Andrew W. Cordier
Encyclopedia
Andrew Wellington Cordier (March 1, 1901 – July 11, 1975) was a United Nations
official and President of Columbia University
.
and attended high school in Hartville, Ohio
where he became quarterback of the football team and valedictorian of his graduating class. He graduated in 1922 from Manchester College and went on to earn a Ph.D. in Medieval History at the University of Chicago
in 1927. He married the former Dorothy Butterbaugh in 1924. He studied at the Graduate Institute of International Studies
in Switzerland in 1930–1931 where he made surveys of the situations in the Sudetenland
, Danzig, and the Chaco War
. He returned to Manchester College to teach in the Department of History and Political Science and at Indiana University
extension.
He became an international security advisor at the U.S. State Department in 1944 and was part of the U.S. delegation to the San Francisco Conference. The State Department sent him to London
in 1945 to help organize the United Nations
.
and Related Affairs and took on assignments as a special representative of the Secretary General in the Korean War
and the Suez Canal
and Congo crises
. Cordier was dubbed a "demon parliamentarian" for his ability to cite the specific rules governing matters of procedure on the spot.
Cordier is noted for convincing Dean Rusk
and Ambassador Yakov Malik to meet in the basement of his Great Neck, New York
home to discuss how to lessen U.S.–Soviet tensions.
Cordier was considered responsible for facilitating the first US-supported coup against Congo
Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba
by closing airports and radio stations to him while his opponents had such facilities available to them. Both Belgian and UN documents show Cordier as doing this purposefully.
In 1962, Cordier resigned from his post after the Soviets criticized him for usurping too much of the Secretary General's responsibilities.
as the Dean of the School of International Affairs (SIA). When Grayson L. Kirk
resigned in 1968, Cordier assumed the presidency on an interim basis while remaining Dean of SIA. The trustees were sufficiently pleased with his work that they gave him the permanent title in 1969; Cordier accepted on the condition that the search for a new president continue. He was president until 1970, when he was succeeded by William J. McGill
. Cordier continued as Dean of SIA after leaving the president's office.
As president he enjoyed moderate success in quelling student unrest by maintaining an open-door policy, attending student rallies to listen to the protesters' concerns, and speaking out against U.S. involvement in Vietnam. For these efforts the university's main undergraduate division, Columbia College
, awarded him its highest honor, the Alexander Hamilton
Medal, in 1970.
Medical Center on Long Island.
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
official and President of Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
.
Early life
Cordier was born on a farm near Canton, OhioCanton, Ohio
Canton is the county seat of Stark County in northeastern Ohio, approximately south of Akron and south of Cleveland.The City of Caton is the largest incorporated area within the Canton-Massillon Metropolitan Statistical Area...
and attended high school in Hartville, Ohio
Hartville, Ohio
Hartville is a village in Stark County, Ohio, United States. The population was 2,174 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Canton–Massillon Metropolitan Statistical Area....
where he became quarterback of the football team and valedictorian of his graduating class. He graduated in 1922 from Manchester College and went on to earn a Ph.D. in Medieval History at the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
in 1927. He married the former Dorothy Butterbaugh in 1924. He studied at the Graduate Institute of International Studies
Graduate Institute of International Studies
The Graduate Institute of International Studies, best known as HEI , was founded in 1927 as one of the first institutions in the world dedicated to the study of international relations...
in Switzerland in 1930–1931 where he made surveys of the situations in the Sudetenland
Sudetenland
Sudetenland is the German name used in English in the first half of the 20th century for the northern, southwest and western regions of Czechoslovakia inhabited mostly by ethnic Germans, specifically the border areas of Bohemia, Moravia, and those parts of Silesia being within Czechoslovakia.The...
, Danzig, and the Chaco War
Chaco War
The Chaco War was fought between Bolivia and Paraguay over control of the northern part of the Gran Chaco region of South America, which was incorrectly thought to be rich in oil. It is also referred to as La Guerra de la Sed in literary circles for being fought in the semi-arid Chaco...
. He returned to Manchester College to teach in the Department of History and Political Science and at Indiana University
Indiana University
Indiana University is a multi-campus public university system in the state of Indiana, United States. Indiana University has a combined student body of more than 100,000 students, including approximately 42,000 students enrolled at the Indiana University Bloomington campus and approximately 37,000...
extension.
He became an international security advisor at the U.S. State Department in 1944 and was part of the U.S. delegation to the San Francisco Conference. The State Department sent him to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in 1945 to help organize the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
.
