Barry Goldwater

Barry Goldwater
Barry Goldwater
	Goldwater in 1960
United States Senator; from Arizona
	In office; January 3, 1969 – January 3, 1987
Preceded by	Carl Hayden
Succeeded by	John McCain
	In office; January 3, 1953 – January 3, 1965
Preceded by	Ernest McFarland
Succeeded by	Paul Fannin
Preceded by
Committee positions
Chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee
	In office; January 3, 1985 – January 3, 1987
Preceded by	John Tower
Succeeded by	Sam Nunn
Chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee
	In office; January 3, 1981 – January 3, 1985
Preceded by	Birch Bayh
Succeeded by	David Durenberger
Member of the Phoenix City Council; from the at-large district
	In office; 1950–1952
Personal details
Born	Barry Morris Goldwater; January 2, 1909; Phoenix, Arizona Territory
Died	May 29, 1998 (aged 89); Paradise Valley, Arizona, U.S.
Resting place	Christ Church of the Ascension ; Paradise Valley, Arizona, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouses	; Margaret Johnson (m. 1934; died 1985) Susan Shaffer Wechsler (m. 1992)
Children	4, including Barry Jr.
Education	University of Arizona (did not graduate)
Signature
Military service
Branch/service	United States Army Army Air Forces; ; Arizona Air National Guard; United States Air Force Air Force Reserve; ;
Years of service	1941–1967
Rank	Major General
Battles/wars	World War II; Korean War;
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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.

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.^[2] After leaving the Senate, Goldwater became supportive of environmental protection,^[3] gay rights, including military service and adoption rights for same-sex couples,^[4]^[5] abortion rights,^[6] and the legalization of marijuana.^[7]

^ "Goldwater, Barry M. | The Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute". kinginstitute.stanford.edu. Archived from the original on May 16, 2024. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
^ Poole, Robert (August–September 1998), "In memoriam: Barry Goldwater", Reason (Obituary), archived from the original on June 28, 2009
^
- Marc Lallanilla (April 21, 2013). "6 Surprising Environmentalists". livescience.com. Archived from the original on April 18, 2021. Retrieved April 11, 2022.
- Farber, Daniel A. (2017). "The Conservative as Environmentalist: From Goldwater and the Early Reagan to the 21st Century". SSRN Electronic Journal. doi:10.2139/ssrn.2919633. ISSN 1556-5068. Archived from the original on June 19, 2022. Retrieved April 11, 2022.
^
- Grove, Lloyd (July 28, 1994). "Barry Goldwater's Left Turn". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on September 14, 2000. Retrieved August 24, 2017.
- "Who's better on gay rights, Mitt Romney or Barry Goldwater?". Baltimore Sun. May 8, 2012. Archived from the original on April 11, 2022. Retrieved April 11, 2022.
- "Goldwater on Gay Rights". www.latimes.com. July 28, 1994. Archived from the original on April 11, 2022. Retrieved April 11, 2022.
- "Goldater Backs Lifting Gay Ban". Los Angeles Times. June 11, 1993. Archived from the original on April 11, 2022. Retrieved April 11, 2022.
^ Betti Jane, Levine (August 4, 2000). "Sexuality and Family in the Political Spotlight". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 11, 2025.
^
- "Goldwater Opposes GOP on Abortion". Los Angeles Times. August 7, 1992. Archived from the original on August 6, 2019. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
- Roth, Bennett (April 13, 2011). "Planned Parenthood Once Had GOP Pals". Roll Call. Archived from the original on January 6, 2021. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
^
- Scheer, Robert (November 19, 1996). "Reefer Madness: Feds Go Ballistic on Pot Measures". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on April 11, 2022. Retrieved April 11, 2022.
- Dish, The Daily (September 20, 2006). "Goldwater". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on April 11, 2022. Retrieved April 11, 2022.
- "The Stanford Quad, 1970. Volume 77". The Stanford Quad. Vol. 77. Stanford, California: Associated Students of Stanford University. 1970. Retrieved May 20, 2025. p. 45: I challenge anyone to explain how we can control the distribution of all kinds of dope if we legalize one of them... but I guess if people can die of smoking tobacco, they can die of smoking marijuana if they want to.
- "History of Medical Marijuana In Arizona". Nature's Medicines. Archived from the original on September 29, 2020. Retrieved January 16, 2021.

[1] "Goldwater, Barry M. | The Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute". kinginstitute.stanford.edu. Archived from the original on May 16, 2024. Retrieved May 16, 2024.

