William Chapman Foster | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 1stDirector of the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency | |
| In office 1961–1969 | |
| President | John F. Kennedy Lyndon B. Johnson |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Gerard C. Smith |
| 3rdUnited States Deputy Secretary of Defense | |
| In office September 24, 1951 – January 20, 1953 | |
| President | Harry S. Truman |
| Preceded by | Robert A. Lovett |
| Succeeded by | Roger M. Kyes |
| United States Under Secretary of Commerce | |
| In office 1946–1948 | |
| President | Harry S. Truman |
| Preceded by | Alfred Schindler |
| Succeeded by | Charles W. Sawyer |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1897-04-27)April 27, 1897 Westfield, New Jersey |
| Died | October 15, 1984(1984-10-15) (aged 87) Washington, D.C. |
| Political party | Republican |
William Chapman Foster (April 27, 1897 – October 15, 1984) was an American businessman and high-ranking government official. He served asUnited States Under Secretary of Commerce andUnited States Deputy Secretary of Defense under PresidentHarry Truman. Later, he served as the firstUnited States Arms Control and Disarmament Agency director, under PresidentsJohn F. Kennedy andLyndon B. Johnson.
Born inWestfield, New Jersey in 1897, Foster attended theMassachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), studying chemical engineering.[1] While a senior at MIT, he enlisted in what was then known as theUnited States Army Air Service and served as a combat pilot inWorld War I.He told a story of how he got his pilots license when there were no instructors. He was a sailor, so he knew the wind upon a sail. An airplane was similar, he said, with the sail horizontal. The first requirement was that you had to obtain an airplane. Then as long as you took off and landed without dying, you were awarded a license. VJF reference.[1] In 1918, he entered the workforce as an engineer for various organizations including thePackard Motor Car Company.[1] In 1922, he went into business for himself as the owner of the Pressed & Welded Steel Products Company.[1]
Following a successful business career, Foster worked closely with the U.S. government duringWorld War II, serving on the New York City mayors' post-war planning committee and as a member of the Purchase Policy Advisory Committee of the Army Services Forces. In 1944, he took office as Deputy Director of the Purchases Division, Army Service Forces.
In 1946,Averell Harriman, then Secretary of Commerce, picked Foster to be Under Secretary of Commerce, in part to help with rebuilding Europe after the war.[2] When PresidentHarry Truman launched theMarshall Plan for that purpose in 1948, Harriman became the Special Representative of the effort in Europe and Foster became his deputy.[2] Foster was Administrator of the Marshall Plan (formally the Economic Cooperation Administration) for 1950–1951.[2]
In 1951, as theKorean War raged, Truman appointed Foster to be Deputy Secretary of Defense, under SecretaryRobert A. Lovett.[1] Foster played a major role in organizing theDefense Department's procurement for the war.
Although Foster was a lifelongRepublican, he left government when the Eisenhower administration came to office. In 1953, upon deciding to leave his role in the government, Foster accepted the position of President of the prestigiousManufacturing Chemists Association (MCA).[2] During his time there, he proposed a national-level air pollution abatement committee, which eventually led to offices within the government prior to the creation of theEnvironmental Protection Agency.[3] Foster had long-been a free trade advocate, and eventually left the MCA over its support of tariffs.[3] He served as Executive Vice President and Director ofOlin Mathieson Chemical Corporation until 1958, and as Vice President and Senior Advisor of Olin Mathieson until 1961.[2]
In 1961, Foster worked with theKennedy administration to pass a law creating a newArms Control and Disarmament Agency, and served as its founding director (1961–1968).[4] Foster not only directed the agency, but also served as one of the key U.S. arms control negotiators.[4] Having established a good working relationship with his Soviet counterparts, he contributed to theNuclear Test Ban Treaty and the hot-line accord in 1963 and was the lead U.S. negotiator for the 1968Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, frequently serving as the U.S. representative to theEighteen Nation Committee on Disarmament (ENCD).[4] The ACDA under Foster's leadership is widely seen as having been the driving force behind a wide range of disarmament and nonproliferation efforts.[4] Foster left the government again at the end of theJohnson administration.
On leaving the government, Foster was convinced that the public and the foreign policy elite outside government needed to have a voice in arms control and nonproliferation issues, and worked with others to found the non-governmentArms Control Association serving as its founding chairman.[4] He also served on the boards of theJohns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and theGeorge C. Marshall Foundation.[1] He died in 1984.
 |  | ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
