Dixon Donnelley
Encyclopedia
Dixon Donnelley was United States
Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs
from 1966 to 1969.
from 1934 to 1937. During the 1936-37 academic year, he also worked as a junior reporter for the New York Daily News.
In 1937, Donnelley moved to Havana
becoming city editor
of the Havana Post. He returned to the U.S. in 1941 as assistant city editor of The Washington Daily News
. In 1942, he worked as news editor in the Office of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs
.
After the war, Donnelley spent 1946-47 as press attaché
at the United States Embassy in Mexico City
. From 1947 to 1948, he was assistant public affairs officer at the U.S. embassy in Santiago, Chile
, and was then press attaché at the U.S. embassy in Buenos Aires
1948-49. In 1950, he moved to Washington, D.C.
to become an information officer at the United States Department of State
focused on the Americas area.
During the 1956 Democratic presidential primaries
, Donnelley was the press secretary for Sen.
Estes Kefauver
(D
—TN) to become president of the United States
, with Kefauver losing the primaries to Adlai Stevenson.
From 1958 to 1961, Donnelley served as Special Assistant to the Under Secretary of State
(Christian Herter
and later C. Douglas Dillon
). When C. Douglas Dillon was named United States Secretary of the Treasury
, Donnelley remained Dillon's assistant, moving with his boss to the United States Department of the Treasury
.
In 1966, President Lyndon Johnson nominated Donnelley as Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs
and Donnelley held this office from March 22, 1966 until January 31, 1969. As such, he was the spokesman of the United States Department of State
at the height of the Vietnam War
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs
Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs
The Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs is the head of the Bureau of Public Affairs within the United States Department of State. Typically, the Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs is also the official spokesperson of the State Department...
from 1966 to 1969.
Biography
Donnelley was born in Forest Hills, New York on July 29, 1915. He was a student at 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...
from 1934 to 1937. During the 1936-37 academic year, he also worked as a junior reporter for the New York Daily News.
In 1937, Donnelley moved to Havana
Havana
Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
becoming city editor
Editor
The term editor may refer to:As a person who does editing:* Editor in chief, having final responsibility for a publication's operations and policies* Copy editing, making formatting changes and other improvements to text...
of the Havana Post. He returned to the U.S. in 1941 as assistant city editor of The Washington Daily News
The Washington Daily News
The Washington Daily News was an afternoon tabloid-style newspaper serving the Washington, DC, metropolitan area. In this case, the term "tabloid" is merely a reference to the paper format and does not imply a lack of journalistic standards....
. In 1942, he worked as news editor in the Office of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs
Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs
The Office of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs was a United States agency promoting inter-American cooperation during the 1940s, especially in commercial and economic areas...
.
After the war, Donnelley spent 1946-47 as press attaché
Attaché
Attaché is a French term in diplomacy referring to a person who is assigned to the diplomatic or administrative staff of a higher placed person or another service or agency...
at the United States Embassy in Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
. From 1947 to 1948, he was assistant public affairs officer at the U.S. embassy in Santiago, Chile
Santiago, Chile
Santiago , also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile, and the center of its largest conurbation . It is located in the country's central valley, at an elevation of above mean sea level...
, and was then press attaché at the U.S. embassy in Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
1948-49. In 1950, he moved to Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
to become an information officer at the United States Department of State
United States Department of State
The United States Department of State , is the United States federal executive department responsible for international relations of the United States, equivalent to the foreign ministries of other countries...
focused on the Americas area.
During the 1956 Democratic presidential primaries
Democratic Party (United States) presidential primaries, 1956
The 1956 Democratic presidential primaries were the selection process by which voters of the Democratic Party chose its nominee for President of the United States in the 1956 U.S. presidential election...
, Donnelley was the press secretary for Sen.
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
Estes Kefauver
Estes Kefauver
Carey Estes Kefauver July 26, 1903 – August 10, 1963) was an American politician from Tennessee. A member of the Democratic Party, he served in the U.S...
(D
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
—TN) to become president of the United States
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....
, with Kefauver losing the primaries to Adlai Stevenson.
From 1958 to 1961, Donnelley served as Special Assistant to the Under Secretary of State
Under Secretary of State
The Under Secretary of State, from 1919 to 1972, was the second-ranking official at the United States Department of State , serving as the Secretary's principal deputy, chief assistant, and Acting Secretary in the event of the Secretary's absence...
(Christian Herter
Christian Herter
Christian Archibald Herter was an American politician and statesman; 59th governor of Massachusetts from 1953 to 1957, and United States Secretary of State from 1959 to 1961.-Early life:...
and later C. Douglas Dillon
C. Douglas Dillon
Clarence Douglas Dillon was an American diplomat and politician, who served as U.S. Ambassador to France and as the 57th Secretary of the Treasury...
). When C. Douglas Dillon was named United States Secretary of the Treasury
United States Secretary of the Treasury
The Secretary of the Treasury of the United States is the head of the United States Department of the Treasury, which is concerned with financial and monetary matters, and, until 2003, also with some issues of national security and defense. This position in the Federal Government of the United...
, Donnelley remained Dillon's assistant, moving with his boss to the United States Department of the Treasury
United States Department of the Treasury
The Department of the Treasury is an executive department and the treasury of the United States federal government. It was established by an Act of Congress in 1789 to manage government revenue...
.
In 1966, President Lyndon Johnson nominated Donnelley as Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs
Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs
The Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs is the head of the Bureau of Public Affairs within the United States Department of State. Typically, the Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs is also the official spokesperson of the State Department...
and Donnelley held this office from March 22, 1966 until January 31, 1969. As such, he was the spokesman of the United States Department of State
United States Department of State
The United States Department of State , is the United States federal executive department responsible for international relations of the United States, equivalent to the foreign ministries of other countries...
at the height of the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
.