Irving William Kristol (1920–2009) was an influential American political commentator, writer, and intellectual widely regarded as the "godfather of neoconservatism." Born to Jewish immigrant parents in Brooklyn, New York, he initially embraced anti-Stalinist leftist views and was active in the Trotskyist Young People's Socialist League while earning a B.A. in history at the City College of New York in 1940. After serving in the U.S. Army during World War II, Kristol transitioned from socialism to conservatism. He co-founded the influential magazines Encounter in London and The Public Interest in 1965, which critically examined liberal welfare policies and advocated for a stronger government role in moral and cultural matters, and also helped establish The National Interest. Serving as executive vice president of Basic Books, contributing to The Wall Street Journal, teaching as a professor of social thought at New York University, and acting as a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, Kristol combined traditional conservatism with hawkish foreign policy and pro-market ideologies. His work significantly influenced the Reagan administration and shaped modern conservative thought, particularly within the Republican Party and media. Emphasizing the importance of religion and tradition in public life, Kristol was recognized as a "man of affairs" who advanced ideas through institutions rather than solitary authorship. He was the father of prominent neoconservative commentator William Kristol and received numerous honors, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2002. Kristol's profound legacy endures in the foundation and development of neoconservative ideology.