Bundy, McGeorge (1919-1996), served as special assistant for national security affairs under Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson. Bundy held the post from 1961 to 1966. He served as president of the Ford Foundation from 1966 until 1979. From 1979 to 1989, he taught history at New York University.
Bundy was born in Boston and graduated from Yale University. He became a lecturer in political science at Harvard University in 1949 and was appointed dean of arts and sciences in 1953. Kennedy chose Bundy, a Republican, as his top staff assistant on foreign affairs. Bundy was a major participant in foreign policy decisions, including U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War in the 1960’s. He joined critics of the war after resigning from government service. Bundy guided the Ford Foundation’s activities into such problem areas as civil rights and urban education. He also supported programs of birth control and modernization of agriculture for developing countries.
