and tapping into conservative sentiment in the rapidly growing state of Arizona. He took office on January 3, 1953.

First Senate Term (1953–1965)

In the Senate, Goldwater quickly established himself as one of the chamber's most outspoken conservatives. He rejected the legacy of the New Deal and opposed the expansion of federal government programs, placing him at odds not only with Democrats but also with the moderate and liberal wing of his own Republican Party. He was a member of the conservative coalition, an informal alliance of Republicans and Southern Democrats who worked together to block liberal legislation.

Goldwater's 1960 book, The Conscience of a Conservative, ghostwritten by L. Brent Bozell Jr., became a bestseller and a foundational text of the modern American conservative movement. The book articulated Goldwater's philosophy of limited government, individual liberty, free-market economics, and a strong national defense. It sold millions of copies and galvanized a new generation of conservative activists.

On civil rights, Goldwater's record was complex. He supported the Civil Rights Acts of 1957 and 1960 and voted in favor of the 24th Amendment to the United States Constitution, which banned poll taxes in federal elections. However, he opposed the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964, objecting specifically to Title II (which banned discrimination in public accommodations) and Title VII (which prohibited employment discrimination) on constitutional grounds, arguing that these provisions represented an overreach of federal power into the private sector. His opposition to the 1964 act became one of the defining and most controversial aspects of his political career.

1964 Presidential Campaign

Goldwater's 1964 presidential campaign was a watershed moment in American political history. He mobilized a large conservative constituency to win the Republican nomination, defeating moderate challengers including New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller in a fierce primary battle. The contest between Goldwater and Rockefeller symbolized a broader ideological struggle within the Republican Party between its conservative and moderate wings.

At the Republican National Convention in San Francisco on July 16, 1964, Goldwater delivered his acceptance speech, which included one of the most quoted lines in American political history: "I would remind you that extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice! And let me remind you also that moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue!" The speech electrified conservative supporters but alarmed moderates within the party and the broader electorate.

In the general election, Goldwater faced President Lyndon B. Johnson, who had assumed office following the assassination of John F. Kennedy in November 1963. Johnson's campaign portrayed Goldwater as a dangerous extremist, most memorably in the "Daisy" television advertisement, which implied that Goldwater's hawkish foreign policy could lead to nuclear war. Goldwater's opposition to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 also cost him support among African Americans and moderate white voters, though it gained him unexpected support in the Deep South, where he carried five states that had traditionally voted Democratic.

Goldwater lost the election in a landslide. Johnson received approximately 61 percent of the popular vote and carried 44 states plus the District of Columbia, winning 486 electoral votes to Goldwater's 52. Goldwater carried only his home state of Arizona and the five Deep South states of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina.

Despite the magnitude of his defeat, Goldwater's campaign had lasting consequences. It brought a new generation of conservative activists into the Republican Party, established a national fundraising network through small-dollar direct mail contributions, and demonstrated the electoral potential of the Sunbelt and the South for the Republican Party. Many historians consider his 1964 campaign the beginning of a long-term political realignment that would culminate in the conservative ascendancy of the 1980s.

Return to the Senate (1969–1987)

After spending four years out of public office, Goldwater ran again for the Senate in 1968 and won, succeeding the retiring Carl Hayden, who had served in the Senate since Arizona's statehood in 1912. Goldwater returned to Washington and shifted his focus toward defense and foreign policy, subjects where his military background gave him considerable expertise.

During the Watergate scandal of the early 1970s, Goldwater played a pivotal role in the resignation of President Richard Nixon. On August 7, 1974, Goldwater, along with fellow Republican leaders Senator Hugh Scott and Representative John Jacob Rhodes of Arizona, visited the White House to inform Nixon that he lacked sufficient support in the Senate to survive an impeachment trial. Goldwater reportedly told Nixon that he could count on no more than fifteen votes in the Senate for acquittal. Nixon announced his resignation the following day.

Goldwater served as Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee from 1981 to 1985 and as Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee from 1985 to 1987. In the latter capacity, he was the principal architect of the Goldwater–Nichols Department of Defense Reorganization Act of 1986, which he co-sponsored with Representative Bill Nichols of Alabama. The legislation represented the most significant reorganization of the Department of Defense since the National Security Act of 1947. It strengthened the authority of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, streamlined the military chain of command, and enhanced civilian control over the armed forces. The act remains in effect and continues to shape the structure of American military command.

