US political columnist James J. Kilpatrick dies at age 89

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

US columnist and grammarian James J. Kilpatrick has died aged 89. Marianne Means, Kilpatrick’s wife, said that he died on Sunday evening. At the time of his death he was being treated for congestive heart failure.

After starting his career writing about racial issues in the south, Kilpatrick became one of the nation’s best known Conservative columnists. His column, “A Conservative View”, was published in over one hundred newspapers across the United States. As well as voicing his opinions in newspapers, Kilpatrick was 60 Minutes Conservative representative for the segment Point-Counterpoint. This sparred him against Liberal journalist Nicholas von Hoffman and later commentator Shana Alexander.

Tributes were paid to Kilpatrick by several Conservatives, including 1960’s youth group leader Richard Viguerie who said that "Before there was a Bill Buckley, before there was a Ronald Reagan or Rush Limbaugh, there was James Jackson Kilpatrick explaining public-policy issues from a conservative perspective."

Kilpatrick is survived by his second wife and three sons from his first marriage.


Sources