Richard Viguerie facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Richard Viguerie
Born	Richard Art Viguerie (1933-09-23) September 23, 1933 (age 91) Golden Acres, Texas, U.S.
Alma mater	University of Houston
Occupation	direct mail marketing advertising magazine publisher
Spouse(s)	Elaine O. Viguerie
Children	3

Richard Art Viguerie (born September 23, 1933) is an American conservative leader. He is known for being a pioneer in using direct mail for political campaigns. He has also written books about politics. Today, he is the chairman of ConservativeHQ.com.

Early Life and Career

Richard Viguerie was born in Golden Acres, Texas. His parents were Elizabeth and Arthur Camile Viguerie. His family has Cajun roots. His father worked for a chemical company. His mother was a nurse. Neither of his parents were very interested in politics.

Viguerie became interested in politics when he was young. He felt strongly about events like when General Douglas MacArthur was removed from his command. He also supported Joseph McCarthy, who spoke about the threat of communism.

In 1957, Viguerie graduated from the University of Houston. He later served in the army reserves. After that, he worked as a clerk for an oil company.

Starting in Politics

In his early career, Viguerie worked for Christian speaker Billy James Hargis. In 1961, he became the executive secretary of a conservative youth group called Young Americans for Freedom. He later started his own direct marketing and advertising companies. One of these was American Target Advertising. He became a strategist and writer for conservative causes.

Some people call Viguerie the "funding father" of modern conservative strategies. He helped political groups raise money. Instead of charging regular fees, he sometimes took a commission. He also kept lists of donors. This helped create a large database of conservative supporters.

In 1975, Viguerie started Conservative Digest magazine. He was its publisher for ten years. He also tried to become the vice-presidential candidate for the American Independent Party in 1976. This was because he did not support President Gerald Ford.

Viguerie's way of using direct mail campaigns was new and very effective. Other conservative campaigns quickly started using his methods. For example, in 1978, Jeff Bell used this strategy. He won a primary election against a long-time senator. This victory showed the growing power of conservative activists.

Political Involvement

Early Republican Work

As a young Republican, Viguerie volunteered for Dwight D. Eisenhower's presidential campaigns. This was in 1952 and 1956. In 1960, he managed John Tower's campaign for Senate in Houston. Tower became the first Republican Senator in Texas history.

Supporting Barry Goldwater

In the 1960s, Viguerie was a strong supporter of Senator Barry Goldwater. Goldwater was a conservative who criticized the Republican establishment. His book, The Conscience of a Conservative, inspired many young conservatives. It called for a return to traditional principles and a strong stance against communism.

Viguerie joined Young Americans for Freedom (YAF) in 1961. He moved to New York to work for the group. He met many important conservative thinkers there. He realized that the conservative movement needed better ways to reach people. He decided to focus on marketing and fundraising.

In 1962, Viguerie and YAF held a large rally in New York City. About 18,500 young people attended. Goldwater and other senators spoke at the event. Viguerie felt this rally was the public debut of the modern conservative movement.

YAF later moved its headquarters to Washington, D.C. Viguerie helped raise money for the organization. He found that asking wealthy donors directly was difficult. So, he started raising money through mail. This led him to develop his direct mail skills.

During the 1964 Republican presidential primaries, Goldwater faced opposition from many established Republicans. His campaign had to find new ways to raise money. They used large-scale direct-mail fundraising. This was a new approach for presidential campaigns.

Viguerie attended the 1964 Republican National Convention. He saw Ronald Reagan there, who would later become governor and president. Even though Goldwater lost the election, Viguerie believed his campaign showed that many Americans shared conservative values. Goldwater's campaign also helped Ronald Reagan gain attention.

Direct Mail Company

After Goldwater's defeat, Viguerie became an expert in direct mail. In 1965, he started his own company, "Richard A. Viguerie Company, Inc." He copied the names of 12,500 donors from Goldwater's 1964 campaign. This was the start of a large list of conservative supporters.

Viguerie believed that direct mail allowed conservatives to reach people directly. This helped them bypass the mainstream news media and the Republican Party leadership. His company grew and worked with many conservative groups and candidates. These included the Conservative Caucus, the National Right to Work Committee, and senators like Jesse Helms.

By the 1970s, direct mail became a common strategy for both major political parties. Viguerie's company became very successful. By 1975, his company sent out about 50 million pieces of mail each year. He was a major fundraiser for conservative causes.

1976 Presidential Primaries

In 1976, Viguerie helped raise money for George Wallace's presidential campaign. Wallace was seeking the Democratic nomination. After Wallace withdrew, Viguerie focused on the American Independent Party. He wanted to oppose President Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter.

Viguerie believed the Republican Party was no longer effective. He thought a new conservative party was needed. He pointed to polls showing that many Americans identified as conservative. He became a main organizer for the American Independent Party convention in Chicago.

Viguerie and other conservatives, like William A. Rusher and Howard Phillips, tried to take over the party. They wanted to make it a home for conservatives. Viguerie even ran as the vice-presidential candidate with Robert J. Morris. However, their efforts to find a well-known conservative leader for the party failed.

The party ended up nominating Lester Maddox, a former governor. Viguerie was disappointed. He felt the party had become a "fringe group." He refused to support Maddox. Maddox later won very few votes in the general election.

Later Activities

In the early 1980s, Viguerie's company worked with groups connected to the Unification Church. He provided direct mail services for them. Viguerie, who is Catholic, said he worked with them because they were strongly against communism.

In 1985, Viguerie sought the Republican nomination for Lieutenant Governor of Virginia. However, he did not receive the nomination.

Viguerie continued to be involved in conservative activism. He raised money for groups like Judicial Watch. He also worked with Howard Phillips to create the Moral Majority in 1979.

In 2006, Viguerie suggested that Republicans might need to lose elections to fix problems within the party. He criticized Republican leaders for certain actions. He also supported the Legislative Transparency and Accountability Act of 2007.

In 2007, Viguerie co-founded the American Freedom Agenda. This group aimed to restore checks and balances and protect civil liberties. In 2008, he launched a website to promote Ron Paul's presidential campaign. He described Paul as a true conservative.

In 2009, Viguerie wrote an article against capital punishment. He called for a discussion about it, hoping it would lead to its end.

Books

Richard Viguerie has written several books, including:

• The New Right: We're Ready to Lead (1981)
• The Establishment vs. the People: Is a New Populist Revolt on the Way? (1983)
• America's Right Turn: How Conservatives Used New and Alternative Media to Take Power (2004)
• Conservatives Betrayed: How George W. Bush and Other Big Government Republicans Hijacked the Conservative Cause (2006)
• Takeover: The 100-Year War for the Soul of the GOP and How Conservatives Can Finally Win it (2014)

Family

Richard Viguerie and his wife, Elaine O. Viguerie, have three children. As of 2011, they also had six grandchildren.

See also

• American Life League
• Judie Brown