Former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld was born in Evanston on July 9, 1932. He attended Princeton University on an academic and NROTC scholarship and then enlisted in the U.S. Navy as a naval aviator and flight instructor.

Rumsfeld made his mark in politics after he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois’ 13th District in 1962 at the age of 30. Following his eight-year stint in Congress, Rumsfeld served numerous roles in President Richard Nixon’s administration, including the Director of the U.S. Office of Economic Opportunity and as the U.S. Ambassador to NATO. He was appointed U.S. Secretary of Defense by President Ford in 1975.

In 1977, Rumsfeld left the political field to step in as the CEO of G.D. Searle & Company, a pharmaceutical company based in Skokie. His return to government work came after President George W. Bush named him the Secretary of Defense upon taking office.

Rumsfeld retired as Defense Secretary in December of 2006 at the age of 74.

Learn more:
Read Donald Rumsfeld’s Department of Defense biography here