Haig, << hayg, >> Alexander Meigs, Jr. (1924-2010), became secretary of state under President Ronald Reagan in 1981 and resigned the position in 1982. Haig, a retired four-star general, was the second military leader to head the Department of State. General George C. Marshall was the first. Haig campaigned for the 1988 Republican presidential nomination, but he attracted little voter support and withdrew early in the race.
Haig was born on Dec. 2, 1924, in Philadelphia. He graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1947 and served in the Army in Japan, Korea, and other countries. Haig held a series of posts in the Department of Defense from 1962 to 1965. In 1966 and 1967, he served in combat in the Vietnam War.
In 1969, Haig became senior military adviser to Henry A. Kissinger, who was then President Richard M. Nixon’s assistant for national security affairs. Haig was promoted to four-star general in 1972. In 1973, he left the Army to serve as White House chief of staff under Nixon.
From 1974 to 1979, Haig was supreme commander of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization forces in Europe. He retired from military service in 1979 and then served in 1979 and 1980 as president and chief operating officer of United Technologies Corporation, a major manufacturer of aircraft and other products. Haig died on Feb. 20, 2010.
