Dr. Henry Kissinger, Former Secretary of State, Dies at 100!
- Henry Kissinger was the oldest living former U.S. Cabinet member.
- He was also the last surviving member of President Richard Nixon’s Cabinet, before his death.
- Kissinger was called the most consequential secretary of state in U.S. history.
The Amazing Life of Henry Kissinger
Henry Kissinger who was undoubtedly one of the most notable secretaries of state, passed away at age 100.
Before his demise, he was the oldest living former U.S. Cabinet member and also the last surviving member of President Richard Nixon’s Cabinet.
A Kissinger Associates news release said in a statement,
“Dr. Henry Kissinger, a respected American scholar and statesman, died today at his home in Connecticut,”
Talking about his upbringing, Kissinger was born in Germany in 1923. His family fled the Nazi Germany in 1938. During the Second World War, Henry joined the U.S. Army as an interpreter, becoming a naturalized citizen. It eventually got him awarded a Bronze Star for counterintelligence.
Henry attended Harvard University, earning a master’s and doctorate. He started his career as a professor and then national security consultant to Presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Johnson.
Kissinger became the national security advisor in the Nixon administration in 1969. Then in 1973, he became secretary of state.
Despite Nixon’s resignation due to the Watergate scandal, Henry was still kept the secretary of state by President Gerald Ford.
He was considered the most consequential secretary of state in U.S. history and his record as a statesman is undoubtedly mixed.
Also, Read Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter Speaks Out After the Death of His Wife Rosalynn!
Was Kissinger a hero or a villain?
Over his lengthy career, he’s received enough hate especially when it comes to his tolerance of war crimes in countries outside of America. People also condemned him for his role in the Vietnam War.
Kissinger and North Vietnamese negotiator Le Duc Tho had a one-on-one meeting to end America’s involvement in the Vietnamese War that would ultimately get them both the 1973 Nobel Peace Prize. However, the award became one of the most conflicted in Nobel history, as the war would continue for more than a year.
After leaving office, Henry started working on various boards and taught in universities.
Kissinger shared two kids, Elizabeth and David with his first wife, Ann Fleischer. The couple divorced in 1964. He then got married to Nancy Maginnes in 1974.
An avid soccer fan, Kisinger was also a member of his hometown soccer club, SpVgg Fürth.
In an interview with Barbara Walters in 2000, he revealed that he loved soccer but was thrown out from games because he was Jewish.
