David Manker Abshire
Encyclopedia
David Manker Abshire has served as a Special Counselor to President
Reagan
and was the U.S. Ambassador to NATO
from 1983-1987. Currently David M. Abshire presides over the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress. In July 2002, he was elected President of the Richard Lounsbery Foundation
of New York
. He is also a member of the exclusive Alfalfa Club
.
Dr. Abshire is a Republican and the author of seven books, the most recent being A Call to Greatness: Challenging Our Next President, which was published in 2008. Dr. Abshire is married and has five children.
He is a member of the advisory council of the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation
.
, Tennessee
in 1926. He graduated from The Bright School in 1938, Baylor School
in Chattanooga in 1944 and from West Point
in 1951. He fought in the Korean War
and was decorated as a company commander. Abshire received his doctorate in History from Georgetown University
in 1959, where for many years he was an adjunct professor at its Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service
. He is a member of the Project on National Security Reform
.
Arleigh Burke
founded the Center for Strategic and International Studies
(CSIS). Dr. Abshire served as Assistant Secretary of State
for Congressional Relations from 1970–1973 and later as Chairman of the U.S. Board of International Broadcasting (1975–1977). He was a member of the Murphy Commission (1974–1975), the President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board
(1981–1982), and the President's Task Force on U.S. Government International Broadcasting (1991). During the transition of government in 1980, Dr. Abshire was asked by President-elect
Reagan to head the National Security Group, which included the State and Defense Departments, the U.S. Information Agency
, and the Central Intelligence Agency
. He also served for nine years on the board of Procter & Gamble
.
SS-20 missiles, he was appointed to oversee the deployment of Pershing and Cruise missiles. For his service, he was given the Distinguished Public Service Medal.
unfolded to serve as Special Counselor to President Reagan with Cabinet rank. His charge was to assure a full investigation of the sale of arms to Iran
so as to restore the confidence of the nation in the Reagan presidency.
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
and was the U.S. Ambassador to NATO
United States Permanent Representative to NATO
The United States Permanent Representative to NATO is the official representative of the United States to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The Representative has the rank of full ambassador and is appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate...
from 1983-1987. Currently David M. Abshire presides over the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress. In July 2002, he was elected President of the Richard Lounsbery Foundation
Richard Lounsbery Foundation
The Richard Lounsbery Foundation is a philanthropic organisation which "aims to enhance national strengths in science and technology" by supporting research projects, science education and key scientific policy issues through seed money or partial support...
of New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. He is also a member of the exclusive Alfalfa Club
Alfalfa Club
The Alfalfa Club is a Washington, D.C. social organization that exists only to hold an annual banquet on the last Saturday of January. The club's membership, which numbers about 200, is composed primarily of American politicians and influential members of the United States business community, and...
.
Dr. Abshire is a Republican and the author of seven books, the most recent being A Call to Greatness: Challenging Our Next President, which was published in 2008. Dr. Abshire is married and has five children.
He is a member of the advisory council of the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation
Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation
The Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation is a non-profit educational organization in the United States, established as a result of an Act of Congress in 1993 with the purpose to commemorate "the deaths of over 100,000,000 victims in an unprecedented imperial communist holocaust"...
.
Background
David M. Abshire was born in ChattanoogaChattanooga, Tennessee
Chattanooga is the fourth-largest city in the US state of Tennessee , with a population of 169,887. It is the seat of Hamilton County...
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
in 1926. He graduated from The Bright School in 1938, Baylor School
Baylor School
Baylor School is a private, coeducational prep school on the outskirts of Chattanooga, Tennessee. The school was founded in 1893 and since 1915 has been located on the same hillside site by the Tennessee River. The school went through several incarnations: moving from an all-male military academy...
in Chattanooga in 1944 and from West Point
United States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...
in 1951. He fought 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 was decorated as a company commander. Abshire received his doctorate in History from Georgetown University
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
in 1959, where for many years he was an adjunct professor at its Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service
Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service
The Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service is a school within Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., United States. Jesuit priest Edmund A...
. He is a member of the Project on National Security Reform
Project on National Security Reform
The Project on National Security Reform is a nonpartisan non-profit organization mandated by the United States Congress to recommend improvements to the U.S. national security system. Advocates of reform of the U.S...
.
Political life
In 1962, Dr. Abshire and AdmiralAdmiral (United States)
In the United States Navy, the United States Coast Guard and the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, admiral is a four-star flag officer rank, with the pay grade of O-10. Admiral ranks above vice admiral and below Fleet Admiral in the Navy; the Coast Guard and the Public Health...
Arleigh Burke
Arleigh Burke
Admiral Arleigh Albert '31-knot' Burke was an admiral of the United States Navy who distinguished himself during World War II and the Korean War, and who served as Chief of Naval Operations during the Eisenhower and Kennedy administrations.-Early life and naval career:Burke was born in Boulder,...
founded the Center for Strategic and International Studies
Center for Strategic and International Studies
The Center for Strategic and International Studies is a bipartisan Washington, D.C., foreign policy think tank. The center was founded in 1962 by Admiral Arleigh Burke and Ambassador David Manker Abshire, originally as part of Georgetown University...
