David Dean Rusk (1909 - 1994)

Born 9 Feb 1909 in Cherokee, Georgia, United States

Ancestors

Died 20 Dec 1994 at age 85 in Athens, Clarke, Georgia, United States

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Preceded by Christian Herter

U.S. Secretary of State January 21, 1961 – January 20, 1969

Succeeded by William P. Rogers

Biography

Dean Rusk is Notable.

David Dean Rusk (February 9, 1909 – December 20, 1994) was the United States Secretary of State from 1961 to 1969 under presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson. Rusk is one of the longest serving U.S. Secretaries of State, behind only Cordell Hull.

Dean Rusk was born in Cherokee County, Georgia, to Robert Hugh Rusk and Frances Elizabeth (née Clotfelter) Rusk. Rusk taught at Mills College after graduating from Davidson College. Rusk married the former Virginia Foisie (October 5, 1915 – February 24, 1996) on June 9, 1937. They had three children: David, Richard, and Peggy Rusk.

During World War II, Rusk served as a staff officer in the China Burma India Theater. He was hired by the United States Department of State in 1945 and became Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs in 1950. In 1952, Rusk became president of the Rockefeller Foundation.

After winning the 1960 presidential election, Kennedy asked Rusk to serve as secretary of state. He supported diplomatic efforts during the Cuban Missile Crisis and, though he initially expressed doubts about the escalation of the U.S. role in the Vietnam War, became known as one of its strongest supporters. Rusk served for the duration of the Kennedy and Johnson administrations before retiring from public office in 1969. After leaving office, he taught international relations at the University of Georgia School of Law. He died of heart failure in Athens, Georgia on December 20, 1994, at the age of 85. He and his wife are buried at the Oconee Hill Cemetery in Athens.

Sources

• Wikipedia contributors. "Dean Rusk." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Accessed 1 Nov 2019.
• Find A Grave: Memorial #9821
• Cohen, Warren I. Dean Rusk (1980).
• Colman, Jonathan. "The ‘Bowl of Jelly’: The US Department of State during the Kennedy and Johnson Years, 1961–1968." The Hague Journal of Diplomacy 10.2 (2015): 172-196.
• Henry, John B., and William Espinosa. "The Tragedy of Dean Rusk." Foreign Policy 8 (1972): 166-189.
• Nuenlist, Christian. "The quiet man: Dean Rusk and Western Europe." Journal of Transatlantic Studies 6.3 (2008): 263-278.
• Schoenbaum, Thomas J. Waging Peace and War: Dean Rusk in the Truman, Kennedy, and Johnson Years (1988).
• Snyder, William P. "Dean Rusk to John Foster Dulles, May–June 1953: The Office, the First 100 Days, and Red China." Diplomatic History 7.1 (1983): 79-86.
• Stupak, Ronald J. "Dean Rusk on international relations: An analysis of his philosophical perceptions." Australian Outlook 25.1 (1971): 13-28.
• Zeiler, Thomas W. Dean Rusk: Defending the American Mission Abroad (2000).

Notes

• WikiTree profile Rusk-153 created through the import of RUSK.GED on Jun 11, 2012 by John Rusk. See the Changes page for the details of edits by John and others.