The National Review Institute honored North Carolina businessman and philanthropist Art Pope this month, awarding him the William F. Buckley Jr. Prize for Leadership in Supporting Liberty. The annual award recognizes individuals who exemplify the late Buckley’s commitment to strengthening the foundations of a free society. This year’s ceremony coincided with what would have been Buckley’s 100th birthday.
Pope, chairman of Variety Wholesalers and the John William Pope Foundation, said the award holds deep personal significance.
“From my youth, watching Firing Line, reading National Review, and learning about the Sharon Statement, I have admired the conservative movement that William F. Buckley helped create and lead,” Pope said. “That movement…is needed more today than ever, especially as the alternatives fail. We should all re-dedicate ourselves to it.”
The Sharon Statement, adopted in 1960 at the founding meeting of Young Americans for Freedom at William F. Buckley Jr.’s home in Sharon, Connecticut, is widely regarded as a cornerstone of the modern conservative movement. The document affirms individual liberty as a God-given right, links political and economic freedom, calls for limited government, endorses the Constitution’s separation of powers, supports free-market economics, and urges a strong national defense against threats such as international communism.
More than six decades later, the Sharon Statement continues to shape conservatives’ views on public policy and the role of government.
Pope has been a prominent figure in conservative philanthropy and public service for decades in North Carolina. In addition to leading the Pope Foundation he has served on the UNC Board of Governors, as North Carolina’s state budget director, and in multiple terms in the General Assembly. He also co-founded the John Locke Foundation, publishing organization of Carolina Journal, and previously chaired several national policy organizations, including the Bradley Foundation and Americans for Prosperity.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and First Lady Casey DeSantis were also honored in the November Palm Beach ceremony with the 2025 Prize for Leadership in Political Thought. Over the years, the Buckley Prizes have recognized a wide range of influential conservative figures. Recent past recipients include Kim Dennis; president of the Searle Freedom Trust; and Father Robert Sirico, co‑founder of the Acton Institute, who won in 2024. Among earlier prominent winners are Rush Limbaugh, the radio broadcaster honored for political thought in 2019; as well as legacy names such as George Shultz, Charles Krauthammer, Victor Davis Hanson, Tom Wolfe, and Edwin J. Feulner.
The National Review Institute, founded by Buckley in 1991, works to advance the principles of a free society and sustain the legacy of the National Review founder, whose influence shaped generations of conservative leaders, including Ronald Reagan and Barry Goldwater.
The John William Pope Foundation has donated more than $250 million to public policy research, education, the arts, and humanitarian causes since its founding in 1986. Pope is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he earned a BA with honors. He received his Juris Doctor from Duke University. He and his wife Kathy have a blended family of three adult children and reside in Raleigh.