James L. Buckley

James L. Buckley

James Lane Buckley (born March 9, 1923) is a retired judge for the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, and previously served as a United States Senator from the state of New York as a member of the Conservative Party of New York from January 3, 1971 to January 3, 1977. He was vice president and director of the Catawba Corporation from 1953 to 1970, and also served as Undersecretary of State for Security Assistance 1981–1982, and President of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Inc. 1982–1985.

Buckley was also the lead petitioner in a landmark Supreme Court case, Buckley v. Valeo, which "shaped modern campaign-finance law." He successfully challenged the constitutionality of a law limiting campaign spending in Congressional races.

Buckley also introduced landmark legislation enacted by Congress to protect student records — the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) — as well as the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA), which requires parent consent prior to administration of student surveys on any of eight sensitive topics.

In 1970, he was elected to the U.S. Senate as the nominee of the Conservative Party of New York, winning 38.7 percent of the vote in a six candidate race, and served from 1971 until 1977. To date he has been the only candidate of his party, and the last third party registrant, to be successfully nominated and elected to the U.S. Congress.

"Buckley went on to a distinguished career as an undersecretary of state—during Reagan’s first term—and a federal appellate judge. In between, Buckley held a number of other positions, including as president of Radio Free Europe in the mid-1980s. These varied roles render him perhaps the only living American to have held high office in all three branches of the federal government."

William F. Buckley Jr., the founder of the influential conservative magazine National Review, was James Buckley's brother.