Henry A. Kissinger was a founding chairman of the American Academy in Berlin.
He was sworn in on September 22, 1973, as the 56th Secretary of State, a position he held until 1977. From 1969 to 1975 he served as National Security Advisor to Presidents Nixon and Ford. He was founding chairman of Kissinger Associates, Inc., an international consulting firm.
Kissinger was born in Fürth, Germany, came to the United States in 1938, and became an American citizen in 1943. He served in the US Army from 1943 to 1946. He graduated summa cum laude from Harvard College in 1950 and received MA and PhD degrees from Harvard University in 1952 and 1954. From 1954 until 1969 he was a member of the faculty of Harvard University, in both the department of government and the Center for International Affairs. He was director of the Harvard International Seminar from 1952 to 1969. From 1969 to 1975 Kissinger served as assistant to the President for National Security Affairs. In 1983 he was appointed by President Reagan to chair the National Bipartisan Commission on Central America, until it ceased operation in 1985, and from 1984 to 1990 he served as a member of the President’s Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board. From 1986 to 1988 Kissinger was a member of the Commission on Integrated Long-Term Strategy of the National Security Council and Defense Department. He had been as a member of the Defense Policy Board since 2001.
Kissinger was also a member of the International Council of J.P. Morgan Chase & Co.; a counselor and trustee of the Center for Strategic and International Studies; an honorary governor of the Foreign Policy Association; and an honorary member of the International Olympic Committee. He was also a member of the board of directors of ContiGroup Companies, Inc., an advisor to the board of directors of the American Express Company, and a member of the advisory board of Forstmann Little and Co.; as well as a trustee emeritus of the Metropolitan Museum of Art; a director emeritus of Freeport-McMoRan Copper and Gold Inc.; and a director of the International Rescue Committee.
Kissinger was the recipient of the 1973 Nobel Peace Prize; the 1977 Presidential Medal of Freedom; and the 1986 Medal of Liberty. He was also the author of more than 15 books and hundreds of articles and editorials on United States foreign policy, international affairs, and diplomatic history.
Henry Kissinger passed away on November 29, 2023, at his home in Connecticut.
