Kissinger, Henry, 1923-2023

Henry Alfred Kissinger (b. May 27, 1923, Furth, Bavaria, Germany - November 29, 2023, Kent, Connecticut) served as Secretary of State from 1973 to 1977 under both President Nixon and President Carter. He also served as National Security Advisor from 1968 to 1975 under President Nixon. He was the first person to hold both positions as Secretary of State and National Security Advisor at the same time. He was born as Heinz Alfred Kissinger but changed his name to Henry after immigrating to the U.S. with his family in 1938. After he became a naturalized citizen he went on to serve in the U.S. Army during World War II as a German interpreter. Following the war he went on to earn his Ph.D. in 1954 from Harvard University, where he remained as a faculty member. Before President Nixon selected him as National Security Advisor in 1968 Kissinger also worked as a consultant for several other government agencies. In 1973 he was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize for his involvement in negotiating ceasefires in Vietnam. Following his roles as Secretary of State and National Security Advisor, Kissinger went on to become a faculty member at Georgetown University. In 1985 President Reagan appointed Kissinger as a board member of the President’s Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board, which he served until 1990. Throughout the 1980s and through the 2000s Kissinger went on to hold various positions involved in political and foreign affairs. In 2002 he was appointed by President George W. Bush as chair of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States.