Donald Rumsfeld, who served as Secretary of Defense from 1975 to 1977 under Gerald Ford and again from 2001 to 2006 under George W. Bush, died Tuesday at the age of 88.
He was a one-time presidential candidate and his reputation as a skilled bureaucrat and visionary of a modern U.S. military was unraveled by the long and costly Iraq war, according to Your Basin.
On Wednesday, Rumsfeld’s family said in a statement he “was surrounded by family in his beloved Taos, New Mexico.”
President Bush hailed his “steady service as a wartime secretary of defense – a duty he carried out with strength, skill, and honor.”
Rumsfeld’s, who was often called “Rummy,” had a great career in government under four presidents and nearly a quarter-century in corporate America, per the news outlet.
He retired in 2008 and then headed the Rumsfeld Foundation to promote public service, working with several charities to provide services and support for military families and wounded veterans.
He was ambitious, witty, energetic, engaging, and capable of great personal warmth.
Born on July 9, 1932, in Chicago, Illinois, Rumsfeld was an accomplished wrestler in college, relishing verbal sparring and elevating it to an art form.
Rumsfeld attended Baker Demonstration School and later graduated from New Trier High School. He attended Princeton University on academic and NROTC partial scholarships.
He built a network of loyalists who admired his work ethic, intelligence, and impatience with all who failed to share his sense of urgency, according to Your Basin.
On Wednesday, current Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin saluted Rumsfeld for his “boundless energy, probing intellect, and abiding commitment to serve his country.” Rumsfeld married Joyce Pierson on December 27, 1954. They had three children, six grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.
