The New York Times > Washington > National Review Founder Says It's Time to Leave Stage: "In 1954, when Ronald Reagan was still a registered Democrat and host of 'General Electric Theater,' the 28-year-old William Frank Buckley Jr. decided to start a magazine as a standard-bearer for the fledgling conservative movement. In the 50-year ascent of the American right since then, his publication, National Review, has been its most influential journal and Mr. Buckley has been the magazine's guiding spirit and, until today, controlling shareholder."