Howard Phillips: The Conservative’s Conservative

Howard Phillips was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1941.  The son of Jewish parents, he later converted to Christianity, and remained a devout Christian to the end of his life.  He married Margaret “Peggy” Blanchard and together they raised six children.

A 1962 graduate of Harvard College in Cambridge Massachusetts, he was twice elected as chairman of the Student Council.

During the 1970s and ’80s, Phillips also coordinated efforts to build private sector support for anti-Communist freedom fighters in Central America and southern Africa. He played an instrumental role in the leadership of the New Right and Religious Right political movements. Phillips led geostrategic fact-finding missions to Eastern Europe, Africa, the Baltic States, South America, Central America, Western Europe, and the Far East.

During the Nixon Administration, Phillips headed two Federal agencies, ending his Executive Branch career as Director of the U.S. Office of Economic Opportunity in the Executive Office of the President, a position from which he resigned when President Nixon reneged on his commitment to veto further funding for “Great Society” programs.

Howard Phillips founded the U.S. Taxpayers Party (USTP) in 1992 to offer America leadership committed to restoring the Federal Republic to its delegated, enumerated Constitutional functions and returning American jurisprudence to its original “common law” Biblical foundations. Phillips was nominated in 1992 and 1996 to be the USTP candidate for President of the United States. In 1999, the name of the US Taxpayer’s Party was changed to “Constitution Party” to better reflect the party’s primary focus of returning government to the U.S. Constitution’s provisions and limitations, and Howard Phillips was chosen to be its 2000 Presidential candidate.

Phillips also served as President of The Conservative Caucus Research, Analysis & Education Foundation.

Author of four books: The New Right at Harvard (1983), Moscow’s Challenge to U.S. Vital Interests in Sub-Saharan Africa (1987), The Next Four Years (1992), and Victory 2000 (1999).

Awards:

  • The June 1982 Eagle Forum Award for leadership in the pro-family cause, and “steadfast opposition to the mischief of the federally-financed feminists.”
  • The National Association of Pro-America 1983 Award for “promoting Constitutional government”.
  • The National Council on Bible Curriculum in Public Schools Award, 1995.
  • The Strategic Resource Group’s William Wilberforce Award for “Ministry to the Nation/Public Policy” in September, 1996.
  • The Patrick Henry Center for Individual Liberty conferred upon him the title of “Patriot” in May 2002.

America truly lost one of her most valiant patriots with the passing of Howard Phillips in April of 2013.  Thank you, Howie, for carving the path for us to follow in re-establishing the American Constitutional Republic.  May we live up to your vision and the vision of the Founders of these United States of America.


Darrell L. Castle’s Tribute to Howard W. Phillips, the Founder of the Constitution Party
A Great Man Has Fallen by Chuck Baldwin
Howard Phillips Legacy Society

CASE FOR IMPEACHMENT

A Great Man Has Fallen

by Chuck Baldwin, April 25, 2013

HowardPhillipsPhoto_edited200 There are five men who are called “great” in the Holy Scriptures.

One of them is a man by the name of Abner. Upon hearing the news of Abner’s death, King David said, “Know ye not that there is a prince and a great man fallen this day in Israel?”

My column today is dedicated to a great man. That man is Howard Phillips. Howard Phillips went to Heaven this past Saturday, April 20, 2013. I am so blessed to have gotten to know this remarkable man, and, more than that, to be able to call him my friend. I first met Howard some thirty years ago in the Bahamas. I attended a national meeting of conservative leaders and Howard was one of the principal speakers. I suppose the first thing that struck me about Howard was his remarkable intellect and deep conviction. It is no hyperbole to say that Howard Phillips was one of the most brilliant men I have ever met. A graduate of Harvard, Howard’s grasp of government, history, and law was unequalled.

Howard Phillips forgot more about those subjects than the vast majority of us will ever learn. He was literally a walking history encyclopedia. He might have been the keenest, sharpest mind that I have ever been exposed to. Howard Phillips was an intellectual giant. But as awesome as his mind was, Howard’s commitment to the principles of liberty was equally awesome. Liberty has never had a more ardent defender than Howard Phillips. And communism never had a more formidable adversary.

Howard Phillips was born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts, and became a dynamic conservative leader from his youth. At Harvard, he was twice elected president of the Student Council. He was a GOP precinct worker, election warden, campaign manager, congressional aide, Boston municipal Republican chairman, and assistant to the Chairman of the National Republican Committee. He later became president of Policy Analysis, Inc., chairman of the Conservative Caucus, and founder of the U.S. Taxpayer’s Party, now named the Constitution Party. This is the third largest political party in the United States.

