Vance, Cyrus Roberts

Vance, Cyrus Roberts, 1917–2002, U.S. secretary of state (1977–80), b. Clarksburg, W.Va., grad. Yale (B.A., 1939, LL.B., 1942). After seeing action in the Navy during World War II, Vance practiced law, becoming a respected international lawyer. He entered government service as a Senate commiittee counsel in 1957. and later served in the Kennedy and Johnson administrations as secretary of the army (1961–62), deputy secretary of defense (1964–67), and U.S. negotiator to the Paris Peace Conference on the Vietnam War (1968–69). He also served as special envoy to Cyprus (1967) and Korea (1968). As President Carter's secretary of state, Vance opposed the 1980 attempt to rescue the American hostages in Iran and resigned after the mission failed. He subsequently served on several diplomatic missions, in particular as head of United Nations' efforts to negotiate an end to the violence following the dissolution of Yugoslavia (1991–92). At various times Vance also served on the boards of corporations, universities, foundations, and other organizations, and was chairman (1988–1990) of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

Bibliography

See his memoirs, Hard Choices (1983); study by D. S. McLellan (1985).