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Lawrence Eagleburger | |
|---|---|
 Portrait,c. 1992 | |
| 62ndUnited States Secretary of State | |
| In office December 8, 1992 – January 20, 1993 (Acting: August 23, 1992 – December 8, 1992) | |
| President | George H. W. Bush |
| Preceded by | James Baker |
| Succeeded by | Warren Christopher |
| 10thUnited States Deputy Secretary of State | |
| In office March 20, 1989 – December 8, 1992 | |
| President | George H. W. Bush |
| Preceded by | John C. Whitehead |
| Succeeded by | Clifton R. Wharton Jr. |
| 12thUnder Secretary of State for Political Affairs | |
| In office February 12, 1982 – May 1, 1984 | |
| President | Ronald Reagan |
| Preceded by | Walter Stoessel |
| Succeeded by | Michael Armacost |
| 12thAssistant Secretary of State for European Affairs | |
| In office May 14, 1981 – January 26, 1982 | |
| President | Ronald Reagan |
| Preceded by | George S. Vest |
| Succeeded by | Richard Burt |
| United States Ambassador to Yugoslavia | |
| In office June 21, 1977 – January 24, 1981 | |
| President | Jimmy Carter Ronald Reagan |
| Preceded by | Laurence Silberman |
| Succeeded by | David Anderson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Lawrence Sidney Eagleburger (1930-08-01)August 1, 1930 Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Died | June 4, 2011(2011-06-04) (aged 80) Charlottesville, Virginia, U.S. |
| Resting place | Arlington National Cemetery |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point University of Wisconsin–Madison (BA,MA) |
| Signature |  |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  United States Army |
| Years of service | 1952–1954 |
| Rank | First lieutenant |
Lawrence Sidney Eagleburger (August 1, 1930 – June 4, 2011) was an Americanstatesman and careerdiplomat, who served briefly as thesecretary of state under PresidentGeorge H. W. Bush from December 1992 to January 1993, one of the shortest terms in modern history. Previously, he had served in lesser capacities under PresidentsRichard Nixon,Jimmy Carter, andRonald Reagan, and asdeputy secretary of state toJames Baker under George H. W. Bush. Eagleburger is the only careerForeign Service Officer to have served as secretary of state.[1] He was also Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (international security affairs) from January to May 1973. As a career member of the United StatesSenior Foreign Service, he attained the rank ofCareer Ambassador on April 12, 1984.[2]
Eagleburger was born inMilwaukee,Wisconsin, the son of Helen (née Van Ornum), an elementary school teacher, and Leon Sidney Eagleburger, a medical doctor.[3] He graduated from Jacobs High School inStevens Point, Wisconsin, then attended Stevens Point State College (now theUniversity of Wisconsin–Stevens Point), before earning his bachelor's and master's degrees from theUniversity of Wisconsin. During his time at Wisconsin, he joinedAlpha Sigma Phi fraternity.
He was also a member of the Board of Visitors at theCollege of William & Mary from 1996 to 2000 and from 2002 to 2006.[citation needed]
Eagleburger also served in theUnited States Army (1952–1954), attaining the rank offirst lieutenant.
In 1957, Eagleburger joined theUnited States Foreign Service, and served in various posts in embassies, consulates, and theDepartment of State. From 1961 to 1965 he served as a staffer at the U.S. Embassy inBelgrade,Yugoslavia. He was known as the person who handled theSkopje 1963 earthquake crisis, and managed the first US-Soviet humanitarian cooperation, after which he was nicknamed Lawrence ofMacedonia.
Starting in 1969, he served in the Nixon administration as an assistant toNational Security AdvisorHenry Kissinger. He stayed in this appointment until 1971; thereafter he took on several positions, including advisor to the U.S. Mission toNATO inBrussels, and, following Kissinger's appointment assecretary of state, a number of additional posts in the State Department and deputy assistant secretary of defense (1971–73).
Following Nixon's resignation, he briefly left government service. He was then named the executive secretary to the secretary of state from 1975 to 1977,[4] and subsequently was appointed asambassador toYugoslavia by President Jimmy Carter, a post he held from 1977 to 1980. While working as Executive Secretary to Kissinger in 1975 he carried out secret talks with the Cubans in New York City.[5]
From May 14, 1981, to January 26, 1982, Eagleburger wasassistant secretary of state for European affairs.[4] In 1982, Reagan appointed him as undersecretary of state for political affairs (the State Department's third-ranking position), a position he held for several years. He attained the rank ofCareer Ambassador in theSenior Foreign Service on April 12, 1984.[2] He then became president ofKissinger Associates, a consultancy firm which provided firms with advice on international politics.[6] In 1989, President George H. W. Bush appointed himdeputy secretary of state (the department's second-ranking position); he also served as the President's primary advisor for affairs relating to the quickly disintegrating Yugoslavia. On August 23, 1992,James Baker resigned as secretary of state (to manage Bush's unsuccessful re-election campaign), and Eagleburger served as acting secretary of state until Bush gave him arecess appointment for the remainder of the Bush administration.
