William Middendorf | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Middendorf in 1969 | |
| United States Ambassador to the European Communities | |
| In office July 12, 1985 – February 1, 1987 | |
| President | Ronald Reagan |
| Preceded by | George S. Vest |
| Succeeded by | Alfred H. Kingon |
| 10thUnited States Ambassador to the Organization of American States | |
| In office July 1, 1981 – June 20, 1985 | |
| President | Ronald Reagan |
| Preceded by | Gale W. McGee |
| Succeeded by | Richard T. McCormack |
| 62ndUnited States Secretary of the Navy | |
| In office April 8, 1974 – January 20, 1977 | |
| President | Richard Nixon Gerald Ford |
| Preceded by | John Warner |
| Succeeded by | W. Graham Claytor Jr. |
| Under Secretary of the Navy | |
| In office August 3, 1973 – June 20, 1974 | |
| President | Richard Nixon |
| Preceded by | Frank P. Sanders |
| Succeeded by | David S. Potter |
| United States Ambassador to the Netherlands | |
| In office July 9, 1969 – June 10, 1973 | |
| President | Richard Nixon |
| Preceded by | William R. Tyler |
| Succeeded by | Kingdon Gould Jr. |
| Personal details | |
| Born | John William Middendorf II (1924-09-22)September 22, 1924 |
| Died | October 24, 2025(2025-10-24) (aged 101) |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Isabelle Paine |
| Children | 2, includingJohn |
| Education | |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Navy |
| Service years | 1944–1946 |
| Conflict | World War II |
John William Middendorf II (September 22, 1924 – October 24, 2025) was an American diplomat who was the 62ndSecretary of the Navy from 1974 to 1977 and theUnited States Ambassador to the European Communities from 1985 to 1987. He wrote books and articles on politics, security, and history.
John William Middendorf II was born in Baltimore, Maryland, on September 22, 1924. He attendedGilman School andMiddlesex School, where he was on the rowing team.[1] He graduated in 1943.[2] He was 17 when theattack on Pearl Harbor brought the United States into World War II.[3]
Middendorf received a Bachelor of Naval Science (BNS) degree fromCollege of the Holy Cross[4] in 1945. InWorld War II, he served in theUnited States Navy from 1944 to 1946 as engineer officer and navigator aboard USSLCS(L)53. He was discharged from the Navy in 1946.[citation needed]
He earned aBachelor of Arts degree fromHarvard College in 1947, where he was a member of theHasty Pudding Theatricals and theOwl Club.[5] He also graduated fromNew York University's Graduate School of Business Administration, receiving anMBA degree in 1954.
Middendorf became an investment banker and in 1963 in partnership with Austen Colgate formed his own company, Middendorf, Colgate and Company (with a seat on theNew York Stock Exchange).[5] An early member ofBarry Goldwater's presidential campaign, he served as treasurer of that campaign, and continued to have the same duties with theRepublican National Committee from 1965 to 1969.[citation needed]
 | This sectiondoes notcite anysources. Please helpimprove this section byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged andremoved.(October 2025) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Shortly after taking office in 1969, PresidentRichard Nixon appointed Middendorf asUnited States Ambassador to the Netherlands. Middendorf served in this position until June 1973. After returning to the U.S., he becameUnder Secretary of the Navy; not long after, SecretaryJohn Warner moved on to become head of theBicentennial Commission, and Middendorf was told he could expect promotion to Secretary. However, when his nomination seemed to be stalled, he discovered that Secretary of DefenseJames Schlesinger had a candidate of his own (information that Schlesinger had not shared with Middendorf). Whereupon, Middendorf paid a personal call on many of the senators he had worked with while he was Treasurer of the Republican Party—and soon enough he had been nominated and confirmed as Secretary of the Navy, serving until the end of the administration of PresidentGerald Ford. As he would later write, "Life is relationships. Politics is compromise."[citation needed]
During his tenure and again using his legislative contacts, Middendorf helped increase the Navy budget by 60 percent while theU.S. Army andU.S. Air Force budgets remained relatively flat. Programs he championed included theOhio-class submarine and the companionTrident missile, theAegis surface-launched missile system (which became the Navy's longest-running construction program; the 100th Aegis-equipped ship was delivered to the U.S. Navy in 2009 and systems are now in service with five allied navies). He also championed theF/A-18 Hornet carrier-based fighter attack aircraft—which Middendorf arranged to have dubbed "Hornet", as a tribute to hisRevolutionary War ancestor merchant-shipping Captain William Stone, who donated two ships to the fledgling Navy which were then renamed "Wasp" and "Hornet". Those names survived many years and many ships, but as the fleet began to shrink and as ship-naming became more political—i.e., breaking the old rules and naming ships after living politicians—there weren't enough new candidates for traditional names.
Incoming PresidentJimmy Carter invited Middendorf to stay on as Secretary of the Navy; however, as Middendorf noted in his 2011 memoirPotomac Fever, he told the President-elect "that it was the best job in government and therefore an insecure post for a Republican in a Democratic administration." During theCarter presidency, Middendorf was back in the private sector, as President and Chief Executive Officer of Financial General Bankshares (which he re-organized and renamed First American Bank). Next, he headed theCIA transition team (1980) for incoming PresidentRonald Reagan and was then named Permanent Representative of the United States of America to theOrganization of American States (OAS), with the rank of Ambassador. He served in the post until 1984, when he accepted appointment as U. S. Representative to the European Communities (known today as theEuropean Union) serving until 1987.
In 2006, Middendorf published a book describing his work with theGoldwater campaign.Glorious Disaster: Barry Goldwater's Presidential Campaign and the Origins of the Conservative Movement details how Goldwater's campaign became the foundation of the modernConservative movement.[6]
In 2011, he published his autobiography,Potomac Fever.[7]
He composed eight symphonies (including theHolland Symphony, presented to QueenJuliana of the Netherlands on the 25th anniversary of her ascension to the throne) and numerous marches for Navy and Marine Corps bands.[8]
Ambassador Middendorf was a member of the board of directors of theInternational Republican Institute.[9] He was a member of the board of trustees forThe Heritage Foundation, an influentialWashington, D.C.–based public policy research institute.[10]
Middendorf studiedstained glass production with Dutch-born expertJoep Nicolas. He was on the board of theNew York Studio School of Drawing, Painting and Sculpture.
Middendorf married Isabelle Paine.[when?] They had a daughter, Frances, and a son,John.[11] He died inFall River, Massachusetts, on October 24, 2025, at the age of 101.[8]
Middendorf has received the "Edwin Franko Goldman Award" from theAmerican Bandmasters Association and was a member of theAmerican Society of Composers and Performers (ASCAP).Other honors include:
| Diplomatic posts | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | United States Ambassador to the Netherlands 1969–1973 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | United States Ambassador to the Organization of American States 1981–1985 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | United States Ambassador to the European Union 1985–1987 | Succeeded by |
| Government offices | ||
| Preceded by | Under Secretary of the Navy 1973–1974 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | United States Secretary of the Navy 1974–1977 | Succeeded by |
|  | |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| Other | |
