Conservative Digest
| Richard Viguerie | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
Richard Art Viguerie September 23, 1933 Golden Acres, Texas, U.S. |
| Residence | Manassas, Virginia, U.S. |
| Alma mater | University of Houston |
| Occupation |
direct mail marketing advertising magazine publisher |
| Spouse(s) | Elaine O. Viguerie |
| Children | 3 |
| Website | conservativehq.com |
Richard Art Viguerie (born September 23, 1933) is an American conservative figure, pioneer of political direct mail and writer on politics. He is the current chairman of ConservativeHQ.com.
Viguerie was born in Golden Acres, Texas, the son of Elizabeth (née Stoufflet) and Arthur Camile Viguerie. He has Cajun ancestry. Viguerie worked for the Christian evangelist Billy James Hargis in his early career. In an autobiographical note, Viguerie wrote that in 1961 he became executive secretary of the conservative youth group Young Americans for Freedom: "Since 1965, owner of direct marketing/advertising companies such as American Target Advertising. Political/campaign strategist, activist and conservative spokesman and writer."
Viguerie has been dubbed the "funding father" of modern conservative strategy in the United States by some sources.
Viguerie founded Conservative Digest magazine in 1975 and served as its publisher for ten years. Opposing President Gerald Ford's election, Viguerie in 1976 unsuccessfully sought the presidential nomination of the American Independent Party, which had been formed eight years earlier by George Wallace. The party instead nominated former Georgia Governor Lester Maddox, to challenge Ford and Democrat Jimmy Carter, also a former Georgia governor.
Viguerie's development and honing of national direct mail campaigns in the mid-to-late 1970s was considered revolutionary in its approach and was quickly adopted by insurgent conservative political campaigns. Conservative activist and political candidate Jeff Bell applied the strategy in 1978 to unseat longtime liberal Republican Senator Clifford Case in the 1978 New Jersey primary. Bell was defeated in the general election, but his unexpected primary victory was considered a turning point for conservative activist efforts against establishment Republicans.
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