Kristol, Irving, 1920-2009

Irving Kristol; Born January 22, 1920, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, U.S.; Died September 18, 2009 (aged 89), Falls Church, Virginia, U.S.; American journalist who was dubbed the "godfather of neoconservatism"; As a founder, editor, and contributor to various magazines, he played an influential role in the intellectual and political culture of the last half of the twentieth century; met historian Gertrude Himmelfarb, whom he later married in 1942. They had two children, Elizabeth Nelson and Bill Kristol. During World War II, he served in Europe in the 12th Armored Division as a combat infantryman; Kristol was affiliated with the Congress for Cultural Freedom. He wrote in Commentary magazine from 1947 to 1952 under the editor Elliot E. Cohen; In July 2002, he received from President George W. Bush the Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor;