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The Unmaking of a Mayor
John V. Lindsay was elected mayor of New York City in 1965. But that year’s mayoral campaign will forever be known as the Buckley campaign. “As a candidate,” Joseph Alsop conceded, “Buckley was cleverer and livelier than either of his rivals.” And Murray Kempton concluded that “The process which coarsens every other man who enters it has only refined Mr. Buckley.”The Unmaking of the Mayor is a time capsule of the political atmosphere of America in the spring of 1965, diagnosing the multitude of ills that plagued New York and other major crime, narcotics, transportation, racial bias, mismanagement, taxes, and the problems of housing, police, and education. Buckley’s nimble dissection of these issues constitutes an excellent primer of conservative thought.A good pathologist, Buckley shows that the diseases afflicting New York City in 1965 were by no means of a unique strain, and compared them with issues that beset the country at large. Buckley offers a prescient vision of the Republican party and America’s two-party system that will be of particular interest to today’s conservatives. The Unmaking a Mayor ends with a wistful glance at what might have been in 1965—and what might yet be.
341 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1966
25 people are currently reading
295 people want to read
About the author
William F. Buckley Jr.
183 books337 followersWilliam Frank Buckley, Jr. was an American author and conservative 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 style was famed for its erudition, wit, and use of uncommon words.
Buckley was "arguably the most important public intellectual in the United States in the past half century," according to George H. Nash, a historian of the modern American conservative movement. "For an entire generation he was the preeminent voice of American conservatism and its first great ecumenical figure." Buckley's primary intellectual achievement was to fuse traditional American political conservatism with economic libertarianism and anti-communism, laying the groundwork for the modern American conservatism of US Presidential candidate Barry Goldwater and US President Ronald Reagan.
Buckley came on the public scene with his critical book God and Man at Yale (1951); among over fifty further books on writing, speaking, history, politics and sailing, were a series of novels featuring CIA agent Blackford Oakes. Buckley referred to himself "on and off" as either libertarian or conservative. He resided in New York City and Stamford, Connecticut, and often signed his name as "WFB." He was a practicing Catholic, regularly attending the traditional Latin Mass in Connecticut.
Buckley was "arguably the most important public intellectual in the United States in the past half century," according to George H. Nash, a historian of the modern American conservative movement. "For an entire generation he was the preeminent voice of American conservatism and its first great ecumenical figure." Buckley's primary intellectual achievement was to fuse traditional American political conservatism with economic libertarianism and anti-communism, laying the groundwork for the modern American conservatism of US Presidential candidate Barry Goldwater and US President Ronald Reagan.
Buckley came on the public scene with his critical book God and Man at Yale (1951); among over fifty further books on writing, speaking, history, politics and sailing, were a series of novels featuring CIA agent Blackford Oakes. Buckley referred to himself "on and off" as either libertarian or conservative. He resided in New York City and Stamford, Connecticut, and often signed his name as "WFB." He was a practicing Catholic, regularly attending the traditional Latin Mass in Connecticut.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
February 11, 2023
The humorous account of Buckley's run for mayor of New York. I'll turn to a random page from time to time just enjoy the ride.
After a meeting with the New York Times editorial board he was approached by reporters as he left the building. Forgive my paraphrasing.
Reporter: What was it like leaving the New York Times building?
Buckley: It was like going through checkpoint Charlie.
Reporter: Conservatively speaking, how many votes do you think you'll get?
Buckley, Conservatively speaking, one.
At one point during the book he talks about a prominent yet anonymous Republican that tells Buckley he would rather have Democrat Abe Beame as the mayor than Republican John Lindsay. Buckley revealed in his memoir, Miles Gone By that the anonymous Republican was NYV Parks Commissioner, Robert Moses.
John Lindsay won the election. His idealism brought New York City to its knees. Abe Beame succeeded him and did not much better. Lindsay became an obscurity other than giving Carol Brady from the Brady Bunch a surprise gift. Web search: John Lindsay and Florence Henderson.
After a meeting with the New York Times editorial board he was approached by reporters as he left the building. Forgive my paraphrasing.
Reporter: What was it like leaving the New York Times building?
Buckley: It was like going through checkpoint Charlie.
Reporter: Conservatively speaking, how many votes do you think you'll get?
Buckley, Conservatively speaking, one.
At one point during the book he talks about a prominent yet anonymous Republican that tells Buckley he would rather have Democrat Abe Beame as the mayor than Republican John Lindsay. Buckley revealed in his memoir, Miles Gone By that the anonymous Republican was NYV Parks Commissioner, Robert Moses.
John Lindsay won the election. His idealism brought New York City to its knees. Abe Beame succeeded him and did not much better. Lindsay became an obscurity other than giving Carol Brady from the Brady Bunch a surprise gift. Web search: John Lindsay and Florence Henderson.
