Patricia Buckley
Encyclopedia
Patricia Aldyen Austin Taylor "Pat" Buckley (July 1, 1926 – April 15, 2007) was a Canadian
socialite
, noted for her fundraising activities and her height; she stood just under six feet. She was the wife of conservative writer and activist William F. Buckley, Jr.
and the mother of writer/satirist Christopher Buckley, their only child.
, a self-made industrialist, rich from lumber and mining. Her mother, Kathleen Elliott, daughter of the chief of police of Winnipeg, was a great beauty. Pat went to Vassar College
in 1948 but left to marry William F. Buckley, Jr., the older brother of her Vassar roommate, Patricia Lee Buckley. (Patricia Lee Buckley later married L. Brent Bozell, Jr.., and they were parents of conservative activist Brent Bozell).
Aside from their home in Stamford, Connecticut
, the Buckleys also had an Upper East Side duplex in Manhattan
and leased the Chateau de Rougemont, a former monastery, near Gstaad
, Switzerland
, for the winters. Her dark sense of humour was manifested when economist John Kenneth Galbraith
brought Ted Kennedy
to visit the Buckleys at Rougemont
one winter. Kennedy asked if he could borrow a car to go back to Gstaad. Pat replied:
"Certainly not – there are three bridges between here and Gstaad."
In 1975 Patricia Buckley was named to the International Best-Dressed Hall of Fame created by Eleanor Lambert
. She served as chairwoman of the Metropolitan Museum of Art
's Costume Institute benefit from 1978 to 1995, making it a major event on the charity social circuit. Other focuses included the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
, the New York University Medical Center
, as well as AIDS
causes and Vietnam War
veterans.
She became a United States citizen in the early 1990s.
, aged 80, after a period of ill health. Her widower reported in National Review
, following her death in April 2007, that her
"infirmities dated back to a skiing accident in 1965. She went through four hip replacements over the years. She went into the hospital a fortnight ago, but there was no thought of any terminal problem. Yet following an infection, on the seventh day, she died, in the arms of her son."
Her son, Christopher Buckley, attributes her death to
"Sixty-five years of smoking cigarettes, with attendant problems of circulation, had taken their toll. A few days before, an operation to install a stent
... went wrong, and a mortal infection set in."
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
socialite
Socialite
A socialite is a person who participates in social activities and spends a significant amount of time entertaining and being entertained at fashionable upper-class events....
, noted for her fundraising activities and her height; she stood just under six feet. She was the wife of conservative writer and activist William F. Buckley, Jr.
William F. Buckley, Jr.
William Frank Buckley, Jr. was an American conservative author and commentator. He founded the political magazine National Review in 1955, hosted 1,429 episodes of the television show Firing Line from 1966 until 1999, and was a nationally syndicated newspaper columnist. His writing was noted for...
and the mother of writer/satirist Christopher Buckley, their only child.
Life
Born in Vancouver, British Columbia, to a wealthy family, Patricia Taylor had tutors and private schooling. She was one of the three children of Austin Cotterell TaylorAustin Cotterell Taylor
Major Austin Cotterell Taylor was a Canadian mining executive and developer, financier, and philanthropist who played a major role in establishing Thoroughbred horse racing in British Columbia....
, a self-made industrialist, rich from lumber and mining. Her mother, Kathleen Elliott, daughter of the chief of police of Winnipeg, was a great beauty. Pat went to Vassar College
Vassar College
Vassar College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college in the town of Poughkeepsie, New York, in the United States. The Vassar campus comprises over and more than 100 buildings, including four National Historic Landmarks, ranging in style from Collegiate Gothic to International,...
in 1948 but left to marry William F. Buckley, Jr., the older brother of her Vassar roommate, Patricia Lee Buckley. (Patricia Lee Buckley later married L. Brent Bozell, Jr.., and they were parents of conservative activist Brent Bozell).
Aside from their home in Stamford, Connecticut
Stamford, Connecticut
Stamford is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. According to the 2010 census, the population of the city is 122,643, making it the fourth largest city in the state and the eighth largest city in New England...
, the Buckleys also had an Upper East Side duplex in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
and leased the Chateau de Rougemont, a former monastery, near Gstaad
Gstaad
Gstaad is a village in the German-speaking section of the Canton of Berne in southwestern Switzerland. Part of the municipality of Saanen, Gstaad is known as one of the most exclusive ski resorts in the world....
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, for the winters. Her dark sense of humour was manifested when economist John Kenneth Galbraith
John Kenneth Galbraith
John Kenneth "Ken" Galbraith , OC was a Canadian-American economist. He was a Keynesian and an institutionalist, a leading proponent of 20th-century American liberalism...
brought Ted Kennedy
Ted Kennedy
Edward Moore "Ted" Kennedy was a United States Senator from Massachusetts and a member of the Democratic Party. Serving almost 47 years, he was the second most senior member of the Senate when he died and is the fourth-longest-serving senator in United States history...
to visit the Buckleys at Rougemont
Rougemont
Rougemont may refer to:* Rougemont Castle, a ruined castle in Exeter, Devon* Rougemont, Switzerland, a town in Switzerland* Rougemont, Quebec, a town in the province of Québec, in Canada* Rougemont, North Carolina, an Unincorporated area in North Carolina...
one winter. Kennedy asked if he could borrow a car to go back to Gstaad. Pat replied:
"Certainly not – there are three bridges between here and Gstaad."
In 1975 Patricia Buckley was named to the International Best-Dressed Hall of Fame created by Eleanor Lambert
Eleanor Lambert
Eleanor Lambert Berkson -Background:Born in Crawfordsville Indiana. She attended the John Herron School of Art and the Chicago Art Institute to study Fashion. She started at an advertising agency in Manhattan New York, dealing mostly with artists and art galleries...
. She served as chairwoman of the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is a renowned art museum in New York City. Its permanent collection contains more than two million works, divided into nineteen curatorial departments. The main building, located on the eastern edge of Central Park along Manhattan's Museum Mile, is one of the...
's Costume Institute benefit from 1978 to 1995, making it a major event on the charity social circuit. Other focuses included the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
Memorial Sloan–Kettering Cancer Center is a cancer treatment and research institution founded in 1884 as the New York Cancer Hospital...
, the New York University Medical Center
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
, as well as AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
causes and Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
veterans.
She became a United States citizen in the early 1990s.
Death
Patricia Taylor Buckley died in Stamford, ConnecticutStamford, Connecticut
Stamford is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. According to the 2010 census, the population of the city is 122,643, making it the fourth largest city in the state and the eighth largest city in New England...
, aged 80, after a period of ill health. Her widower reported in National Review
National Review
National Review is a biweekly magazine founded by the late author William F. Buckley, Jr., in 1955 and based in New York City. It describes itself as "America's most widely read and influential magazine and web site for conservative news, commentary, and opinion."Although the print version of the...
, following her death in April 2007, that her
"infirmities dated back to a skiing accident in 1965. She went through four hip replacements over the years. She went into the hospital a fortnight ago, but there was no thought of any terminal problem. Yet following an infection, on the seventh day, she died, in the arms of her son."
Her son, Christopher Buckley, attributes her death to
"Sixty-five years of smoking cigarettes, with attendant problems of circulation, had taken their toll. A few days before, an operation to install a stent
Stent
In the technical vocabulary of medicine, a stent is an artificial 'tube' inserted into a natural passage/conduit in the body to prevent, or counteract, a disease-induced, localized flow constriction. The term may also refer to a tube used to temporarily hold such a natural conduit open to allow...
... went wrong, and a mortal infection set in."