The Constitution Party nominated Howard three times as its Presidential candidate. Howard (“Howie” as he was known to his friends) served in President Richard Nixon’s cabinet and headed two federal agencies in the Nixon administration. He voluntarily resigned his post in the Nixon White House after Nixon reneged on his promise to defund the giant Welfare State, known as “The Great Society,” which had been created by President Lyndon Johnson. What many people do not realize is that Howard Phillips was the principal founder of what became known as the “Religious Right.” Howard was also the man who most influenced Jerry Falwell to start the Moral Majority.

Howard Phillips is as important to the rise of the modern conservative movement as George Washington and Thomas Jefferson were to the rise of the independence movement in Colonial America. As a conservative and constitutionalist leader, Howard Phillips had no peer. One of the great honors of my life came when Howard asked me to seek the Constitution Party’s nomination for President in 2008. At his behest, and after much prayer and contemplation, I did this and was honored to have received that party’s nomination by an overwhelming vote from the party’s national delegates.

It was during that campaign that I received the endorsement of Congressman Ron Paul. During and after the 2008 campaign, Howard and I became very close. I found him to be among my dearest of friends and closest of confidants. Howard Phillips was raised as a Jew but became a staunch believer in Jesus Christ as an adult.

Howard and his wife Peggy have six children and many grandchildren, all of whom are among the finest people that anyone would ever meet. The entire Phillips family is an outstanding reflection of the character and commitment of both Howard and Peggy. Please pray for this wonderful family.

Now, I have one more honor that has been bestowed upon me: Peggy asked me to conduct Howard’s funeral service and preach the funeral message. To say that I am overwhelmed at being asked to perform such a task is an understatement. Nothing anyone could say is sufficient to honor a man the caliber of Howard Phillips. I covet your prayers. Howard’s viewing will take place at the Money and King Funeral Home in Vienna, Virginia, this Saturday, April 27, from 3:00-5:00pm, and Sunday, April 28, from 3:00-7:00pm local time. The funeral service will take place Monday, April 29, at 11:00am local time at the McLean Bible Church in Vienna.

As King David said of Abner, I say of Howard Phillips, “Know ye not that there is a prince and a great man fallen this day?” The Phillips’ family has lost their patriarch, their loving and devoted husband, father, and grandfather. The Conservative Caucus has lost their beloved chairman. The Constitution Party has lost their courageous founder. Modern conservatives and constitutionalists nationwide have lost a Founding Father. Freedom fighters around the world have lost one of their truest allies. America has lost one of its greatest patriots. Liberty has lost one of its most ardent defenders. And I have lost one of my dearest friends.

(c) Chuck Baldwin www.ChuckBaldwinLive.com

Darrell L. Castle’s Tribute to Howard Phillips, the Constitution Party’s Founder

by Darrell L. Castle – Constitution Party Executive Committee and 2808 Constitution Party Vice-Presidential Candidate

HowardPhillipsPhoto_edited200 Howard Phillips, founder of the Constitution Party, died at 3:50 PM, EST Saturday, April 20, 2013.
 
I met Howard in early 1992 when I was introduced to him by Don McIlvaney. Don asked my choice for the election that year and I said neither so he introduced me to Howard who was trying to start a new party. My wife, Joan and I became the Tennessee delegates to the first national convention.
 
Over time, Howard mentored me in politics and became a political father to me. Little by little he brought me along as I was able to accept more and more responsibility.  Most of all he was my dear friend and I’ll miss him.

Howard enabled Joan and me to serve in the great cause of liberty and in the struggle for the soul of America. It will not be the same without his advice, wise counsel, and his eloquent speaker’s voice at every meeting. Listening to Howard’s stories and jokes were the highlights of every CP meeting. He knew so many different people in government that he could entertain endlessly with stories from his past. Howard had a great sense of humor and always appreciated a good joke. He loved theater, movies, and his family and never tired of talking about his children’s accomplishments. He never failed to inquire about family members not present and was intensely loyal and expected the same in return. He was always loyal to me and I like to think I was the same for him.
 
I remember Howard as being the best at speaking in front of a camera or just in front of a group. He had a matchless gift for the English language and was merciless as an editor. I learned a lot from him in that regard.
 
Howard Phillips was a lot more than I have been able to say with these few words. In the words of his son Doug he was the most principled and courageous statesman of his generation. He inspired many thousands of people with his courageous fight for liberty. He was a larger than life figure whose intellect towered over most of us.
 
I am honored to have known Howard and to have called him friend and brother. We were brothers in the fight for liberty and for western civilization, and we were brothers in Christ.
 
Rest in peace, Howard.