David Kenneth Rush (January 17, 1910 – December 11, 1994) was a

United States Ambassador Ambassadors of the United States are persons nominated by the president to serve as the country's diplomatic representatives to foreign nations, international organizations, and as ambassadors-at-large. Under Article II, Section 2 of the U.S ...

who helped negotiate the groundbreaking Four-Power Agreement in 1971 that ended the post-war crisis over

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Early life

Kenneth Rush was born David Kenneth Rush in

Walla Walla, Washington Walla Walla is a city in Walla Walla County, Washington, where it is the largest city and county seat. It had a population of 34,060 at the 2020 census, estimated to have decreased to 33,927 as of 2021. The population of the city and its two su ...

, where his parents, from an old

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family, had journeyed during a yearlong tour of the western United States. His father was a farmer in

Greenville, Tennessee Greeneville is a town in and the county seat of Greene County, Tennessee, United States. The population as of the 2020 census was 15,479. The town was named in honor of Revolutionary War hero Nathanael Greene, and it is the second oldest town i ...

and his mother a teacher. His father died when he was two years old. After attending secondary schools in Greenville, Rush worked his way through the University of Tennessee by waiting on tables. He majored in history and was elected into the

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. In 1932, he enrolled in

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, where he edited the law journal and earned an LL.B. degree.

Career

Early career

From 1936-1937, Rush joined the Duke University faculty as an assistant professor and taught law. It was here that he met to-be-President

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...

who was a student at the university. It was the beginning of their enduring friendship. In 1937, Rush accepted an offer to join the

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and Carbon Corporation with the prospect of an executive position. He became a vice president in 1939 and was named president in 1966.

Political career

Rush resigned from all private positions in 1969 to become United States Ambassador to West Germany. Rush was credited for playing a major role in the successful conclusion of the

Four Power Agreement on Berlin The Four Power Agreement on Berlin, also known as the Berlin Agreement or the Quadripartite Agreement on Berlin, was agreed on 3 September 1971 by the four wartime Allied powers, represented by their ambassadors. The four foreign ministers, Ale ...

between the

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, and

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after 17 months of negotiations. The agreement ended more than two decades of East-West tensions over the divided former capital of

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

; it improved ties between Washington and Moscow, reaffirmed the Western Allies' rights in the city and paved the way for the development of peaceful relations between East and West Germany. President Richard Nixon appointed Rush as

Deputy Secretary of Defense The deputy secretary of defense (acronym: DepSecDef) is a statutory office () and the second-highest-ranking official in the Department of Defense of the United States of America. The deputy secretary is the principal civilian deputy to the sec ...

for 1972 under

Melvin Laird Melvin Robert Laird Jr. (September 1, 1922 – November 16, 2016) was an American politician, writer and statesman. He was a U.S. congressman from Wisconsin from 1953 to 1969 before serving as Secretary of Defense from 1969 to 1973 under Presi ...

, then named him Deputy Secretary of State from February 1973 to May 1974, including a period from September 3 to September 22 when Rush served as interim Secretary of State between the terms of William P. Rogers and

Henry Kissinger Henry Alfred Kissinger (; ; born Heinz Alfred Kissinger, May 27, 1923) is a German-born American politician, diplomat, and geopolitical consultant who served as United States Secretary of State and National Security Advisor under the presid ...

. On May 25, 1974, he was appointed counselor to the president for economic policy. From 1974 to his retirement on March 15, 1977, he served as Ambassador to

Death

Rush died at his home in

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on December 11, 1994 at the age of 84. According to one of his sons, he was under treatment for heart and blood ailments.

Personal life

In 1947, Rush married Jane Gilbert Smith. They had five sons and one daughter. Two of their sons died at a young age.

References

External links

* , - , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Rush, Kenneth 1910 births 1994 deaths Ambassadors of the United States to France Ambassadors of the United States to Germany Duke University faculty Florida Republicans Ford administration cabinet members Nixon administration cabinet members North Carolina Republicans People from Delray Beach, Florida People from Walla Walla, Washington United States Deputy Secretaries of Defense United States Deputy Secretaries of State Acting United States Secretaries of State 20th-century American diplomats