About The Weyrich Awards Dinner

The Weyrich Awards Dinner honors the legacy of leadership of the late Paul Weyrich, who died in December, 2008. He was one of the foremost thinkers and organizers of the modern conservative movement.

Paul Weyrich was the first president of the Heritage Foundation; a founder and past director of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC); the founder and Chairman of the Free Congress Foundation; and the National Chairman of Coalitions for America. A former radio news reporter and director, Paul came to Washington initially as an aide to Senator Gordon Allott of Colorado.

In the 1990’s, Paul created National Empowerment Television, a precursor to today’s cable news channels, because he properly saw cable television as affording an alternative to the left-leaning major broadcast networks. The conservative direct-mail pioneer, Richard A. Viguerie, called him one of the four pillars of modern day conservatism, the other three being William F. Buckley, Jr., Barry Goldwater, and Ronald Reagan. Paul was a man of deep Christian conviction, and was ordained a deacon in the Melkite Greek Catholic Church. As his obituary in the New York Times stated, “Mr. Weyrich openly fused his faith and his politics.”

The Weyrich Awards Dinner honors those who have made a major contribution to advancing the cause of liberty through organizations and media and whose work reflects beliefs, principles and convictions that are harmonious with Paul’s own values.