Lawrence Eagleburger, Secretary of State Under President George H.W. Bush, Dies

June 4, 2011 — -- Lawrence S. Eagleburger, secretary of state under former President George H. W. Bush, died today, according to a statement released by President Bush this morning. He was 80.

Details of his death have not been released.

Born in 1930 in Milwaukee to a Republican family, Eagleburger received his bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Wisconsin. In 1952, he joined the Army, serving for two years and attaining the rank of first lieutenant.

Eagleburger joined the foreign service in 1957 and worked in the service for 27 years, serving in the Nixon administration as executive assistant to Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, as President Jimmy Carter's ambassador to Yugoslavia, and as an assistant secretary of state and then undersecretary of state in the first Reagan administration.

In 1989, Eagleburger was appointed deputy secretary of state and an advisor for Yugoslavian affairs under George H.W. Bush, and when James A. Baker resigned three years later from his position as secretary of state, Eagleburger replaced him, becoming the only foreign service officer to become secretary of state.

In a statement released this morning, President Obama wrote, "Lawrence Eagleburger devoted his life to the security of our nation and to strengthening our ties with allies and partners. As Deputy Secretary and then Secretary of State under President George H. W. Bush, he helped our nation navigate the pivotal days during the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of the Cold War."

After leaving the foreign service, Eagleburger became the chairman of the International Commission on Holocaust Era Insurance Claims, which worked to resolve unpaid insurance claims for Holocaust survivors. In 2005, Eagleburger announced that the organization's research led to Holocaust survivors and their heirs receiving $16 million worth of outdated insurance claims.

In a statement released today, Bush called Eagleburger "one of the most capable and respected diplomats our foreign service ever produce."

"I will be ever grateful for his wise, no-nonsense counsel during those four years of historic change in our world," Bush wrote. "During one of the tensest moments of the Gulf War, when Saddam Hussein began attacking Israel with scud missiles trying cynically and cruelly to bait them into the conflict, we sent Larry to Israel to preserve our coalition. It was an inordinately complex and sensitive task, and his performance was nothing short of heroic. For this and so many other reasons, Larry was the real deal -- a tireless patriot, principled to the core, selflessly devoted to America and his duty. Barbara and I mourn the loss of a true friend. He was a good man, and he will be missed."

Eagleburger was married to the former Marlene Ann Heinemann. He is survived by three sons, all named Lawrence Eagleburger, but with different middle names.

"It was ego," Eagleburger, known for his sense of humor, told The Washington Post on naming all three of his sons Lawrence. "And secondly, I wanted to screw up the Social Security system."