Goldwater retired from the Senate on January 3, 1987, and was succeeded by John McCain, who would go on to become one of Arizona's most prominent political figures.

Later Political Views

In the years following his retirement from the Senate, Goldwater's public statements on social and cultural issues increasingly reflected a libertarian perspective that surprised many observers who had associated him primarily with the conservative movement. He became a vocal supporter of gay rights, including the right of homosexuals to serve openly in the military. He famously remarked that one did not need to be straight to serve in the military, only to shoot straight. He also supported adoption rights for same-sex couples and spoke in favor of abortion rights and the legalization of marijuana.

Goldwater expressed concern about the growing influence of the religious right within the Republican Party, warning that the party's identification with evangelical Christianity was at odds with the individual liberty he had championed throughout his career. He also became an advocate for environmental protection later in life. These positions created a rift between Goldwater and many of the social conservatives who had entered the Republican Party partly as a result of the movement he had helped to build.

Personal Life

Goldwater married Margaret "Peggy" Johnson in 1934. The couple had four children: Joanne, Barry Jr., Michael, and Peggy. Margaret Goldwater died in 1985. In 1992, Goldwater married Susan Wechsler.

Throughout his life, Goldwater was an accomplished amateur photographer and radio operator. He held amateur radio call sign K7UGA and was active in the amateur radio community for decades. His photographs of the Arizona landscape, particularly images of Native American communities and the Grand Canyon, were exhibited in galleries and published in books. He was a Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society.

Goldwater was also an avid builder of Heathkit electronic equipment, a hobby that reflected his lifelong interest in technology and electronics.

In his later years, Goldwater suffered from declining health, including the early stages of Alzheimer's disease. He died on May 29, 1998, at his home in Paradise Valley, Arizona, at the age of 89.

Recognition

In 1986, President Ronald Reagan awarded Goldwater the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, in recognition of his decades of public service.

The Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program, established by the United States Congress in 1986, provides scholarships to college sophomores and juniors who demonstrate outstanding potential in the natural sciences, mathematics, and engineering. The scholarship is considered one of the most prestigious undergraduate awards in the United States and continues to honor Goldwater's name. Each year, universities across the country nominate students for the award.

Goldwater's name also adorns numerous institutions and landmarks in Arizona, including the Barry Goldwater Air Force Range in southwestern Arizona and the Barry M. Goldwater Terminal at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.

Legacy

Barry Goldwater's influence on American politics extended far beyond his own electoral career. His 1964 presidential campaign, though a resounding defeat, is considered a turning point in the history of the Republican Party and American conservatism. The grassroots organization he built, the small-dollar fundraising methods his campaign pioneered, and the ideological framework articulated in The Conscience of a Conservative transformed the Republican Party from a party whose national leadership was dominated by Northeastern moderates into one increasingly shaped by Western and Southern conservatives.

The conservative movement that Goldwater catalyzed reached its electoral fruition with the election of Ronald Reagan in 1980. Reagan, who had delivered a nationally televised speech on Goldwater's behalf during the 1964 campaign — an address known as "A Time for Choosing" — credited Goldwater with laying the intellectual and organizational groundwork for the conservative resurgence. Many of the activists, strategists, and donors who had first become politically engaged through the Goldwater campaign went on to play central roles in Reagan's rise and in the broader transformation of the Republican Party.

Goldwater also had a substantial impact on the American libertarian movement. His emphasis on individual liberty, limited government, and skepticism of federal power resonated with libertarian thinkers and activists, and his later-life positions on social issues — including gay rights, abortion rights, and drug legalization — aligned him more closely with libertarian principles than with the socially conservative wing of the Republican Party that his earlier career had helped to energize.

His role in the Watergate crisis, when he placed constitutional duty above partisan loyalty by urging Richard Nixon to resign, is remembered as an act of political courage that demonstrated his commitment to principle over party. Similarly, the Goldwater–Nichols Act of 1986 remains one of the most significant pieces of defense legislation in American history, continuing to shape military command structures decades after its passage.

Commentary on Goldwater's legacy continues in contemporary political discourse. Observers have noted both the continuities and discontinuities between Goldwater's conservatism and the direction of the modern Republican Party. Goldwater's blend of fiscal conservatism, hawkish foreign policy, and social libertarianism defined a strand of American right-of-center thought that remains influential, even as the political landscape has shifted in ways that might have surprised the man often called "Mr. Conservative."