[2] Poole, Robert (August–September 1998), "In memoriam: Barry Goldwater", Reason (Obituary), archived from the original on June 28, 2009

[3] 
Marc Lallanilla (April 21, 2013). "6 Surprising Environmentalists". livescience.com. Archived from the original on April 18, 2021. Retrieved April 11, 2022.
Farber, Daniel A. (2017). "The Conservative as Environmentalist: From Goldwater and the Early Reagan to the 21st Century". SSRN Electronic Journal. doi:10.2139/ssrn.2919633. ISSN 1556-5068. Archived from the original on June 19, 2022. Retrieved April 11, 2022.

[4] Marc Lallanilla (April 21, 2013). "6 Surprising Environmentalists". livescience.com. Archived from the original on April 18, 2021. Retrieved April 11, 2022.

[5] Farber, Daniel A. (2017). "The Conservative as Environmentalist: From Goldwater and the Early Reagan to the 21st Century". SSRN Electronic Journal. doi:10.2139/ssrn.2919633. ISSN 1556-5068. Archived from the original on June 19, 2022. Retrieved April 11, 2022.

[4] 
Grove, Lloyd (July 28, 1994). "Barry Goldwater's Left Turn". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on September 14, 2000. Retrieved August 24, 2017.
"Who's better on gay rights, Mitt Romney or Barry Goldwater?". Baltimore Sun. May 8, 2012. Archived from the original on April 11, 2022. Retrieved April 11, 2022.
"Goldwater on Gay Rights". www.latimes.com. July 28, 1994. Archived from the original on April 11, 2022. Retrieved April 11, 2022.
"Goldater Backs Lifting Gay Ban". Los Angeles Times. June 11, 1993. Archived from the original on April 11, 2022. Retrieved April 11, 2022.

[7] Grove, Lloyd (July 28, 1994). "Barry Goldwater's Left Turn". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on September 14, 2000. Retrieved August 24, 2017.

[8] "Who's better on gay rights, Mitt Romney or Barry Goldwater?". Baltimore Sun. May 8, 2012. Archived from the original on April 11, 2022. Retrieved April 11, 2022.

[9] "Goldwater on Gay Rights". www.latimes.com. July 28, 1994. Archived from the original on April 11, 2022. Retrieved April 11, 2022.

[10] "Goldater Backs Lifting Gay Ban". Los Angeles Times. June 11, 1993. Archived from the original on April 11, 2022. Retrieved April 11, 2022.

[5] Betti Jane, Levine (August 4, 2000). "Sexuality and Family in the Political Spotlight". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 11, 2025.

[6] 
"Goldwater Opposes GOP on Abortion". Los Angeles Times. August 7, 1992. Archived from the original on August 6, 2019. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
Roth, Bennett (April 13, 2011). "Planned Parenthood Once Had GOP Pals". Roll Call. Archived from the original on January 6, 2021. Retrieved January 16, 2021.

[13] "Goldwater Opposes GOP on Abortion". Los Angeles Times. August 7, 1992. Archived from the original on August 6, 2019. Retrieved January 16, 2021.

[14] Roth, Bennett (April 13, 2011). "Planned Parenthood Once Had GOP Pals". Roll Call. Archived from the original on January 6, 2021. Retrieved January 16, 2021.

[7] 
Scheer, Robert (November 19, 1996). "Reefer Madness: Feds Go Ballistic on Pot Measures". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on April 11, 2022. Retrieved April 11, 2022.
Dish, The Daily (September 20, 2006). "Goldwater". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on April 11, 2022. Retrieved April 11, 2022.
"The Stanford Quad, 1970. Volume 77". The Stanford Quad. Vol. 77. Stanford, California: Associated Students of Stanford University. 1970. Retrieved May 20, 2025. p. 45: I challenge anyone to explain how we can control the distribution of all kinds of dope if we legalize one of them... but I guess if people can die of smoking tobacco, they can die of smoking marijuana if they want to.
"History of Medical Marijuana In Arizona". Nature's Medicines. Archived from the original on September 29, 2020. Retrieved January 16, 2021.

[16] Scheer, Robert (November 19, 1996). "Reefer Madness: Feds Go Ballistic on Pot Measures". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on April 11, 2022. Retrieved April 11, 2022.

[17] Dish, The Daily (September 20, 2006). "Goldwater". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on April 11, 2022. Retrieved April 11, 2022.

[18] "The Stanford Quad, 1970. Volume 77". The Stanford Quad. Vol. 77. Stanford, California: Associated Students of Stanford University. 1970. Retrieved May 20, 2025. p. 45: I challenge anyone to explain how we can control the distribution of all kinds of dope if we legalize one of them... but I guess if people can die of smoking tobacco, they can die of smoking marijuana if they want to.

[19] "History of Medical Marijuana In Arizona". Nature's Medicines. Archived from the original on September 29, 2020. Retrieved January 16, 2021.

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