Historian Allan J. Lichtman traces the term to a memorandum written in Writing February 1961 by William A. Rusher , the publisher of `` National Review '' , to William F. Buckley , Jr. , envisioning `` National Review '' as not just `` the intellectual leader of the American Right , '' but more grandly of `` the Western Right . ''

Rusher envisioned philosopher kings would function as `` movement conservatives '' .