Donald Rumsfeld

Donald Rumsfeld
Official portrait, 2001
13th and 21st United States Secretary of Defense
In office
January 20, 2001 – December 18, 2006
PresidentGeorge W. Bush
Deputy
Preceded byWilliam Cohen
Succeeded byRobert Gates
In office
November 20, 1975 – January 20, 1977
PresidentGerald Ford
DeputyBill Clements
Preceded byJames Schlesinger
Succeeded byHarold Brown
6th White House Chief of Staff
In office
September 21, 1974 – November 20, 1975
PresidentGerald Ford
Preceded byAlexander Haig
Succeeded byDick Cheney
9th United States Ambassador to NATO
In office
February 2, 1973 – September 21, 1974
President
Preceded byDavid Kennedy
Succeeded byDavid Bruce
Director of the Cost of Living Council
In office
October 15, 1971 – February 2, 1973
PresidentRichard Nixon
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byPosition abolished
Counselor to the President
In office
December 11, 1970 – October 15, 1971
Serving with Robert Finch
PresidentRichard Nixon
Preceded by
Succeeded byRobert Finch
3rd Director of the Office of Economic Opportunity
In office
May 27, 1969 – December 11, 1970
PresidentRichard Nixon
Preceded byBertrand Harding
Succeeded byFrank Carlucci
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Illinois's 13th district
In office
January 3, 1963 – May 25, 1969
Preceded byMarguerite Church
Succeeded byPhil Crane
Personal details
Born
Donald Henry Rumsfeld

(1932-07-09)July 9, 1932
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
DiedJune 29, 2021(2021-06-29) (aged 88)
Taos, New Mexico, U.S.
Resting placeArlington National Cemetery
Political partyRepublican
Spouse
Joyce Pierson
(m. 1954)
Children3
EducationPrinceton University (AB)
Case Western Reserve University
Georgetown University
Signature
WebsiteLibrary website
Nickname"Rummy"
Military service
BranchUnited States Navy
Years of service
RankCaptain

Donald Henry Rumsfeld (July 9, 1932 – June 29, 2021) was an American politician, government official and businessman who served as secretary of defense from 1975 to 1977 under President Gerald Ford, and again from 2001 to 2006 under President George W. Bush.[1][2] He was both the youngest and the oldest secretary of defense.[3] Additionally, Rumsfeld was a four-term U.S. Congressman from Illinois (1963–1969), director of the Office of Economic Opportunity (1969–1970), counselor to the president (1969–1973), the U.S. Representative to NATO (1973–1974), and the White House Chief of Staff (1974–1975). Between his terms as secretary of defense, he served as the CEO and chairman of several companies.

Born in Illinois, Rumsfeld attended Princeton University, graduating in 1954 with a degree in political science. After serving in the Navy for three years, he mounted a campaign for Congress in Illinois's 13th Congressional District, winning in 1962 at the age of 30. Rumsfeld accepted an appointment by President Richard Nixon to head the Office of Economic Opportunity in 1969; appointed counsellor by Nixon and entitled to Cabinet-level status, he also headed up the Economic Stabilization Program before being appointed ambassador to NATO. Called back to Washington in August 1974, Rumsfeld was appointed chief of staff by President Ford. Rumsfeld recruited a young one-time staffer of his, Dick Cheney, to succeed him when Ford nominated him to be secretary of defense in 1975. When Ford lost the 1976 election, Rumsfeld returned to private business and financial life, and was named president and CEO of the pharmaceutical corporation G. D. Searle & Company. He was later named CEO of General Instrument from 1990 to 1993 and chairman of Gilead Sciences from 1997 to 2001.

Rumsfeld was appointed secretary of defense for a second time in January 2001 by President George W. Bush. As secretary of defense, Rumsfeld played a central role in the 2001 United States invasion of Afghanistan and 2003 invasion of Iraq. Before and during the Iraq War, he claimed that Iraq had an active weapons of mass destruction program; no stockpiles were ever found.[4][5] A Pentagon Inspector General report found that Rumsfeld's top policy aide "developed, produced, and then disseminated alternative intelligence assessments on the Iraq and al-Qaeda relationship, which included some conclusions that were inconsistent with the consensus of the Intelligence Community, to senior decision-makers".[6] Rumsfeld's tenure was controversial for its use of torture and the Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse scandal.[7] Rumsfeld gradually lost political support and resigned in late 2006. In his retirement years, he published an autobiography, Known and Unknown: A Memoir, as well as Rumsfeld's Rules: Leadership Lessons in Business, Politics, War, and Life.

  1. ^ "Donald H. Rumsfeld – George W. Bush Administration". Office of the Secretary of Defense – Historical Office. Archived from the original on May 29, 2019. Retrieved May 29, 2019.
  2. ^ "Donald H. Rumsfeld – Gerald Ford Administration". Office of the Secretary of Defense – Historical Office. Archived from the original on May 29, 2019. Retrieved May 29, 2019.
  3. ^ Cronk, Terri Moon; Garamone, Jim (June 30, 2021). "Rumsfeld Was Nation's Youngest, Oldest Defense Secretary". United States Department of Defense. Archived from the original on July 2, 2021. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
  4. ^ "Truth, War And Consequences: Why War? – In Their Own Words – Who Said What When". Frontline. PBS. Archived from the original on May 28, 2019. Retrieved May 28, 2019.
  5. ^ Jackson, Brooks (September 2, 2005). "Anti-war Ad Says Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld & Rice "Lied" About Iraq". FactCheck.org. Archived from the original on July 29, 2020. Retrieved May 28, 2019.
  6. ^ Landay, Jonathan S. (February 8, 2007). "Pentagon office produced 'alternative' intelligence on Iraq". McClatchy. Archived from the original on May 21, 2019. Retrieved May 28, 2019.
  7. ^ Shanker, Thom (February 4, 2005). "Rumsfeld Says He Offered to Quit". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 13, 2018. Retrieved June 28, 2017.

Developed by StudentB