Michael S. Joyce (July 5, 1942 – February 24, 2006) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

conservative activist.Michael S. Joyce, 1942-2006
''

The New Criterion ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'', April 2006 John J. Miller
Michael S. Joyce, Rip
''

The National Review ''National Review'' is an American conservative editorial magazine, focusing on news and commentary pieces on political, social, and cultural affairs. The magazine was founded by the author William F. Buckley Jr. in 1955. Its editor-in-chief ...

'', February 26, 2006John J. Miller
Michael S. Joyce, RIP
'' Philanthropy'', April 2006Wolfgang Saxon
Michael S. Joyce, Research Patron, Dies at 63
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'',Patricia Sullivan
Michael S. Joyce, 63; Key Player in Rise of Conservatism in 1990s
''

The Los Angeles Times ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

'', March 6, 2006

Biography

Early life

Michael S. Joyce was born in

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

on July 5, 1942. He grew up in a family of blue-collar

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

Democrats. He attended

Kent State University Kent State University (KSU) is a public research university in Kent, Ohio. The university also includes seven regional campuses in Northeast Ohio and additional facilities in the region and internationally. Regional campuses are located in ...

but transferred to Cleveland State University, where he graduated with a B.A. degree in history and philosophy in 1967. He received a Ph.D. in education from

Walden University Walden University is a private online for-profit university headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It offers Bachelor of Science, Master of Science, Master of Business Administration, Master of Public Administration, Master of Public Healt ...

in 1974.

Career

His first job was as a high school history teacher in Cleveland. In 1968, he took a job at the Educational Research Council of America, which produced high school textbooks in history and government courses. In 1975, he started his career in philanthropy as Chairman of the Goldseker Foundation in

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

. In 1978, he headed the Institute for Educational Affairs, a not-for-profit educational organization chaired by

Irving Kristol Irving Kristol (; January 22, 1920 – September 18, 2009) was an American journalist who was dubbed the "godfather of neoconservatism". As a founder, editor, and contributor to various magazines, he played an influential role in the intellectual ...

and

William E. Simon William Edward Simon (November 27, 1927 – June 3, 2000) was an American businessman and philanthropist who served as the 63rd United States Secretary of the Treasury. He became the Secretary of the Treasury on May 9, 1974, during the Nixon admi ...

. In 1979, he was appointed Executive Vice President of the John M. Olin Foundation, where he served until 1985. During his tenure, he helped launch the

Federalist Society The Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies (abbreviated as FedSoc) is an American conservative and libertarian legal organization that advocates for a textualist and originalist interpretation of the U.S. Constitution. Headquarter ...

, a group of conservative and libertarian lawyers; the

Collegiate Network The Collegiate Network (CN) is a program that provides financial and technical assistance to student editors and writers of roughly 100 independent, conservative and libertarian publications at colleges and universities around the United States. M ...

, a consortium of conservative student publications at American colleges; and ''

'', a conservative journal of arts and intellectual life. In 1980, he served on President Ronald Reagan's transition team. As such, he co-authored a chapter on the arts and humanities endowments for the

Heritage Foundation The Heritage Foundation (abbreviated to Heritage) is an American conservative think tank based in Washington, D.C. that is primarily geared toward public policy. The foundation took a leading role in the conservative movement during the preside ...

, leading to the appointment of

William Bennett William John Bennett (born July 31, 1943) is an American conservative politician and political commentator who served as secretary of education from 1985 to 1988 under President Ronald Reagan. He also held the post of director of the Office of ...

as President Reagan's Chairman of the

National Endowment for the Humanities The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) is an independent federal agency of the U.S. government, established by thNational Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965(), dedicated to supporting research, education, preserv ...

. His work at the Olin Foundation is credited with further influencing the policies of the Reagan administration. From 1985 to 2001, he served as Chairman of the

Bradley Foundation The Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, commonly known as the Bradley Foundation, is an American charitable foundation based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, that primarily supports conservative causes. The foundation provides between $35 million and $4 ...

headquartered in

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at th ...

. He helped launch the Wisconsin Policy Research Institute. He supported the

school choice School choice is a term for education options that allow students and families to select alternatives to public schools. The most common in the United States, by both the number of programs and by the number of participating students are scho ...

movement in the US. In 1993, he and

William Kristol William Kristol (; born December 23, 1952) is an American neoconservative writer. A frequent commentator on several networks including CNN, he was the founder and editor-at-large of the political magazine ''The Weekly Standard''. Kristol is now ...

established the Project for the Republican Future, an organization to regain the Congress and the presidency. It played a role in the 1994 healthcare debate during the Clinton administration and in the 1994 victory in Congressional elections. In 2001, he was encouraged by President

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

and Senior Advisor Karl Rove to lead Americans for Community and Faith-Centered Enterprises, advancing Bush's agenda of faith based initiatives. He also co-founded the Foundation for Community and Faith-Centered Enterprise, headquartered in

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1,608,139 residents as of 2020. It is the fifth-most populous city in the United States, and the on ...

. He later became a principal with Practical Strategies, Inc., a public policy consulting firm with offices in Washington, D.C. and Wisconsin. He was the first Chairman of the

Philanthropy Roundtable The Philanthropy Roundtable is a nonprofit organization that advises conservative philanthropists. History The Roundtable was founded in 1987 as a project of the now-defunct Institute For Educational Affairs. It was founded as a conservative al ...

and helped establish the National Commission on Philanthropy and Civic Renewal. He sat on the Boards of Directors of the

Blue Cross Blue Shield Association Blue Cross Blue Shield Association (BCBS, BCBSA) is a federation, or supraorganization, of, in 2022, 34 independent and locally operated BCBSA companies that provide health insurance in the United States to more than 106 million people. It was ...

, Harp & Eagle, the Pinkerton Foundation, the Foundation for Cultural Review, the National Center for Neighborhood Enterprise and the Clare Booth Luce Fund. He was a member of the

Mont Pelerin Society The Mont Pelerin Society (MPS) is an international organization composed of economists, philosophers, historians, intellectuals and business leaders.Michael Novak, 'The Moral Imperative of a Free Economy', in '' The 4% Solution: Unleashing the E ...

and the

Sovereign Military Order of Malta The Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM), officially the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta ( it, Sovrano Militare Ordine Ospedaliero di San Giovanni di Gerusalemme, di Rodi e di Malta; ...

. Irving Kristol called him "the godfather of modern philanthropy".

Personal life

He retired on

Big Cedar Lake Big Cedar Lake, a lake located in Washington County, Wisconsin, about a mile west of Little Cedar Lake, is the biggest lake of 52 in Washington County. It has 10.2 miles of shoreline and measures over 900 acres. It is managed by the Big Cedar La ...

West Bend, Wisconsin West Bend is the county seat of Washington County, Wisconsin, Washington County, Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 31,752. History Early history and settlement Northeastern Washington County's earliest known inhabitants wer ...

. He was married and had three children. He died of liver disease in a hospice in

Germantown, Wisconsin Germantown is a village in Washington County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 19,749 at the 2010 census. The village surrounds the Town of Germantown. In July 2007, Germantown was ranked the 30th most appealing place to live in th ...

on February 24, 2006.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Joyce, Michael S. 1942 births 2006 deaths People from Cleveland Cleveland State University alumni Maryland Republicans Wisconsin Republicans People from West Bend, Wisconsin John M. Olin Foundation