# Buckley School (New York City)

Buckley School is an independent, K-9 day school for boys located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City, United States.
The school has three divisions: Lower School (K-3), Middle School (4-6) and Upper School (7-9), with a student body of approximately 370 pupils and 90 faculty and staff members. The head of school is Gregory J. O’Melia, the sixth head to be appointed since the school's founding in 1913.
Buckley is a member of the National Association of Independent Schools, the New York State Association of Independent Schools and the International Boys' Schools Coalition (IBSC). Additionally, it is a charter member of the Manhattan Private Middle School League and the Metropolitan Private Middle School Track and Field Association. The school's motto is “Honor et Veritas” (Honor and Truth). Its official seal is a shield.

## History

B. Lord Buckley, a professional educator, founded Buckley in 1913 as a boys' elementary school with the aim of offering a classical curriculum. The original school was located above a milliner's shop on Madison Avenue. In 1917, the school moved to a larger building on East 74th Street. In the late 1990s, Buckley purchased a townhouse on E 73rd Street to house the Walsh building, its main school. The 74th Street Hubball building continues to be a part of the school and houses Beginners classrooms and athletic facilities. In 2014 two townhouses were purchased on E 73rd Street to serve as the school's Arts and Sciences building.
Five heads of school have succeeded B. Lord Buckley: Evelyn Adams (1932-1947), James Hubball (1947-1972), C. Brett Boocock (1972-1982), Brian Walsh (1982-2001) and its current head of school, Gregory O’Melia (2001–present).
Recent sources describe the school as being "traditional in the best sense of the word" with a formal dress code, classic curriculum, family-style lunches, and focus on both academics and boys' social development.

## Sports

Buckley offers a wide range of athletic activities. Cross country, football and soccer are offered in the fall; basketball, gymnastics, strength training and wrestling are offered in the winter; baseball, lacrosse and track compete in the spring.
The Buckley football team has been very successful the past couple seasons, going undefeated in 2018, 2017, 2016 and 2015.
The Buckley varsity wrestling team competes in the King of the Ring Tournament every year. In 2012, they won the league championship for the 25th consecutive year. Field Day takes place at the end of the school year on Randall's Island. Boys in every class compete in traditional track races as well as events such as tug of war, sack races, egg relays and an obstacle course.

## Notable alumni

* Robert L. Belknap, professor of Russian literature at Columbia University and former interim dean of Columbia College
* Nicholas Britell, Emmy Award winning and Oscar nominated music composer
* Christopher Nixon Cox, businessman, grandson of Richard Nixon
* Charles B. Finch, attorney and business executive
* S. Parker Gilbert, chairman and President of Morgan Stanley, son of Seymour Parker Gilbert, Assistant Secretary of the Treasury under US Presidents Woodrow Wilson & Warren G. Harding and Ambassador to Germany
* James Harder, actor and son of American Businessman & Titanic Survivor Achilles Harder
* J. Tomilson Hill, Blackstone Vice Chairman, Lehman Brothers CEO & Billionaire
* John V. Lindsay, Mayor of New York and US Congressman
* Peter Livanos, shipping tycoon and majority owner of The Aston Martin Automobile Company
* Winston Lord, United States diplomat and leader of non-governmental foreign policy organizations; served as Special Assistant to the National Security Advisor, Director of the State Department Policy Planning Staff, President of the Council on Foreign Relations, Ambassador to China, and Assistant Secretary of State (1993–1997)
* Archer Mayor, author
* Nick McDonell, author
* John McPheters, founder and CEO of Stadium Goods
* Justin Muzinich, United States Deputy Secretary of the Treasury
* John Negroponte, US Deputy Secretary of State, US Director of National Intelligence, US Ambassador to the United Nations, Ambassador to Iraq, Philippines, Mexico and Honduras
* Nicholas Negroponte, MIT professor and founder of MIT Media Lab, co-founder of Wired Magazine
* Addison O'Dea, documentary filmmaker
* Claiborne Pell, US Senator and Chairman of Senate Foreign Relations Committee, longest serving US Senator from Rhode Island
* Nicholas Platt, diplomat
* Sam Posey, retired racing driver, television commentator, artist
* Ogden Reid New York Herald Tribune Publisher, Ambassador to Israel under President Eisenhower, and six-term Congressman
* David Rockefeller, Jr., Chairman of Rockefeller Family Foundation, member of Council on Foreign Relations and philanthropist
* Michael C. Rockefeller, explorer & son of New York Governor & US Vice President Nelson Rockefeller
* Elliott Roosevelt, United States Army Air Forces officer, author and a son of President Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882–1945) and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt (1884–1962)
* Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Jr., American lawyer, politician, and businessman and fifth child of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt
* John Aspinwall Roosevelt, philanthropist and last child of U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and his wife, Eleanor Roosevelt
* William J. "Billy" Ruane Jr., Boston music promoter
* Jim Steyer, children's advocate, civil rights attorney, professor, author, and founder of Common Sense Media
* Tom Steyer, American billionaire, Forbes 400 member and founder of hedge fund Farallon Capital
* Alex Timbers, playwright, director, and producer
* Donald Trump Jr., American businessman, and son of US President Donald Trump
* Cyrus Vance Jr., New York County District Attorney & son of Cyrus Vance, Secretary of State to US President Jimmy Carter
* Oswald Garrison Villard, Jr., Stanford & Harvard Professor of Engineering, inventor, and son of Henry Villard, Thomas Edison's financial backer
* Robert F. Wagner, Jr., Deputy Mayor of the City of New York & Chairman of New York City Board of Education, son of Robert F. Wagner, Jr., mayor of New York City, and grandson of US Senator Robert Ferdinand Wagner
* William Woodward Jr., heir to the Hanover National Bank fortune and the Belair Estate, and a leading figure in racing circles
* Christopher A. Wray, 8th Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation
* Grant Shelby Hubley Jr., known as Whip Hubley, is an American former actor.
* Matthew Peter DeLuca, known as Lil Mabu, is an American rapper.

## In popular culture

* Mad Men character Pete Campbell is portrayed as an alumnus, as well as of Deerfield Academy and Dartmouth College.
* The Bonfire of the Vanities character Sherman McCoy is portrayed as an alumnus, as well as of St. Paul's and Yale.
* Succession characters Kendall Roy and Stewy Hosseini are portrayed as alumni, as well as of Harvard University.