November 6, 2013
The Unmaking of a Mayor is the story of the unique campaign of William F. Buckley, Jr. for New York City Mayor in 1965. At this point in his life, the 39-year-old Buckley had founded National Review, published six books (including
God and Man at Yale: The Superstitions of 'Academic Freedom'
), had a syndicated column in hundreds of newspapers across the country, run the John Birch Society out of the conservative movement, and had energized the conservative wing of the Republican party to a point that it nominated Barry Goldwater for president in 1964. With this long list of accomplishments, why would he run for mayor? That's one of the questions this book answers.
In the mid-1960's, many people thought New York City was ungovernable, broken, and on an unreversible course of decline. Many of the city's problems will sound familiar with those of us who remember the period before Rudy Giuliani's election in 1993. Buckley opens the book with an account of the political system of New York, with its intricate third party laws, and follows on with a history of the previous 30 years of governance. Then he delves into what John V. Lindsay, the liberal congressman and presumptive GOP nominee, and Bill Buckley were doing in the spring of 1965.
It is customary to call any third party candidate "unserious" because they have no legitimate shot of winning and they typically have a few kook positions. Buckley was under no illusions of his chance at winning. In a famous exchange from the campaign, a reporter asked him what would be the first thing he'd do if he was elected. Buckley quipped, "Demand a recount." But reading his position papers, reprinted in total with reactions from the press and the other candidates, shows he really thought through the problems facing New York.
You don't have to agree with all of his proposals, but the position papers were a very compelling and thought-provoking part of the book to read. The typical politician's position papers are vague, gauzy pieces of fluff that aren't worth the paper they're printed on. Candidate Smith promises to balance the budget by eliminating waste and closing loopholes. But Buckley's papers actually offered concrete solutions. Bad Traffic? Reserve one lane in the Holland and Lincoln tunnels for buses. Allow delivery trucks to only park on odd-numbered streets on Mondays and Wednesdays and even-numbered streets on Tuesdays and Fridays. Pollution? Convert city buses to liquefied petroleum gas. Add control devices to city vehicles to reduce emissions. Modernize municipal incinerators.
But the position papers also reveal some of the oddities associated with third party candidates. Buckley's traffic proposal included a Bikeway to travel above Second Avenue from 125th Street to 1st Street. His proposal for the drug problem included moving addicts to special housing so they don't get others addicted to narcotics. His affordable housing platform had something similar. Of course, twenty years after World War II, his opponents pounced on these relocation ideas as "concentration camps".
So why did Buckley run? Part of it was to counter the leftward lurch of the Republican party under the leadership of Lindsay and Nelson Rockefeller. Many people were predicting that Lindsay would be the GOP standard-bearer in 1968 or 1972 if he became mayor. The other reason was because he saw Lindsay and Abe Beame, the Democratic nominee, as mealy mouthed politicians who would throw bromides at each other and not discuss the things that were actually wrong with New York City.
Unmaking of a Mayor is a bracing, sometimes hilarious, account of the race and the personalities involved. It shows the difference between career politicians and those with something to say about government. Sometimes I wish people would take more risks and speak plainly about the issues as Buckley did. It's well worth the read for anyone interested in political history, New York history, and public policy.
In the mid-1960's, many people thought New York City was ungovernable, broken, and on an unreversible course of decline. Many of the city's problems will sound familiar with those of us who remember the period before Rudy Giuliani's election in 1993. Buckley opens the book with an account of the political system of New York, with its intricate third party laws, and follows on with a history of the previous 30 years of governance. Then he delves into what John V. Lindsay, the liberal congressman and presumptive GOP nominee, and Bill Buckley were doing in the spring of 1965.
It is customary to call any third party candidate "unserious" because they have no legitimate shot of winning and they typically have a few kook positions. Buckley was under no illusions of his chance at winning. In a famous exchange from the campaign, a reporter asked him what would be the first thing he'd do if he was elected. Buckley quipped, "Demand a recount." But reading his position papers, reprinted in total with reactions from the press and the other candidates, shows he really thought through the problems facing New York.
You don't have to agree with all of his proposals, but the position papers were a very compelling and thought-provoking part of the book to read. The typical politician's position papers are vague, gauzy pieces of fluff that aren't worth the paper they're printed on. Candidate Smith promises to balance the budget by eliminating waste and closing loopholes. But Buckley's papers actually offered concrete solutions. Bad Traffic? Reserve one lane in the Holland and Lincoln tunnels for buses. Allow delivery trucks to only park on odd-numbered streets on Mondays and Wednesdays and even-numbered streets on Tuesdays and Fridays. Pollution? Convert city buses to liquefied petroleum gas. Add control devices to city vehicles to reduce emissions. Modernize municipal incinerators.
