Biden mourns former Secretary of State George Shultz
President Joe Biden released a statement Sunday night paying tribute to George P. Shultz, the 60th secretary of state, who died Saturday at age 100.
Shultz served three different presidents in his lifetime. In 1955, he served as a senior staff economist on President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s Council of Economic Advisers. In 1969, he was appointed to be secretary of labor by President Richard Nixon before serving as the first director of the Office of Management and Budget and then as the secretary of the treasury. Eventually, in 1982, he served as secretary of state for seven years under President Ronald Reagan.
“He was a gentleman of honor and ideas, dedicated to public service and respectful debate, even into his 100th year on Earth,” Biden said. “That’s why multiple presidents, of both political parties, sought his counsel. I regret that, as president, I will not be able to benefit from his wisdom, as have so many of my predecessors.”
Shultz celebrated his 100th birthday Dec. 13.
“He was a man of incredible courage,” Biden said. “Whether it was donning the uniform of the United States Marines to defend the cause of liberty in World War II, or speaking out directly to the President of the United States when he disagreed with a policy, George Shultz knew when to stand and fight. For the young women and men whose minds he helped shape throughout his career, there was no better role model for a life of integrity and service than George Shultz.”
ABC News’ Celia Darrough, Justin Gomez and Conor Finnegan contributed to this report.