United Nations
From 1946 to 1961, Cordier served as Undersecretary in Charge of General AssemblyUnited Nations General Assembly
For two articles dealing with membership in the General Assembly, see:* General Assembly members* General Assembly observersThe United Nations General Assembly is one of the five principal organs of the United Nations and the only one in which all member nations have equal representation...
and Related Affairs and took on assignments as a special representative of the Secretary General in the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
and the Suez Canal
Suez Crisis
The Suez Crisis, also referred to as the Tripartite Aggression, Suez War was an offensive war fought by France, the United Kingdom, and Israel against Egypt beginning on 29 October 1956. Less than a day after Israel invaded Egypt, Britain and France issued a joint ultimatum to Egypt and Israel,...
and Congo crises
Congo Crisis
The Congo Crisis was a period of turmoil in the First Republic of the Congo that began with national independence from Belgium and ended with the seizing of power by Joseph Mobutu...
. Cordier was dubbed a "demon parliamentarian" for his ability to cite the specific rules governing matters of procedure on the spot.
Cordier is noted for convincing Dean Rusk
Dean Rusk
David Dean Rusk was the United States Secretary of State from 1961 to 1969 under presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson. Rusk is the second-longest serving U.S...
and Ambassador Yakov Malik to meet in the basement of his Great Neck, New York
Great Neck, New York
The term Great Neck is commonly applied to a peninsula on the North Shore of Long Island, which includes the village of Great Neck, the village of Great Neck Estates, the village of Great Neck Plaza, and others, as well as an area south of the peninsula near Lake Success and the border of Queens...
home to discuss how to lessen U.S.–Soviet tensions.
Cordier was considered responsible for facilitating the first US-supported coup against Congo
Republic of the Congo
The Republic of the Congo , sometimes known locally as Congo-Brazzaville, is a state in Central Africa. It is bordered by Gabon, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo , the Angolan exclave province of Cabinda, and the Gulf of Guinea.The region was dominated by...
Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba
Patrice Lumumba
Patrice Émery Lumumba was a Congolese independence leader and the first legally elected Prime Minister of the Republic of the Congo after he helped win its independence from Belgium in June 1960. Only ten weeks later, Lumumba's government was deposed in a coup during the Congo Crisis...
by closing airports and radio stations to him while his opponents had such facilities available to them. Both Belgian and UN documents show Cordier as doing this purposefully.
In 1962, Cordier resigned from his post after the Soviets criticized him for usurping too much of the Secretary General's responsibilities.
Columbia
After leaving the U.N., Cordier joined Columbia UniversityColumbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
as the Dean of the School of International Affairs (SIA). When Grayson L. Kirk
Grayson L. Kirk
Grayson Louis Kirk was president of Columbia University during the Columbia University protests of 1968. He was also a Professor of Government, advisor to the State Department, and instrumental in the formation of the United Nations.-Early life:Kirk was born to a farmer and schoolteacher in...
resigned in 1968, Cordier assumed the presidency on an interim basis while remaining Dean of SIA. The trustees were sufficiently pleased with his work that they gave him the permanent title in 1969; Cordier accepted on the condition that the search for a new president continue. He was president until 1970, when he was succeeded by William J. McGill
William J. McGill
William James McGill was an American psychologist, author and academic administrator.-Biography:McGill was born in New York City to a musician and labor organizer. He attended parochial Catholic schools and in 1939 began his college education at Fordham University, where he earned bachelor's and...
. Cordier continued as Dean of SIA after leaving the president's office.
As president he enjoyed moderate success in quelling student unrest by maintaining an open-door policy, attending student rallies to listen to the protesters' concerns, and speaking out against U.S. involvement in Vietnam. For these efforts the university's main undergraduate division, Columbia College
Columbia College of Columbia University
Columbia College is the oldest undergraduate college at Columbia University, situated on the university's main campus in Morningside Heights in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded in 1754 by the Church of England as King's College, receiving a Royal Charter from King George II...
, awarded him its highest honor, the Alexander Hamilton
Alexander Hamilton
Alexander Hamilton was a Founding Father, soldier, economist, political philosopher, one of America's first constitutional lawyers and the first United States Secretary of the Treasury...
Medal, in 1970.
Later years
Cordier, aged 74, died of cirrhosis of the liver at the ManhassetManhasset, New York
Manhasset is a hamlet and neighborhood in Nassau County, New York, on the North Shore of Long Island. As of the United States 2010 Census, the population was 8,080....
Medical Center on Long Island.