But the position papers also reveal some of the oddities associated with third party candidates. Buckley's traffic proposal included a Bikeway to travel above Second Avenue from 125th Street to 1st Street. His proposal for the drug problem included moving addicts to special housing so they don't get others addicted to narcotics. His affordable housing platform had something similar. Of course, twenty years after World War II, his opponents pounced on these relocation ideas as "concentration camps".
So why did Buckley run? Part of it was to counter the leftward lurch of the Republican party under the leadership of Lindsay and Nelson Rockefeller. Many people were predicting that Lindsay would be the GOP standard-bearer in 1968 or 1972 if he became mayor. The other reason was because he saw Lindsay and Abe Beame, the Democratic nominee, as mealy mouthed politicians who would throw bromides at each other and not discuss the things that were actually wrong with New York City.
Unmaking of a Mayor is a bracing, sometimes hilarious, account of the race and the personalities involved. It shows the difference between career politicians and those with something to say about government. Sometimes I wish people would take more risks and speak plainly about the issues as Buckley did. It's well worth the read for anyone interested in political history, New York history, and public policy.
February 4, 2017
So few conservatives today tell the truth.
William F. Buckley ran for mayor of New York City in 1965 as the Conservative Party candidate. A reaction against the ideological slipperyness of Congressman John Lindsay (Republican — Liberal), Mr. Buckley’s campaign centered on a pledge to run an atypical campaign, focused on the issues with no pandering to ethnic blocs. He wanted to elevate ideas and debate above the courseness of a politic mired in pandering to the Italians, the Jews, the blacks, the Catholics…everybody but the individual.
The issues he focused on were detailed in a series of policy papers he released throughout the course of his campaign.
What struck me about WFB’s campaign and policy papers is how completely refreshing it would be for someone of his candor, fealty to truth, and political courage to run for high office today. Bernie Sanders comes to mind — his out-spokenness and daring to speak the truth from a Social Democratic perspective captured the imagination of millions this past primary season. He ran a very un-typical campaign, relying on the contributions of millions of small donors, and was beholden to no special interest money. From a conservative perspective, the Republican party needs to find someone who can represent the individual, be passionate about personal liberty, and speak the truth in the face of opposition from the economic elites.
For many, Donald Trump represents this type of candidate. He speaks his mind as an independent voice, unorthodox in his style, and has taken positions that resonate with the economically forgotten and at-risk. Of course, the key difference between Trump and Buckley is that Buckley was a conservative, whereas Trump is a populist with dark nationalistic and racist support. Yes, Buckley undoubtedly attracted his share of white nationalists and racists over the years, but during his 1965 campaign he was clear in not seeking their support, and he repeatedly reiterated to the media that he had no toleration for racists within his ranks.
In considering Buckley’s positions during his unsuccessful pursuit for the mayoralty of New York City (he garnered a little over 13% of the vote on the Conservative Party ticket), one sees that he was not only heteroclite as a politician, but also philosophically his conservatism would be considered refreshingly modern, even progressive, today.
William F. Buckley ran for mayor of New York City in 1965 as the Conservative Party candidate. A reaction against the ideological slipperyness of Congressman John Lindsay (Republican — Liberal), Mr. Buckley’s campaign centered on a pledge to run an atypical campaign, focused on the issues with no pandering to ethnic blocs. He wanted to elevate ideas and debate above the courseness of a politic mired in pandering to the Italians, the Jews, the blacks, the Catholics…everybody but the individual.
The issues he focused on were detailed in a series of policy papers he released throughout the course of his campaign.
What struck me about WFB’s campaign and policy papers is how completely refreshing it would be for someone of his candor, fealty to truth, and political courage to run for high office today. Bernie Sanders comes to mind — his out-spokenness and daring to speak the truth from a Social Democratic perspective captured the imagination of millions this past primary season. He ran a very un-typical campaign, relying on the contributions of millions of small donors, and was beholden to no special interest money. From a conservative perspective, the Republican party needs to find someone who can represent the individual, be passionate about personal liberty, and speak the truth in the face of opposition from the economic elites.
For many, Donald Trump represents this type of candidate. He speaks his mind as an independent voice, unorthodox in his style, and has taken positions that resonate with the economically forgotten and at-risk. Of course, the key difference between Trump and Buckley is that Buckley was a conservative, whereas Trump is a populist with dark nationalistic and racist support. Yes, Buckley undoubtedly attracted his share of white nationalists and racists over the years, but during his 1965 campaign he was clear in not seeking their support, and he repeatedly reiterated to the media that he had no toleration for racists within his ranks.
In considering Buckley’s positions during his unsuccessful pursuit for the mayoralty of New York City (he garnered a little over 13% of the vote on the Conservative Party ticket), one sees that he was not only heteroclite as a politician, but also philosophically his conservatism would be considered refreshingly modern, even progressive, today.
