Former U.S. Senator James L. Buckley, a conservative icon who made history by winning a Senate seat as a third-party candidate, passed away at the age of 100 on Friday in Washington. His nephew, Christopher Buckley, confirmed that his death was a result of complications from a fall. Buckley's unlikely victory in 1970 made him the first third-party candidate to secure a seat in the U.S. Senate since 1940. Despite serving only one term, he left a lasting impact on American politics.

James Buckley, the older brother of famed conservative author and commentator William F. Buckley Jr., had a modest start in politics. Born in Manhattan on March 9, 1923, he attended Millbrook School and Yale University. After graduating, he served in the Navy during World War II and then enrolled in Yale Law School. Following his graduation in 1949, he practiced law in New Haven, Connecticut for several years. In 1953, he married Ann Frances Cooley, and they had six children together.

Buckley initially joined the family business, the Catawba Corporation, but his true passion lay in politics. In 1965, he managed his brother's campaign for mayor of New York City, although it ended in defeat. In 1968, Buckley ran as the Conservative Party nominee in a U.S. Senate race against Jacob Javits, the Republican incumbent, but was unsuccessful. However, his loss did not deter him from pursuing a political career.

In 1970, Buckley ran as a Conservative candidate for the U.S. Senate in New York, facing off against liberal Democrat Richard L. Ottinger and incumbent Republican-Liberal Charles E. Goodell. Despite being seen as a carpetbagging ideologue, Buckley appealed to blue-collar voters by championing traditional conservative values and addressing issues such as rising crime, taxes, and welfare costs. Surprising political analysts, he secured a victory with a 38.7 percent plurality, effectively becoming a pragmatic new conservative voice in a tumultuous era marked by racial violence, campus unrest, and protests against the Vietnam War.

During his tenure in the Senate from 1971 to 1977, Buckley aligned himself with the Nixon administration and supported its foreign policy, including the plan for a gradual withdrawal from Vietnam. He advocated for common-sense approaches to various issues, such as crime and education. However, he broke ranks with President Nixon when the Watergate scandal came to light, publicly urging him to resign. Despite a draft-Buckley movement trying to block Ronald Reagan's momentum at the 1976 Republican National Convention, Buckley ultimately lost his re-election bid to Democrat Daniel Patrick Moynihan.

Following his departure from the Senate, Buckley ventured into investment banking in New York. However, President Reagan called him back to public service, appointing him as Under Secretary of State for Security Affairs in 1981 and subsequently as President of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty from 1982 to 1985. In 1985, President Reagan nominated him for the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, where he served as a federal judge for 15 years before retiring as a semiretired senior judge.

Buckley's influence extended beyond the political realm. In 1975, he led a court challenge against campaign finance reform laws that imposed limits on campaign spending and individual contributions to candidates. The landmark 1976 Supreme Court ruling in the case, known as Buckley v. Valeo, struck down limits on candidate expenditures while upholding limits on contributions. This decision has been a subject of ongoing debate, with critics arguing that it has contributed to the influence of money in American politics.

Another significant legislative accomplishment for Buckley was the passage of the Buckley Amendment in 1974, which ensured student privacy rights and limited access to student records without parental consent. The amendment, which bears his name, guarantees parents the right to access their child's educational records and has provided vital protections for student privacy in American schools.

Throughout his life, Buckley remained an avid naturalist and bird-watcher, even considering ornithology as a profession at one point. He had a passion for the environment and participated in two scientific expeditions to the Arctic. Despite his conservative background, Buckley embraced a wide range of interests and pursuits.

James L. Buckley's death marks the end of an era in American politics. His legacy as a conservative voice and advocate for individual freedoms, campaign finance reform, and student privacy rights will continue to influence the political landscape for years to come.