(CSIS). Dr. Abshire served as Assistant Secretary of State
United States Assistant Secretary of State
In modern times, Assistant Secretary of State is a title used for many executive positions in the United States State Department. A set of six Assistant Secretaries reporting to the Under Secretary for Political Affairs manage diplomatic missions within their designated geographic regions, plus one...
for Congressional Relations from 1970–1973 and later as Chairman of the U.S. Board of International Broadcasting (1975–1977). He was a member of the Murphy Commission (1974–1975), the President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board
President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board
The President's Intelligence Advisory Board is an advisor to the Executive Office of the President of the United States. According to its self-description, it "...provides advice to the President concerning the quality and adequacy of intelligence collection, of analysis and estimates, of...
(1981–1982), and the President's Task Force on U.S. Government International Broadcasting (1991). During the transition of government in 1980, Dr. Abshire was asked by President-elect
President-elect
An -elect is a political candidate who has been elected to an office but who has not yet been sworn in or officially taken office. These may include an incoming president, senator, representative, governor and mayor.Analogously, the term "designate" An -elect is a political candidate who has been...
Reagan to head the National Security Group, which included the State and Defense Departments, the U.S. Information Agency
United States Information Agency
The United States Information Agency , which existed from 1953 to 1999, was a United States agency devoted to "public diplomacy". In 1999, USIA's broadcasting functions were moved to the newly created Broadcasting Board of Governors, and its exchange and non-broadcasting information functions were...
, and the Central Intelligence Agency
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
. He also served for nine years on the board of Procter & Gamble
Procter & Gamble
Procter & Gamble is a Fortune 500 American multinational corporation headquartered in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio and manufactures a wide range of consumer goods....
.
Ambassador to NATO
In 1983-1987 Abshire was Ambassador to NATO where, in reaction to the threat posed by SovietSoviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
SS-20 missiles, he was appointed to oversee the deployment of Pershing and Cruise missiles. For his service, he was given the Distinguished Public Service Medal.
Special Counselor to President Reagan
Abshire was recalled as the Iran-Contra AffairIran-Contra Affair
The Iran–Contra affair , also referred to as Irangate, Contragate or Iran-Contra-Gate, was a political scandal in the United States that came to light in November 1986. During the Reagan administration, senior Reagan administration officials and President Reagan secretly facilitated the sale of...
unfolded to serve as Special Counselor to President Reagan with Cabinet rank. His charge was to assure a full investigation of the sale of arms to Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
so as to restore the confidence of the nation in the Reagan presidency.
Honors
- Doctor of Humane Letters from Virginia Theological Seminary in 1992.
- Doctor of Civil Law, honoris causa, from the University of the South in 1994.
- John Carroll Award for outstanding service by a Georgetown University alumnus.
- Distinguished Graduate Award of the United States Military Academy.
- 1994 U.S. Military Academy's Castle Award
- Gold Medal of the Sons of the American Revolution
- Baylor Distinguished Alumni Award
- Order of the Crown (Belgium)Order of the Crown (Belgium)The Order of the Crown is an Order of Belgium which was created on 15 October 1897 by King Leopold II in his capacity as ruler of the Congo Free State. The order was first intended to recognize heroic deeds and distinguished service achieved from service in the Congo Free State - many of which acts...
- Commander of the Order of Leopold (Belgium)
- Medal of the President of the Italian Republic, Senate, Parliament and Government.
- Grand Official of the Order of the Republic of Italy.
- Order of Diplomatic Service Merit Heung-In Medal (Korea)
- Insignia of the Commander, First Class, Order of the Lion of FinlandOrder of the Lion of FinlandThere are three official orders in Finland: the Order of the Cross of Liberty, the Order of the White Rose of Finland and the Order of the Lion of Finland . The President of Finland is the Grand Master of all three orders. The orders are administered by boards consisting of a chancellor, a...
- Order of the Liberator (Argentina)Order of the Liberator General San MartinThe Order of the Liberator General San Martin is the highest decoration in Argentina.The Grades are:*Collar *Grand Cross *Grand Officer *Commander *Officer *Knight...
in 1999. - Order of the Sacred TreasureOrder of the Sacred TreasureThe is a Japanese Order, established on January 4, 1888 by Emperor Meiji of Japan as the Order of Meiji. It is awarded in eight classes . It is generally awarded for long and/or meritorious service and considered to be the lowest of the Japanese orders of merit...
Gold and Silver Star (Japan) in 2001. - Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service.
- Presidential Citizens MedalPresidential Citizens MedalThe Presidential Citizens Medal is the second highest civilian award in the United States, second only to the Presidential Medal of Freedom. It is awarded by the President of the United States, and may be given posthumously....
- Awarded in 1989 by President Ronald ReaganRonald ReaganRonald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
.