Read
October 10, 2020Right wing icon, William F. Buckley, Jr., editor and publisher of "National Review" decided back in 1965 that allowing Congressman John V. Lindsay to run for mayor of New York on the Republican ticket was so anathema, that he'd better run himself--and did. Buckley spends much of the book, (written in his notoriously formal style; he wrote the way he spoke) correcting his critics misquotes of him in the skeptical media, most of which dogged him and methodically chronicling the reasons behind his running, Lindsay's inadequacies, (in his opinion) and what it was that was wrong with New York City in the 1960s. Buckley had a firm plan of wanted to do as mayor, had no illusions that he would be elected, and valiantly carried the Conservative banner into battle against the "Republican" Lindsay, (very liberal) and Abe Beame, the machine Democrat. I've always admired Buckley for his classy bravery, and say what you will about the man, but he had guts.
June 14, 2025
Although a bit of a time piece in 2025, this is one of WFB's most entertaining books. It details Buckley's run for NYC Mayor. His major motivation was to stop John Lindsey, a liberal Republican, from becoming popular and making a run for POTUS.
January 14, 2020
Buckley never disappoints.
July 25, 2023
William F. Buckley’s political memoir of his run for the mayor of New York City in 1965 as a Conservative on the Republican ticket is a scintillating political memoir that remains just as relevant today as when it was first published 57 years ago. In fact, Buckley’s memoir should be the base reference for any Republican candidate’s playbook. He set the standard in running and chronicling a political campaign. The book has considerable historical value since it references political trends like the Fusionism and the Goo-goos of the 1930s. He deftly names the leading figures of the day: Senator Jacob Javits, Governor Nelson Rockefeller, Jackie Robinson, LBJ, Richard Nixon, Senator Barry Goldwater, John Kenneth Galbraith, and Theodore White. Buckley provides several details on John Lindsay as a charismatic leader with no real solutions rather than a shrewd politician focused on fixing the many problems of the city. And, he looked at Abraham Beame, the Democratic candidate, as a lackluster accountant. Lindsay appealed to ideologues, liberals, and idealists bent on social justice. Buckley addressed the deterioration of the family in the ghetto as surveyed and analyzed by Pat Moynihan and Nathan Glazer and how to resolve the problem. Interestingly, the national conversation on deterioration of the family continues to this day. And, tab the chapter on crime because the causes and remedies to the problem have not changed. Most useful are the campaign principles that can be derived after reading this account:
1. Always vote against the incumbent since incumbents are necessarily corrupted by the exercise of power. (Lincoln Steffen’s aphorism)
2. State a Declaration of Principles to thwart the slide into socialism.
3. Practice self appreciation as a cardinal necessity for successful politics.
4. “If elected, I will serve.” (The power of the direct answer)
5. Place moral order over political order.
Buckley’s appendices are also worth attention since he includes additional insights, demographics and a lot of voter data. This book is a classic in the politics section.
1. Always vote against the incumbent since incumbents are necessarily corrupted by the exercise of power. (Lincoln Steffen’s aphorism)
2. State a Declaration of Principles to thwart the slide into socialism.
3. Practice self appreciation as a cardinal necessity for successful politics.
4. “If elected, I will serve.” (The power of the direct answer)
5. Place moral order over political order.
Buckley’s appendices are also worth attention since he includes additional insights, demographics and a lot of voter data. This book is a classic in the politics section.
October 7, 2016
Reading this book will raise your IQ by ten points. The great William F. Buckley, Jr describes in lucid prose his quixotic campaign for Mayor of New York City in 1965. Buckley challenged the political establishment with his keen insight into the problems of the day and willingness to discuss issues which were not politically correct. Many of Buckley's ideas were far ahead of their time, such as advocacy for bicycle paths. Buckley possessed a wit and eloquence which is solely lacking on our current discourse. History has been kind to this man who stood against the tide of history, demanding that it stop. I miss this man, a happy warrior who exposed hypocrisy with a wink, a smile, a twinkle of the eye, and a devastating wit.
August 27, 2012
Almost as stuffy and tendentious as the man himself. Insufferable.
March 29, 2016
Really great recounting of the 1965 campaign for mayor of New York City by it's most interesting, thoughtful, and entertaining candidate.
October 7, 2020
An uproarious account of of NYC's mayoral election of 1965. “What would you do if you won? Demand a recount.”
November 24, 2012
Wonderful...
April 14, 2017
This was a great read about the rise of conservative politics in the 1960's. Mr. Buckley captures the politic dynamic of running a conservative based campaign in a Liberal left of center city. Many of his positions would be good suggestions for a governing Republican majority in Congress. The quotes from the newspapers are timeless classics! I recommend to all my literate friends!
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews