David Horowitz facts for kids

Quick facts for kids David Horowitz
Horowitz in 2011
Born	David Joel Horowitz (1939-01-10)January 10, 1939 New York City, U.S.
Died	April 29, 2025(2025-04-29) (aged 86) Colorado, U.S.
Occupation	Conservative activist and writer
Education	Columbia University (BA) University of California, Berkeley (MA)
Spouse	Elissa Krauthamer ​ ​ (m. 1959; div. 1978)​ Sam Moorman ​ ​ (m. 1984; div. 1985)​ Shay Marlowe ​ ​ (m. 1990; div. 1995)​ April Mullvain ​ (m. 1998)​
Children	4, including Ben

David Joel Horowitz (January 10, 1939 – April 29, 2025) was an American writer and activist known for his conservative views. He started out as a strong supporter of left-wing ideas, but later changed his mind and became a leading voice for conservative causes.

Horowitz founded and led the David Horowitz Freedom Center, an organization that promotes conservative ideas. He also edited FrontPage Magazine, a website from the Center, and directed Discover the Networks, which tracks political groups. He also started Students for Academic Freedom.

He wrote many books, often with author Peter Collier. These books included stories about famous American families and discussions about culture. Horowitz also wrote columns for Salon. His journey from left-wing to conservative was shared in his books, especially his 1996 memoir, Radical Son: A Generational Odyssey.

Early Life and Education

David Horowitz was born on January 10, 1939, in Forest Hills, Queens, a part of New York City. His parents, Phil and Blanche Horowitz, were both high school teachers. His father taught English, and his mother taught shorthand.

His family had come to the U.S. from the Russian Empire. His mother's family arrived in the mid-1800s, and his father's family left Russia in 1905. In 1940, his family moved to Long Island City, another part of Queens.

During the Great Depression and a time of labor organizing, his parents were members of the Communist Party of the United States of America. They supported Joseph Stalin, the leader of the Soviet Union. However, they left the party in 1956 after a report revealed Stalin's crimes.

Horowitz went to Columbia University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English in 1959. He then earned a master's degree in English literature from the University of California, Berkeley in 1961.

Career Journey

Early Activism: The New Left

After finishing his studies, Horowitz lived in London in the mid-1960s. He worked for the Bertrand Russell Peace Foundation and was known as a Marxist thinker.

In 1966, he helped form the Vietnam Solidarity Campaign in London. This group organized protests against Britain's support for the Vietnam War. Horowitz also became good friends with Isaac Deutscher, a writer, and wrote a book about him.

In January 1968, Horowitz returned to the United States. He became a co-editor of Ramparts, a magazine popular with the New Left movement.

In the early 1970s, Horowitz became close with Huey P. Newton, a founder of the Black Panther Party. Horowitz helped the Panthers raise money and run a school for children in Oakland.

Shifting Views: Becoming a Conservative

After this period, Horowitz began to move away from his earlier socialist beliefs. He kept his changing political views quiet for almost ten years.

In 1985, Horowitz and Peter Collier, who also became a conservative, wrote an article for The Washington Post Magazine. It was called "Lefties for Ronald Reagan" and explained why they had changed their minds and decided to vote for President Reagan. In 1986, Horowitz wrote "Why I Am No Longer a Leftist" for The Village Voice.

In 1987, Horowitz co-hosted a conference in Washington, D.C., which was seen as his public announcement of becoming a conservative. In 1989, he attended a conference in Kraków that called for the end of Communism. He spoke about his changing thoughts and why he believed socialism could not create a free future for Poland.

In 1992, Horowitz and Collier started Heterodoxy, a monthly magazine. It aimed to show what they called too much "political correctness" on college campuses. Horowitz believed universities were not presenting both sides of political arguments fairly.

In 2005, Horowitz launched Discover the Networks, a website. He also appeared in Occupy Unmasked, a 2012 film about the Occupy Wall Street movement.

Academic Freedom and Bias

In the early 2000s, Horowitz focused on academic freedom, especially protecting conservative viewpoints in universities. He published a report in 2004 showing that there were many more Democrats than Republicans among professors at many top schools.

His 2006 book, The Professors: The 101 Most Dangerous Academics in America, criticized professors he believed were teaching their own political views instead of just knowledge.

Horowitz proposed an Academic Bill of Rights (ABR). This bill aimed to stop political bias in how universities hire staff and grade students. He argued that conservatives were often excluded from teaching jobs. In 2004, the Georgia General Assembly passed a resolution to adopt a version of the ABR for its state colleges.

David Horowitz Freedom Center

In 1998, Horowitz and Peter Collier founded the David Horowitz Freedom Center. This organization supports conservative ideas. The Center's website, FrontPage Magazine, is edited by Horowitz. This magazine has been described as right-wing and critical of Islam.

The Freedom Center has provided funding for various activities and trips for Republican politicians.

Political Views

Horowitz was a former Marxist who later became a conservative.

He spoke out against the United States getting involved in the Kosovo War, saying it was not good for American interests. However, he supported the Bush Doctrine, which included the 2003 invasion of Iraq. He also criticized anti-war views held by some libertarians.

Horowitz opposed Barack Obama, illegal immigration, gun control, and some aspects of Islam. He supported Presidents Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush, and Donald Trump.

He described himself as someone who supported gay rights and "alternative lifestyles," and was a civil rights activist.

Views on Race

During his early career, Horowitz supported the civil rights movement. However, his relationship with the Black Panther Party changed after he believed they were involved in the death of his friend, Betty Van Patter.

In 2001, he wrote against the idea of reparations for slavery. He argued that defining Black people only by their connection to slavery was harmful and could lead to separation from mainstream society. That same year, during Black History Month, Horowitz tried to buy ads in university student newspapers to share his views on reparations. Many papers refused, and some that ran his ads were stolen.

In 2018, Horowitz criticized the National Memorial for Peace and Justice.

Views on Islam and Arab Cultures

Horowitz was critical of Palestinians, claiming their goal was to remove Jews from the Middle East. In 2011, he said at Brooklyn College that "No people have shown themselves as so morally sick as the Palestinians."

In 2007, he wrote in a student newspaper that polls showed many Muslims supported a holy war against Christians, Jews, and other Muslims. In 2010, speaking at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Horowitz compared Islamists to Nazis, saying Islamists were "worse than the Nazis" because they openly spoke of wanting to "exterminate the Jews."

Horowitz created a campaign called "Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week" in 2007. He helped arrange for critics of radical Islam to speak at many college campuses. He often faced strong opposition when he spoke.

In 2008, while speaking at University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), Horowitz criticized Arab culture, saying it had a lot of antisemitism. He called the Palestinian keffiyeh, a traditional Arab head covering, a "symbol of terrorism." A UCSB professor responded that Horowitz was "preaching hate."

Horowitz used university newspapers and lectures to publish controversial ads or speak about Islamic student groups. In April 2008, his organization advertised in the UCSB newspaper, claiming the Muslim Students' Association (MSA) had links to groups like the Muslim Brotherhood. The MSA stated they were a peaceful group involved in interfaith activities and charity work.

In 2010, Horowitz famously asked a Muslim student at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) if they condemned Hamas. The student was part of UCSD's Muslim Student Association. In 2017, Horowitz's Freedom Center put up posters on campuses naming students and professors who supported Palestinian rights.

In 2011, the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) identified Horowitz as a key figure in the "Anti-Muslim Inner Circle" in the U.S. They called him "the godfather of the anti-Muslim movement."

Responses to Horowitz's Views

Some of Horowitz's claims about U.S. colleges being places of liberal teaching have been questioned. For example, Horowitz claimed a student at the University of Northern Colorado failed an exam for refusing to write an essay saying George W. Bush was a war criminal. The university said the test question was not as Horowitz described and that the grade was for non-political reasons. The professor involved, Robert Dunkley, said he was a registered Republican and considered himself politically independent.

In another case, Horowitz said a Pennsylvania State University biology professor showed students a film before the 2004 election to influence their votes. When asked for proof, Horowitz said it was hearsay and he had no evidence.

Horowitz's books, especially The Professors: The 101 Most Dangerous Academics in America, were criticized by scholars. A report in 2006 pointed out factual errors, unsupported claims, and quotes taken out of context in his books.

Chip Berlet of the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) accused Horowitz's Center for the Study of Popular Culture of supporting "bigoted and discredited ideas." Berlet claimed Horowitz blamed slavery on "black Africans ... abetted by dark-skinned Arabs" and criticized minority "demands for special treatment."

Personal Life

David Horowitz was married four times. His first marriage was to Elissa Krauthamer in 1959. They had four children: Jonathan Daniel, Ben, Sarah Rose, and Anne. Sarah passed away in 2008 at age 44 from heart problems. She was a teacher, writer, and human rights activist. Horowitz wrote a book about her, A Cracking of the Heart, in 2009.

His son, Ben, is a successful technology entrepreneur and investor. He co-founded the venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz.

Horowitz's second marriage in 1984 to Sam Moorman lasted less than a year. In 1990, he married Shay Marlowe, and they later divorced.

His fourth and final marriage was to April Mullvain. They met in the mid-1990s and married two years later. They lived in horse country near Los Angeles.

In 2015, Horowitz described himself as an agnostic, meaning he was unsure about the existence of God.

David Horowitz passed away from cancer at his home in Colorado on April 29, 2025, at the age of 86.

