born Feb. 9, 1909, Cherokee county, Ga., U.S.
died Dec. 20, 1994, Athens, Ga.
U.S. public official and educator.
He earned a master's degree as a Rhodes scholar at St. John's College, Oxford, and then taught at Mills College (193440). He served in World War II on Gen. Joseph Stilwell 's staff. He later held positions in the state and war departments, helping prosecute the Korean War as an assistant secretary of state (1950). After serving as president of the Rockefeller Foundation (195260), he became U.S. secretary of state under John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson (196169). A consistent defender of U.S. participation in the Vietnam War, he became a target of antiwar protests. He also opposed diplomatic recognition of communist China. After retiring from public life, he taught at the University of Georgia until 1984.