Barry Goldwater

"Goldwater" redirects here. For other uses, see Goldwater (disambiguation).
This article is about the United States Senator and Presidential nominee. For his son, see Barry Goldwater Jr.

Barry Goldwater
Senate portrait, 1960
United States Senator
from Arizona
In office
January 3, 1969 – January 3, 1987
Preceded byCarl Hayden
Succeeded byJohn McCain
In office
January 3, 1953 – January 3, 1965
Preceded byErnest McFarland
Succeeded byPaul Fannin
Chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee
In office
January 3, 1985 – January 3, 1987
Preceded byJohn Tower
Succeeded bySam Nunn
Chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee
In office
January 3, 1981 – January 3, 1985
Preceded byBirch Bayh
Succeeded byDavid Durenberger
Member of the Phoenix City Council
from the at-large district
In office
1950–1952
Personal details
Born
Barry Morris Goldwater

(1909-01-02)January 2, 1909
Phoenix, Arizona Territory, U.S.
DiedMay 29, 1998(1998-05-29) (aged 89)
Paradise Valley, Arizona, U.S.
Resting placeChrist Church of the Ascension
Paradise Valley, Arizona, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouses
Margaret Johnson
​
​
(m. 1934; died 1985)​
Susan Shaffer Wechsler
​
​
(m. 1992)​
Children4, including Barry Jr.
EducationUniversity of Arizona (did not graduate)
Signature
Military service
Branch/service
Years of service1941–1967
RankMajor General
Battles/wars
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Barry Morris Goldwater (January 2, 1909 – May 29, 1998) was an American politician and major general in the Air Force Reserve who served as a United States senator from 1953 to 1965 and 1969 to 1987, and was the Republican Party's nominee for president in 1964.

Goldwater was born in Phoenix, Arizona, where he helped manage his family's department store. During World War II, he flew aircraft between the U.S. and India. After the war, Goldwater served in the Phoenix City Council. In 1952, he was elected to the U.S. Senate, where he rejected the legacy of the New Deal and, along with the conservative coalition, fought against the New Deal coalition. Goldwater also challenged his party's moderate to liberal wing on policy issues. He supported the Civil Rights Acts of 1957 and 1960 and the 24th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution but opposed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, disagreeing with Title II and Title VII. In the 1964 U.S. presidential election, Goldwater mobilized a large conservative constituency to win the Republican nomination, but then lost the general election to incumbent Democratic president Lyndon B. Johnson in a landslide.[1]

Goldwater returned to the Senate in 1969 and specialized in defense and foreign policy. He successfully urged president Richard Nixon to resign in 1974 when evidence of a cover-up in the Watergate scandal became overwhelming and impeachment was imminent. In 1986, he oversaw passage of the Goldwater–Nichols Act, which strengthened civilian authority in the U.S. Department of Defense. Near the end of his career, Goldwater's views on social and cultural issues grew increasingly libertarian.

After leaving the Senate, Goldwater became supportive of homosexuals serving openly in the military,[2] environmental protection,[3] gay rights,[4] abortion rights,[5] adoption rights for same-sex couples,[6] and the legalization of medicinal marijuana.[7] Many political pundits and historians believe he laid the foundation for the conservative revolution to follow as the grassroots organization and conservative takeover of the Republican Party began a long-term realignment in American politics, which helped to bring about the presidency of Ronald Reagan in the 1980s. He also had a substantial impact on the American libertarian movement.[8]

  1. ^ "Goldwater, Barry M. | The Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute". kinginstitute.stanford.edu. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
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  8. ^ Poole, Robert (August–September 1998), "In memoriam: Barry Goldwater", Reason (Obituary), archived from the original on June 28, 2009