Dean Rusk Rank
About Dean Rusk
David Dean Rusk was the United States Secretary of State from 1961 to 1969. He served under two U.S. presidents – John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson. This high government official was very resourceful as he steered U.S. foreign policies during one of the most turbulent periods of the Cold War.
Background and Education
Dean was born into a humble home in the rural area of Cherokee County in Georgia. He was the son of Robert Hugh Rusk and Elizabeth Frances Clotfelter. He studied at Boys High School in Atlanta and later graduated with a college degree from Davidson College. He later went to St John's College and the University of California, Berkeley.
Career
Dean's career was exciting and extensive. After teaching for some time at Mills College, he joined the army and served as a staff officer in World War II. He became a senior officer in 1945 at the State Department and later became the assistant secretary of state in 1950. After John F. Kennedy won his election, Dean became one of the president's top advisors. He would go on to serve under two U.S. presidents - JFK and Lyndon B. Johnson. Mentally exhausted to the brink of a meltdown, he retired from politics in 1969.
From 1970 to 1984, Rusk worked as an international law teacher at the University of Georgia School of Law.
He authored a memoir titled “As I Saw It”. In the memoir, Rusk criticized the media for its coverage of the Vietnam War, describing anti-war journalists as puppets of their editors.
Personal Life and Death
The American politician and statesman was married to Virginia Foisie in 1937. The couple had three children, all of whom survived Dean Rusk. He died of heart failure in 1994 aged 85. Two years later, his wife died.
From 1977 to 1981, his son David Patrick Rusk served as the mayor of Albuquerque, New Mexico.
His other son Richard Geary Rusk worked as an environmental activist. Geary also founded the Moore’s Ford Memorial Committee to commemorate the victims (four black people) of the infamous Moore’s Ford lynching of 1946.
Achievements and Awards
He has been praised for guiding the United States through very difficult periods of the 1960s. His term as the Secretary of State witnessed the Cuban Missile Crisis, the intensification of the Vietnam War, and many other global challenges.
Dean Rusk chalked up numerous achievements over his lifetime, but the one that stood out was the Legion of Merit award he obtained while in the military.
Dean Rusk Rank
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F.A.Q. about Dean Rusk
When is his birthday?
Dean Rusk's birthday is on February 9, 1909.
In how many days is his birthday?
Dean's birthday is in 290 days
How old was Dean when he died?
He was 85 years old.
When did he die?
He died in December 20, 1994.
How old would he be today?
Dean Rusk would be 115 years old if he was alive today.
Where was Dean from?
He was born in Cherokee County, Georgia, U.S..