Rumsfeld, Donald Henry (1932-2021), a Republican, served twice as United States secretary of defense. He held the Cabinet post from 1975 to 1977 under President Gerald R. Ford and from 2001 to 2006 under President George W. Bush.
As defense secretary under Bush, Rumsfeld helped lead the country’s military response to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the worst in U.S. history (see September 11 terrorist attacks). He also helped direct U.S. military operations against Iraq in the Iraq War (2003-2011), which ended the rule of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein (see Iraq War). As U.S. casualties in the Iraq War mounted, Rumsfeld received heavy criticism for his handling of the operation. In November 2006, Bush announced that Rumsfeld was stepping down as secretary of defense.
During his career, Rumsfeld held many government and business posts. He represented Illinois in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1963 to 1969. He then headed the Office of Economic Opportunity under President Richard M. Nixon. In 1971 and 1972, Rumsfeld directed the government’s Cost of Living Council. In 1973 and 1974, he was U.S. ambassador to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Rumsfeld served as Ford’s White House chief of staff in 1974 and 1975.
In 1977, Rumsfeld became president and chief executive officer of G. D. Searle & Company, a manufacturer of health products. In 1983 and 1984, he served under President Ronald Reagan as special U.S. negotiator for problems in the Middle East. From 1990 to 1993, he was chairman and chief executive officer of General Instrument Corp. (now known as CommScope). In 1996, Rumsfeld served as national chairman of Senator Robert J. Dole’s presidential campaign. Dole lost the election to President Bill Clinton.
Rumsfeld was born in Chicago on July 9, 1932. He graduated from Princeton University in 1954. In 1977, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor awarded by the president of the United States. Rumsfeld wrote an autobiography, Known and Unknown (2011). He died on June 29, 2021.
