Alexander Haig

General Alexander M. Haig, Jr. graduated from the U.S. Military Academy in 1947, was commissioned a Second Lieutenant of the Army, and advanced through a variety of military assignments, including service in Japan, Korea, Europe and Vietnam. He attended Notre Dame University, pursued graduate studies in business administration at Columbia University and received a Master’s Degree in International Relations from Georgetown University.

He served in the Pentagon from 1962 to 1965, where his positions included Military Assistant to the Secretary of the Army, and Deputy Special Assistant to the Secretary of Defense. He served in Vietnam in 1966 and 1967, receiving the Distinguished Service Cross for Heroism.

In January 1969, he was assigned to be Senior Military Advisor to the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs. He was promoted to full General in 1972. During his four years in the White House ending in 1973, he made 14 trips to Southeast Asia as the personal emissary of the President to negotiate the Vietnam ceasefire and the return of the U.S. prisoners of war. He also coordinated preparations for President Nixon’s historic visit to China.

General Haig was serving as Vice Chief of Staff of the Army when President Nixon appointed him in May 1973 to rebuild the White House staff. Although this was to be a temporary position, the President subsequently named him White House Chief of Staff, at which point he retired from the military after 26 years of active service.

He served in the White House until October 1974, when President Ford recalled him to active duty as Commander-in-Chief, U.S. European Command. Two months later, General Haig was also appointed Supreme Allied Commander in Europe. In that position, he was responsible for the integrated military forces of the then 13-member nations of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). He resigned his post effective June 30, 1979 and retired from the Army.

General Haig was elected President and Chief Operating Officer of United Technologies Corporation and a member of its Board of Directors on December 21, 1979.

Following his election on November 4, 1980, President-elect Ronald Reagan nominated General Haig to be his Secretary of State. The Senate subsequently confirmed General Haig and he was sworn in as the Nation’s 59th Secretary of State on January 22, 1981. He resigned from this position on July 5, 1982. He was an official candidate (1987-1988) for the nomination of the Republican Party for the presidency of the United States.

General Haig is currently Chairman of his own private firm, Worldwide Associates, Inc., based in Washington, DC. Worldwide Associates, Inc. assists public and private corporations both here and abroad in developing and implementing marketing and acquisition strategies in addition to providing strategic advice on the domestic and international political, economic and security environment as will affect global commercial activities. Worldwide Associates is also involved in venture capital and international construction projects.

General Haig was a founding Director of America Online, Inc. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of Compuserve Interactive Services, Inc., Indevus Pharmaceuticals, Inc., MGM Mirage, Inc., Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Inc. and SDC International, Inc. He is senior advisor to several multinational corporations including United Technologies Corporation. He is the host of his own weekly television program, “World Business Review.”

Since resigning as Secretary of State, General Haig has served on the President’s Commission for Strategic Forces (Scowcroft Commission) and the President’s Commission for Chemical Warfare Review. He is an Honorary Member of the Board of the International Policy Institute for Counter-Terrorism at the Interdisciplinary Center at Herzilya Israel and member of the Biomotion Foundation Advisory Cabinet.