Encyclopedia · Biography
Medford Stanton Evans
American journalist, author and conservative activist (1934–2015), a principal author of the 1960 Sharon Statement, the founding declaration of Young Americans for Freedom.
History and structure
Evans graduated from Yale University and wrote for National Review before becoming editor of the Indianapolis News. At a September 1960 gathering at William F. Buckley Jr.’s Sharon, Connecticut, home, he drafted the Sharon Statement. The document articulated the principles of the new Young Americans for Freedom organization.
Current documented status
He later held American Conservative Union leadership, wrote books on conservative politics and journalism, and became an influential advocate within the American conservative movement. Evans died March 3, 2015, at age 80. His participation is a documented origin point for the movement traced in Chapter 1 of The Story.
Journalism and conservative organizing
Evans was educated at Yale and contributed to the National Review circle that helped organize conservative political ideas in the 1950s and 1960s. His drafting of the Sharon Statement at the 1960 Young Americans for Freedom founding meeting links him to William F. Buckley Jr. and the conservative youth movement. His subsequent journalism and leadership in the American Conservative Union made him part of both the media and organizational branches of that movement.
In the 1970s Evans helped organize the early Conservative Political Action Conferences (CPAC). His career included journalism at the Indianapolis News and books about American politics. He died in 2015. His public roles are documented as organizing and editorial work, not proof that every group in which he participated coordinated later policy outcomes.
References
- https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/m-stanton-evans-guiding-force-in-modern-conservatism-dies-at-80/2015/03/05/a266c59c-c2a0-11e4-ad5c-3b8ce89f1b89_story.html
- https://yaf.org/news/young-americans-for-freedom-celebrates-60-years-2/
- https://www.nationalreview.com/articles/young-americans-freedom-sharon-statement-1960
Where this subject appears in The Story
Read the historical narrative and follow its linked names and organizations back into the Encyclopedia.
Documented connections
These are specifically described relationships in public records. A shared institution, appointment or event does not by itself demonstrate coordination or wrongdoing.
- American Conservative Union (ACU) (organization) — served as chairman and conference organizer for · 1970s
- American Conservative Union (ACU) (organization) — Former chairman of the organization · 1971–1977
- Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) (event) — organized first four editions of · 1974–1977
- William F. Buckley Jr. (person) — Sharon founding meeting held at Buckley home · September 1960
- Young Americans for Freedom (organization) — drafted founding statement · 1960-09
- Young Americans for Freedom (organization) — Principal drafter of Sharon Statement at founding conference · September 1960