Terry Dolan (US political figure)
Encyclopedia
John Terrence "Terry" Dolan (1950 – December 28, 1986) was an American
New Right
political operative who was co-founder and chairman of the National Conservative Political Action Committee
(NCPAC).
Although Dolan was a proponent of family values
and the organization he led was persistently critical of gay rights, he was discovered to have been a closeted homosexual who frequented gay bar
s in Washington, D.C.
He died from complications of AIDS
, aged 36.
Dolan was co-founder and chairman of the National Conservative Political Action Committee
(NCPAC). He co-authored Reagan: A President Succeeds with Gregory Fossedal
. His brother, Anthony R. Dolan
, was also a political activist and Ronald Reagan
's chief presidential speechwriter.
A native of Connecticut
, Terry Dolan became active in politics during his teens as a Republican volunteer. At age 21, he worked as a paid organizer in Richard Nixon
's 1972 presidential re-election campaign
. The following year, he was a candidate for chairman of the College Republicans
but lost to Karl Rove
.
He was a member of the Council for National Policy
Board of Governors, a member of the advisory board for the Rev. Sun Myung Moon's CAUSA International, and Director of Conservatives Against Liberal Legislation (CALL).
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
New Right
New Right
New Right is used in several countries as a descriptive term for various policies or groups that are right-wing. It has also been used to describe the emergence of Eastern European parties after the collapse of communism.-Australia:...
political operative who was co-founder and chairman of the National Conservative Political Action Committee
National Conservative Political Action Committee
The National Conservative Political Action Committee was a New Right political action committee in the United States that was a major contributor to the ascendancy of conservative Republicans in the early 1980s, including the election of Ronald Reagan as President, and that innovated the use of...
(NCPAC).
Although Dolan was a proponent of family values
Family values
Family values are political and social beliefs that hold the nuclear family to be the essential ethical and moral unit of society. Familialism is the ideology that promotes the family and its values as an institution....
and the organization he led was persistently critical of gay rights, he was discovered to have been a closeted homosexual who frequented gay bar
Gay bar
A gay bar is a drinking establishment that caters to an exclusively or predominantly gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender clientele; the term gay is used as a broadly inclusive concept for LGBT and queer communities...
s in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
He died from complications of AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
, aged 36.
Dolan was co-founder and chairman of the National Conservative Political Action Committee
National Conservative Political Action Committee
The National Conservative Political Action Committee was a New Right political action committee in the United States that was a major contributor to the ascendancy of conservative Republicans in the early 1980s, including the election of Ronald Reagan as President, and that innovated the use of...
(NCPAC). He co-authored Reagan: A President Succeeds with Gregory Fossedal
Gregory Fossedal
Gregory Fossedal is the self-described chairman of the Alexis de Tocqueville Institution .Fossedal, Gordon Haff, Benjamin Hart, and Keeney Jones founded the right-wing Dartmouth Review in 1980. Fossedal graduated from Dartmouth College in 1981 magna cum laude with an A.B. in English Literature...
. His brother, Anthony R. Dolan
Anthony R. Dolan
Anthony R. Dolan is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and was the principal speechwriter for President Ronald Reagan from March 1981 until the end of Reagan's second term in 1989...
, was also a political activist and Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
's chief presidential speechwriter.
A native of Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
, Terry Dolan became active in politics during his teens as a Republican volunteer. At age 21, he worked as a paid organizer in Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
's 1972 presidential re-election campaign
United States presidential election, 1972
The United States presidential election of 1972 was the 47th quadrennial United States presidential election. It was held on November 7, 1972. The Democratic Party's nomination was eventually won by Senator George McGovern, who ran an anti-war campaign against incumbent Republican President Richard...
. The following year, he was a candidate for chairman of the College Republicans
College Republicans
The College Republican National Committee is a national organization for college and university students who support the Republican Party of the United States...
but lost to Karl Rove
Karl Rove
Karl Christian Rove was Senior Advisor and Deputy Chief of Staff to former President George W. Bush until Rove's resignation on August 31, 2007. He has headed the Office of Political Affairs, the Office of Public Liaison, and the White House Office of Strategic Initiatives...
.
He was a member of the Council for National Policy
Council for National Policy
The Council for National Policy , is an umbrella organization and networking group for social conservative activists in the United States...
Board of Governors, a member of the advisory board for the Rev. Sun Myung Moon's CAUSA International, and Director of Conservatives Against Liberal Legislation (CALL).
Quote
- Dolan stated that the secret of fundraising is to try to "make them angry and stir up hostilities. The shriller you are, the easier it is to raise funds. That's the nature of the beast."
External links
- "Terry Dolan, RIP", National ReviewNational ReviewNational 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...
, January 30, 1987