Barry Morris Goldwater (1909-1998) was a prominent American politician, businessman, and military officer, best known for his role as a United States Senator from Arizona and the Republican Party's presidential nominee in 1964. Born into a prominent Jewish-Episcopalian family in Phoenix, Arizona, Goldwater grew up in the family-owned department store business, which shaped his early entrepreneurial spirit. He served as a pilot in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II, rising to the rank of major, and later became a major general in the Air Force Reserve. Goldwater's political career began in the 1940s with local roles in Phoenix, leading to his election to the U.S. Senate in 1952, where he served until 1965 and again from 1969 to 1987. A staunch conservative and icon of libertarian conservatism, he opposed the New Deal and championed limited government, states' rights, and anti-communism, authoring the influential book 'The Conscience of a Conservative' in 1960 that galvanized the modern conservative movement.

Goldwater's 1964 presidential campaign against Lyndon B. Johnson was a landmark in American politics, emphasizing 'extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice' and appealing to the party's right wing, though it ended in a landslide defeat. Despite this, his candidacy shifted the Republican Party toward libertarian conservatism and laid the groundwork for future leaders like Ronald Reagan. In the Senate, Goldwater was instrumental in civil rights legislation in 1964, voting for the bill despite his states' rights views, and later played a key role in forcing Richard Nixon's resignation during the Watergate scandal by threatening impeachment. He was also an avid photographer, publishing several books of his work, and remained a vocal critic of government overreach until his retirement in 1986. Goldwater's legacy endures as the 'father of the conservative movement,' influencing American politics profoundly.

Throughout his life, Goldwater navigated personal and political controversies, including his Jewish heritage amid a predominantly Christian political landscape—he converted to Episcopalianism—and criticisms for his opposition to the 1964 Civil Rights Act on federalism grounds, though he supported equal rights. He was married twice, first to Margaret Johnson (1934-1985), with whom he had four children, and later to Susan Wechsler (1992-1998). Goldwater's military service and business acumen, including running Goldwater's Inc., underscored his multifaceted career, and he received numerous awards, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1986.