Growing up in Washington, D.C., Karl told his mother he could learn more on his own than by sitting in some government school room. Together, they registered him at several area public schools, and then submitted transfer slips to each, so they all thought he was attending somewhere else.
He was a news writer for the Mutual Broadcasting System and associate editor of Newsweek magazine. He wrote books on subjects ranging from politics to water conservation. His classic article for Playboy Magazine in the late 60's, titled The Death of Politics, should be read by anyone who believes that politics is the best way to solve society’s problems. He came to believe that all parties and politicians were primarily interested in controlling other people's lives. Hess would have no more of that.
Of all the words Karl Hess wrote, perhaps none are as widely known and quoted as the lines he penned for Barry Goldwater's speech accepting the 1964 Republican presidential nomination:
"Extremism in defense of liberty is no vice; moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue."Karl Hess died on April 22, 1994, at the age of 70. You probably saw nothing about it in the media, because that's the same day Richard Nixon died. No disrespect to Mr. Nixon, but Karl Hess deserved more recognition than he received in life, or death. Look up his writings; they may inspire you, like they did me.
I met Karl later in his life, and was proud to consider him a friend. When he told me that Harold and Maude was one of his favorite movies, I told him that it was one of mine also. I later sent him a copy as a gift.