His period as advisor for Yugoslavian affairs from 1989 to 1992 was controversial as he gained a reputation for being a strongSerbian partisan. This perceived partisanship led the European press to dub himLawrence of Serbia[7] (a reference toLawrence of Arabia). Eagleburger had controversial ties to Yugoslavia both in promoting loans to Yugoslavia as a government official and later serving on the board of a Yugoslav-government-owned LBS Bank (Ljubljanska Banka) as well as with Yugo Motors, USA.[8] About one-quarter of LBS Bank's business came fromBanca Nazionale del Lavoro, whoseAtlanta branch was instrumental in diverting U.S. agricultural loans to arms purchases bySaddam Hussein.[9]
In 1991, President Bush awarded him thePresidential Citizens Medal. He was a member of the board of directors of theInternational Republican Institute.[10]
Eagleburger became chairman of theInternational Commission on Holocaust Era Insurance Claims, or ICHEIC, which was set up in 1998. The purpose of the commission was to resolve unpaidNazi-erainsurance claims for survivors of theHolocaust. In 2005, Eagleburger announced that the ICHEIC was offering approximately 16 million dollars to Holocaust victims and their heirs, noting as he did so the research ability of the ICHEIC staff which allowed them to evaluate claims from companies which no longer existed.[11][clarification needed] In the years prior to this there had been some controversy about the commission, including reports that it was over-budgeted and too slow, and that insurance companies which had previously agreed to work with the ICHEIC had failed to disclose policyholder lists.[12] Eagleburger responded to these accusations by saying, among other things, that it was difficult to work quickly when many of the claimants lacked basic information such as the name of the insurance company involved.[13]
After serving in theForeign Service for 27 years, Eagleburger retained an interest in foreign policy and was a familiar figure on current events talk shows. He caused some discussion with public comments about President George W. Bush's foreign policy. In August 2002, Eagleburger questioned the timing of possible military action inIraq, saying, "I am not at all convinced now that this is something we have to do this very moment."[14] He did indicate he believed that Iraqi regime change could be a legitimate U.S. endeavor at some point, but that at that time he did not believe the administration was fully prepared for such a conflict.[15] In April 2003, following warnings by the Bush administration to the government ofSyria, Eagleburger condemned the possibility of military action in Syria orIran, saying that public opinion would not support such a move and that "If President Bush were to try it now, even I would feel he should be skinned alive."[16]
On January 5, 2006, he participated in a meeting at theWhite House of former Secretaries of Defense and State to discuss United States foreign policy with Bush administration officials. On November 10, 2006 it was announced that he would replaceSecretary of Defense designateRobert Gates in theIraq Study Group.[17]
After theelection of Iranian presidentMahmoud Ahmadinejad, Eagleburger seemed to think that Iran was moving in a direction which may at some point call for military action, saying in an interview that while "we should try everything else we can first", at some point it would probably be necessary to use force to ensure that Iran did not obtain or usenuclear weapons.[18]
He was chairman of the board of trustees forThe Forum for International Policy, and a member of theWashington Institute for Near East Policy (WINEP) Board of Advisors.
Before theRepublican primaries, Eagleburger endorsedJohn McCain for president.[19] In anNPR interview on October 30, 2008, he described McCain'srunning-mateSarah Palin as "not prepared" for top office. He also stated that many vice presidents have not been ready.[20] The next day, in an interview onFox News, he retracted his comments about Palin.[21]
On October 30, 2008, on theFox News Channel, Eagleburger referred to Democratic presidential nomineeBarack Obama as a "charlatan", citing his fundraising methods and other aspects of his presidential campaign.[22]
Eagleburger died of pneumonia at theUniversity of Virginia Medical Center in Charlottesville, Virginia, on June 4, 2011.[23][24] He was 80 years old and had lived outside Charlottesville since 1990. He is survived by his three sons.[25]
PresidentBarack Obama described Eagleburger as a "distinguished diplomat and public servant who devoted his life to the security of our nation and to strengthening our ties with allies and partners." Former PresidentGeorge H. W. Bush described Eagleburger as "a tireless patriot, principled to the core, selflessly devoted to America and his duty."[26] Vice PresidentJoe Biden remarked "The post-Cold War world [...] is more stable and secure because of Eagleburger's service." "Larry believed in the strength of America's values, and he fought for them around the world," said Secretary of StateHillary Clinton.[27]
Lawrence and his wife Marlene Ann are both interred atArlington National Cemetery.[28]
He had three sons, all of whom are named Lawrence Eagleburger, though they have different middle names (Scott, Andrew and Jason).[29] When discussing his decision to give his three children the same first name, Eagleburger stated "It was ego," adding, "and secondly, I wanted to screw up the Social Security system."[30]
His eldest son is from his first marriage, which ended in divorce. The younger two are from his second marriage, which was to Marlene Ann Heinemann from 1966 until her death in 2010.[25]
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs May 14, 1981–January 26, 1982 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs 1982–1984 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | United States Deputy Secretary of State 1989–1992 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | U.S. Secretary of State Served under:George H. W. Bush December 8, 1992 – January 20, 1993 Acting: August 23 to December 8, 1992 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