Selected Works

Books

• Student. (Ballantine, 1962)
• Shakespeare: An Existential View. (Tavistock, 1965)
• The Free World Colossus: A Critique of American Foreign Policy in the Cold War. Hill & Wang (1965, revised edition 1971)
• From Yalta to Vietnam: American Foreign Policy in the Cold War. Penguin (1967)
• Containment and Revolution. Beacon Press (1968)
• Marx and Modern Economics. Modern Reader Paperbacks (1968)
• Corporations and the Cold War. Monthly Review Press (1969)
• Empire and Revolution: A Radical Interpretation of Contemporary History. Random House (1969)
• Universities and the Ruling Class: How Wealth Puts Knowledge in its Pocket. Bay Area Radical Education Project (1969)
• Isaac Deutscher: The Man and His Work. Macdonald and Company (1971)
• Radical Sociology: An Introduction. Canfield Press (1971)
• Counterculture and Revolution, with Craig Pyes (Random House, 1972)
• The Fate of Midas, and other Essays. Ramparts Press (1973)
• The Rockefellers: An American Dynasty, with Peter Collier. Summit Books (1976)
• The First Frontier: The Indian Wars and America's Origins, 1607–1776. Simon & Schuster (1978)
• The Kennedys: An American Drama, with Peter Collier. Encounter Books (1984)
• The Fords: An American Epic, with Peter Collier. Encounter Books (1987)
• Destructive Generation: Second Thoughts about the 60s, with Peter Collier. Summit Books (1989)
• Second Thoughts about Race in America, with Peter Collier (Madison Books, 1991)
• Deconstructing the Left: From Vietnam to the Persian Gulf. (Second Thoughts Books, 1991)
• The Roosevelts: An American Saga with Peter Collier. Simon & Schuster (1994)
• Radical Son: A Generational Odyssey. Simon & Schuster (1996)
• The Politics of Bad Faith: The Radical Assault on America's Future. Free Press (1998)
• ... , Lies and Vast Conspiracies. (Second Thoughts Books, 1998)
• ... Whitey and Other Progressive Causes. Spence Publishing Co. (1999)
• How to Beat the Democrats and Other Subversive Ideas. (Spence Publishing, 2002)
• Left Illusion: An Intellectual Odyssey. (Spence Publishing, 2003)
• The Art of Political War and Other Radical Pursuits. (Spence Publishing, 2004)
• The Anti-Chomsky Reader with Peter Collier. Encounter Books (2004)
• Unholy Alliance: Radical Islam and the American Left. Regnery Publishing (2004)
• The End of Time. (Encounter, 2005)
• The Professors: The 101 Most Dangerous Academics in America. (Regnery, 2006)
• Indoctrination U: The Left's War Against Academic Freedom. (Encounter, 2007)
• Party of Defeat: How Democrats and Radicals Undermined America’s War on Terror Before and After 9/11, with Ben Johnson. (Spence Publishing, 2008)
• One Party Classroom: How Radical Professors at America's Top Colleges Indoctrinate Students and Undermine Our Democracy. (Crown Forum, 2009)
• A Cracking of the Heart. (Regnery, 2009)
• Reforming Our Universities: The Campaign For An Academic Bill Of Rights. (Regnery, 2010)
• A Point in Time : The Search for Redemption in This Life and the Next. (Regnery, 2011)
• Radicals: Portraits of a Destructive Passion. (Regnery, 2012)
• The New Leviathan: How the Left-Wing Money-Machine Shapes American Politics and Threatens America's Future. (2012)
• The Black Book of the American Left. Volume 1: My Life and Times. (David Horowitz Freedom Center, 2013)
• The Black Book of the American Left. Volume 2: Progressives. (David Horowitz Freedom Center, 2014)
• The Black Book of the American Left. Volume 3: The Great Betrayal. (David Horowitz Freedom Center, 2014)
• Take No Prisoners: The Battle Plan for Defeating the Left. (Regnery, 2014)
• You're Going to be Dead One Day: A Love Story. (Regnery, 2015)
• The Black Book of the American Left. Volume 4: Islamo-Fascism and the War Against the Jews. (David Horowitz Freedom Center, 2015)
• The Black Book of the American Left. Volume 5: Culture Wars. (David Horowitz Freedom Center, 2015)
• The Black Book of the American Left. Volume 7: The Left in Power. (David Horowitz Freedom Center, 2016)
• The Black Book of the American Left. Volume 8: The Left in the University. (David Horowitz Freedom Center, 2017)
• The Shadow Party: How George Soros, Hillary Clinton, and Sixties Radicals Seized Control of the Democratic Party. Humanix Books (2017)
• Big Agenda: President Trump's Plan to Save America. (Humanix Books, 2017)
• The Black Book of the American Left. Volume 9: Ruling Ideas (David Horowitz Freedom Center, 2018)
• Dark Agenda: The War to Destroy Christian America. (Humanix, 2018)
• Mortality and Faith: Reflections on a Journey through Time. (Regnery, 2019)
• BLITZ: Trump Will Smash the Left and Win. (Humanix Books, 2020)
• The Enemy Within: How a Totalitarian Movement Is Destroying America. (Regnery, 2021)
• Final Battle: The Next Election Could Be the Last. (Humanix, 2023)

Articles

• Oglesby, Carl, and David Horowitz. "In Defense of Paranoia: An Exchange Between Carl Oglesby and David Horowitz". Ramparts (March 1975), pp. 15–20.

See also

In Spanish: David Horowitz para niños