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General Alexander Haig needs no introduction, as he is among the most decorated military and civilian figures of our time. In addition to his military accomplishments, General Haig has held a number of key positions in political and business leadership, and presently serves as Chairman of Worldwide Associates, Inc., and is a senior advisor to United Technologies Corporation. He also serves on the Board of Directors of America Online, Inc., Interneuron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., MGM Grand, Inc., the National Foundation for Advanced Cardiac Surgery, Preferred Employers Holdings, Inc., as well as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Inc. and United Technologies Corp.
General Haig is perhaps best known as U.S. Secretary of State under President Ronald Reagan, appointed by the President-elect and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. However, many are familiar with General Haigs reputation as a paragon of statesmanship, with the mental and tactical genius befitting a 4-star general, and the consummate diplomacy of a master negotiator at the highest levels of the public and private sectors.
Upon graduating from the U.S. Military Academy in 1947, General Haig advanced through a number of military assignments, serving in Japan, Korea, Europe and Vietnam, and received the Distinguished Service Cross for heroism during his 1966-67 combat tour. General Haig served the military actively for more than 30 years, holding increasingly visible White House responsibilities, beginning in 1969. He functioned in a number of senior military advisement positions, and became a full General in 1972. During his White House tenure, ending in 1973, General Haig visited Southeast Asia on 14 occasions as personal emissary of President Nixon to negotiate the Vietnam cease-fire, as well as the return of U.S. prisoners of war. General Haig was also instrumental in coordinating preparations for President Nixons historic visit to China. The President assigned him to rebuild the White House Staff in 1973, a temporary assignment that resulted in his being named White House Chief of Staff. General Haig held this civilian position until Nixons successor, President Gerald Ford, recalled him to active duty as Commander-in-Chief, U.S. European Command. Shortly thereafter, General Haig was appointed Supreme Allied Commander in Europe, responsible for the integrated military forces of the then 13-member nations of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
Prior to being nominated for his position of Secretary of State under President Reagan, General Haig was President and Chief Operating Officer of United Technologies Corporation, and remains affiliated with the organization, serving on its board of director as well as a senior advisor. General Haig is Chairman of Worldwide Associates, Inc., which provides strategic advice on the domestic and international political, economic and security environments and their potential impact on global commercial activities. The company also assists public and private corporations both in the U.S. and abroad in developing and implementing marketing and acquisition strategies.
General Haig is author of Caveat: Realism, Reagan and Foreign Policy, based on over three decades of experience at the highest levels of the U.S. government, and his tenure as Secretary of State, in particular (Macmillan, 1984). He has also published an autobiography, entitled: Inner Circles, How America Changed the World. A Memoir (Warner Books, 1992), which is also a historical account of the Cold War with a vision of the future.
Among his many military decorations, General Haig holds the Distinguished Service Cross, the Defense Distinguished Service Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Silver Star with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Distinguished Flying Cross with Oak Leaf Clusters, and the Purple Heart. He has also been honored with decorations from the Governments of Belgium, the Federal Republic of Germany, Morocco, France, Italy, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, and Portugal.
General Haig is affiliated with a number of academic institutions of higher learning, including: Princeton (Visiting Statesman and Executive), Tulane (Advisory Board), Rochester (Advisory Board) and Yale (Chubb Fellow) Universities. General Haig has been a guest lecturer at a number of colleges and universities, including the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, LeMoyne, Carnegie Mellon, Tulane, Northern Michigan, Texas A&M, among many others.
General Haig has received Honorary Doctor of Law Degrees from Niagara University, Boston College, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, St. Anselms College, the University of Utah, Western State School of Law, Loyola College, Fairfield University and Stetson University College of Law. He has also received Honorary Doctorates from Syracuse University and Haifa University in Israel.
General Haig has served on a number of special commissions, including the Presidents Commission for Strategic Forces (Scowcroft Commission), The Presidents Commission for Chemical Warfare Review and the Presidents Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. General Haig is a member of at least 30 of the most distinguished military, civic and medical organizations in the U.S., including the International Advisory Board of the Dayan Center for Middle Eastern Studies, the Advisory Committee of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, the Board of Advisors for C/Media, the Corporation for Maintaining Editorial Diversity in America, the Society of Logistics Engineers, the German-American Advisory Board, the American Advisory Council of the Korea Society, as well as the National Advisory Committee of the Fund for Democracy and Development, which promotes the development of the private sector in the former Soviet Union. General Haig is also an honorary member of a number of organizations of similar distinction.
Among General Haigs myriad honors are the Gold Medal Award of the National Conference of Christians and Jew, the Distinguished Service Award and Citation of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, the Hap Arnold Award of the U.S. Air Force Association, the James Forrestal Award of the National Security Industrial Association, the David Sarnoff Award of the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association, the William Penn Award of the Penn Club of Washington, the Hall of Heroes Medallion of the Chapel of the Four Chaplains, Bob Hope Four-Star Civilian Award from Valley Forge Military Academy, 1984 Distinguished Diplomat Award from Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, Gold Medal from the National Institute of Social Sciences, the Distinguished Graduate Award, the Hillsdale Freedom Leadership Award from Hillsdale College, and the Distinguished Graduate Award, U.S. Military Academy, 1996.
General Haig attended Notre Dame University, pursued graduate studies in Business Administration at Columbia University, and earned a Masters Degree in International Relations from Georgetown University in 1962. |
