Russell Amos Kirk (October 19, 1918 – April 29, 1994) was an American political philosopher, moralist, historian, social critic, literary critic, author, and novelist who influenced 20th century American conservatism. In 1953, he authored The Conservative Mind, which traced the development of conservative thought in the Anglo-American tradition and Edmund Burke. The book helped influence the post-World War II American conservative movement.
Kirk is considered the chief proponent of traditionalist conservatism. He was also an accomplished author of Gothic and ghost story fiction and is often cited as one of the most significant conservative men of letters of the 20th century.
