Stunning childhood home of William F. Buckley, the father of the modern American Conservative Party, on sale for $5.5million

The childhood home of William F. Buckley Jr., one of the architects of the modern conservative movement, has hit the market for $5.5 million.

The sprawling 19th-century Georgian colonial estate in Sharon, Connecticut, was the childhood has been in the Buckley family since 1923, when it was purchased by William F. Buckley Sr. 

Today, it is being sold by his grandson, Buckley Jr's nephew, Cameron Smith. 

Great Elm, the Connecticut childhood estate of William F. Buckley, hit the market for $5.5 million

The bathrooms feature Art Deco designs and there is a three-story New Orleans-inspired atrium

The primary bedroom suite is located on the main level and has a sitting room and wood burning fireplace

The sprawling 19th-century Georgian colonial estate has eight bedrooms, nine bathrooms and massive living and dining spaces

The 8,872-square-foot mansion was originally built in 1812 and bought by William Buckley Sr. in 1923

Outside, there is a heated pool, pool house, tennis and paddle/pickle courts

The primary bedroom suite is located on the main level and has a sitting room and wood burning fireplace.

The other seven bedrooms are located on upstairs, one of which is used as a gym and another as an office. 

Outside, there is a heated pool, pool house, tennis and paddle/pickle courts.

Born in 1925, Buckley Jr. founded the conservative magazine National Review and hosted the popular PBS show Firing Line for over 30 years.

He attended Yale University, which he accused of forcing secularist ideology on students by trying to break down students' religious beliefs in his first book 'God and Man at Yale.'

In 1955 he founded the National Review which became a pillar of the modern American Conservative Party.

William F. Buckley founded the conservative magazine National Review and hosted the popular PBS show Firing Line for over 30 years

Buckley Jr. is considered one of the architects of the modern conservative movement. Pictured Buckley Jr. (left) with President George H. W. Bush

Buckley Jr. ran for mayor in New York City in 1965, and received 13.4 percent of the vote, which led to his job hosting Firing Line

'All great biblical stories begin with Genesis,' political commentator George Will wrote in National Review in 1980, reported The New York Times.

'And before there was Ronald Reagan, there was Barry Goldwater, and before there was Barry Goldwater there was National Review, and before there was National Review there was Bill Buckley with a spark in his mind, and the spark in 1980 has become a conflagration.' 

Buckley Jr. ran for mayor in New York City in 1965, and received 13.4 percent of the vote, which led to his job hosting Firing Line.

His brother, James Buckley, served in the Senate as a member of the Conservative Party of New York State in the Republican caucus from 1971 to 1977 and held multiple positions within the Reagan administration.

Buckley Jr. died in 2008 in his Stamford home at 82 years old after a battle with diabetes and emphysema.