Robert Ellsworth | |
|---|---|
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| 16thUnited States Deputy Secretary of Defense | |
| In office December 23, 1975 – January 10, 1977 | |
| President | Gerald Ford |
| Preceded by | Bill Clements |
| Succeeded by | Charles Duncan Jr. |
| 7thUnited States Permanent Representative to NATO | |
| In office May 13, 1969 – June 30, 1971 | |
| President | Richard Nixon |
| Preceded by | Harlan Cleveland |
| Succeeded by | David M. Kennedy |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromKansas | |
| In office January 3, 1961 – January 3, 1967 | |
| Preceded by | Newell A. George |
| Succeeded by | Larry Winn |
| Constituency | 2nd district (1961-1963) 3rd district (1963-1967) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1926-06-11)June 11, 1926 Lawrence, Kansas, U.S. |
| Died | May 9, 2011(2011-05-09) (aged 84) Encinitas, California, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Education | University of Kansas University of Michigan Law School |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States of America |
| Branch/service |  United States Navy |
| Battles/wars | |
Robert Fred Ellsworth (June 11, 1926 – May 9, 2011)[1] was an American legislator and diplomat. He served as theUnited States Permanent Representative to NATO (an ambassadorial-level appointment) between 1969 and 1971.[2] He had previously served three terms as a Republican Member of Congress fromKansas, from 1961 to 1967, and as an Assistant to the President during the presidency ofRichard Nixon; under PresidentGerald Ford, he was Deputy Secretary of Defense.[1] Ellsworth also served as assistant to the chairman of theFederal Maritime Commission.[3]
Ellsworth was born inLawrence, Kansas, and was educated in the public schools of that city. He served in theUnited States Navy duringWorld War II and theKorean War. In 1945, he was graduated with abaccalaureate in engineering from theUniversity of Kansas, where he had been a member of the Alpha Nu chapter of theBeta Theta Pi collegiatefraternity. He then studied law at theUniversity of Michigan Law School, from which he was graduated in 1949; he practiced law in Lawrence, Kansas, and inSpringfield, Massachusetts.
The retired ambassador was admitted to theOrder of Saint John as a knight of honor in 1995.[4]
While serving as a congressman forKansas's 1st congressional district, Ellsworth voted present for the24th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.[5] However, during his tenure as representative forKansas's 3rd congressional district, Ellsworth voted in favor of theCivil Rights Acts of 1964[6] and theVoting Rights Act of 1965.[7]
On November 9, 2010, Ellsworth provided commentary toKFMB regarding anunexplained vapor trail in the airspace off the coast of Los Angeles which, at the time, was widely speculated to be a missile launch.[8] He cautioned the news crew to wait for definitive answers from the military, then went on to theorize: "It could be a test firing of an intercontinental ballistic missile from a submarine, an underwater submarine, to demonstrate, mainly to Asia, that we could do that."[8]
Ellsworth died inEncinitas, California: near the small city ofSolana Beach, where he had founded and directed a research firm, Hamilton BioVentures.[9]
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
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| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromKansas's 2nd congressional district January 3, 1961 – January 3, 1963 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromKansas's 3rd congressional district January 3, 1963 – January 3, 1967 | Succeeded by |
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