Melvin Laird
Melvin Robert "Bom" Laird (September 1, 1922 – November 16, 2016) was an American politician and writer.[1] He was a U.S. congressman from Wisconsin before serving as Secretary of Defense from 1969 to 1973 under President Richard Nixon.
Melvin Laird | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 10th United States Secretary of Defense | |
| In office January 21, 1969 – January 29, 1973 | |
| President | Richard Nixon |
| Preceded by | Clark Clifford |
| Succeeded by | Elliot Richardson |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Wisconsin's 7th district | |
| In office January 3, 1953 – January 21, 1969 | |
| Preceded by | Reid Murray |
| Succeeded by | Dave Obey |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Melvin Robert Laird September 1, 1922 Omaha, Nebraska, U.S. |
| Died | November 16, 2016 (aged 94) Fort Myers, Florida, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Barbara Masters (1942–1992) Carole Fleishman (1993–2016) |
| Children | John Allison David Kimberly |
| Alma mater | Carleton College |
| Awards | Purple Heart |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  United States Navy |
| Years of service | 1942–1946 |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
Laird died from complications of congestive heart failure at a hospital in Fort Myers, Florida on November 16, 2016, aged 94.[2]
References
- "Melvin R. Laird, Wisconsin Historical Society". Archived from the original on 2017-10-27. Retrieved 2014-08-07.
- Timothy R. Smith (November 16, 2016). "Melvin Laird, Nixon defense secretary at the height of the Vietnam War, dies at 94". Washington Post. Retrieved November 16, 2016.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.