Irving Kristol (January 22, 1920 – September 18, 2009) was an American columnist, journalist, and writer who was dubbed the "godfather of neoconservatism." As the founder, editor, and contributor to various magazines, he played an influential role in the intellectual and political culture of the last half-centuryafter his death he was described by The Daily Telegraph as being "perhaps the most consequential public intellectual of the latter half of the 20th century."