Rusk, (David) Dean

(born Feb. 9, 1909, Cherokee county, Ga., U.S.—died Dec. 20, 1994, Athens, Ga.) U.S. secretary of state (1961–69) and educator. He earned a master's degree as a Rhodes scholar at St. John's College, Oxford, and then taught (1934–40) at Mills College in Oakland, Calif. He served in World War II on Gen. Joseph Stilwell's staff. He later held positions in the U.S. State Department and War Department, helping prosecute the Korean War as an assistant secretary of state (1950). After serving as president of the Rockefeller Foundation (1952–60), he became U.S. secretary of state under John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson. A consistent defender of U.S. participation in the Vietnam War, he became a target of antiwar protests. He also opposed diplomatic recognition of China. After retiring from public life, he taught at the University of Georgia until 1984.

Source: Encyclopedia Britannica