Identification Card - DPLA - e37f19bbd9976df794fd7c9d7b82f55c

Robert Cutler (June 12, 1895 – May 8, 1974) was an American government official who was the first person appointed as the president's

National Security Advisor A national security advisor serves as the chief advisor to a national government on matters of security. The advisor is not usually a member of the government's cabinet but is usually a member of various military or security councils. National secu ...

. He served US President Dwight Eisenhower in that role between 1953 and 1955 and from 1957 to 1958.

Early life

He was born on June 12, 1895, in

Brookline, Massachusetts Brookline is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, in the United States, and part of the Boston metropolitan area. Brookline borders six of Boston's neighborhoods: Brighton, Allston, Fenway–Kenmore, Mission Hill, Jamaica Plain, and ...

. He was the youngest of five sons born to George C. and Mary F. Wilson Cutler. His brothers were

Elliott Carr Cutler Elliot Carr Cutler (July 30, 1888 – August 16, 1947) was an American surgeon, military physician, and medical educator. He was Moseley Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School, surgeon-in-chief at Peter Bent Brigham Hospital from 1932 t ...

, a professor at the

Harvard Medical School Harvard Medical School (HMS) is the graduate medical school of Harvard University and is located in the Longwood Medical and Academic Area, Longwood Medical Area of Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1782, HMS is one of the oldest medical schools ...

and a surgeon, Harvard quarterback

Johnny Cutler John Wilson Cutler (May 12, 1887 – March 18, 1950) was an American college football player. Early life Cutler was born on May 12, 1887 in Bangor, Maine. He was one of five sons born to George C. and Mary F. Wilson Cutler. His brothers were El ...

Roger W. Cutler Roger Wilson Cutler (November 3, 1889 – November 30, 1963) was an American athlete and naval officer who served in World War I and World War II. Early life Cutler was born on November 3, 1889, in Brookline, Massachusetts. He was one of five ...

, a

US Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

officer and the husband of Leslie Bradley Cutler, and George C. Cutler Jr. Cutler attended

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher ...

and planned on becoming an English teacher and writer. He was class poet, wrote the baccalaureate hymn, and graduated second in his class in 1916. After graduating, he taught at Harvard and

Radcliffe College Radcliffe College was a women's liberal arts college in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and functioned as the female coordinate institution for the all-male Harvard College. Considered founded in 1879, it was one of the Seven Sisters colleges and he ...

and authored two novels: ''Louisburg Square'' (1917) and ''The Speckled Bird'' (1923). During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, he volunteered with the

American Expeditionary Forces The American Expeditionary Forces (A. E. F.) was a formation of the United States Army on the Western Front of World War I. The A. E. F. was established on July 5, 1917, in France under the command of General John J. Pershing. It fought alo ...

. He served in France as a first lieutenant with the 76th Division. After the war, he spent eight, months as an adjutant of the 3rd Army

Military Police Military police (MP) are law enforcement agencies connected with, or part of, the military of a state. In wartime operations, the military police may support the main fighting force with force protection, convoy security, Screening (tactical), ...

with the Army of Occupation. In 1922 he graduated from

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States. Each class ...

Early career

After graduating from Harvard Law School, Cutler went to work for the firm of Herrick, Smith, Donald & Farley. He also served as treasurer of Peter Bent Brigham Hospital and as president of Community Chests and Councils, Inc., chairman of the 1937 Greater Boston Community Fund Drive and was a director of the Saco-Lowell Shops and the Old Colony Trust Company. On October 25, 1940, Cutler was appointed corporation counsel for the city of Boston by Mayor

Maurice J. Tobin Maurice Joseph Tobin (May 22, 1901July 19, 1953) was an American politician serving as Mayor of Boston, Massachusetts, the Governor of Massachusetts, and United States Secretary of Labor. He was a member of the Democratic Party and a liberal that ...

World War II

On July 28, 1942, Cutler resigned as corporation counsel to join the

US Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, c ...

. US President

Franklin Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

nominated Cutler for the position of head occupational analyst of the

Army Specialist Corps The United States ''Army Specialist Corps'' was a uniformed branch of civilian specialists employed by the U.S. Army during World War II. Men enlisted were not considered "upon active Military or Naval service". Creation Following the Attack on P ...

(ASC) with the rank of colonel. After the ASC had been disbanded, Cutler served as chief of the Procurement Division. During the 1944 presidential election, he served as executive officer of the War Ballot Commission. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal in December 1944. In 1945, he worked on special assignments for US Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson and the US Army Chief of Staff

George Marshall George Catlett Marshall Jr. (December 31, 1880 – October 16, 1959) was an American army officer and statesman. He rose through the United States Army to become Chief of Staff of the US Army under Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry ...

. In October, he was promoted to brigadier general and was awarded the

Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements. The decoration is issued to members of the eight ...

for "his foresight and careful planning, consummate tact, unusual ability and vigor" during his service with the Legislative and Liaison Division of the War Department Special Staff. He received his discharge on December 9, 1945.

Postwar career

On January 9, 1946, Cutler succeeded

Channing H. Cox Channing Harris Cox (October 28, 1879August 20, 1968) was an American Republican politician, lawyer, and businessman from Massachusetts. He served as the 49th Governor of Massachusetts, from 1921 to 1925. He attended Dartmouth College and serv ...

as president of the Old Colony Trust Company. He was later elected president of Peter Bent Brigham Hospital. From 1947 to 1949, he headed the largest survey of hospital, health, and welfare facilities in

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian province ...

1952 presidential campaign

In 1952, Cutler served as Eisenhower's personal secretary on the campaign train, a position that had him perform a number of tasks, including speechwriting and advising. '' U.S. News & World Report'' described Cutler as "emerging as the right-hand man of the General" and "probably closer to the candidate in a personal sense than Gov.

Sherman Adams Llewelyn Sherman Adams (January 8, 1899 – October 27, 1986) was an American businessman and politician, best known as White House Chief of Staff for President Dwight D. Eisenhower, the culmination of an 18-year political career that also inclu ...

, who is generally regard as top man."

National Security Advisor

On December 29, 1952, President-elect Eisenhower appointed Cutler as assistant to the president for national security affairs. In that position, Cutler played a major role in turning the

National Security Council A national security council (NSC) is usually an executive branch governmental body responsible for coordinating policy on national security issues and advising chief executives on matters related to national security. An NSC is often headed by a n ...

into a top policy making body. He tendered his resignation on March 8, 1955 and was succeeded by Dillon Anderson on April 1. On March 31, 1955, he received the Medal of Freedom for his "outstanding contribution to the security and defense of our nation. Cutler oversaw the drafting of Eisenhower's

Executive Order 10450 President Dwight D. Eisenhower issued Executive Order 10450 on April 27, 1953. Effective May 27, 1953, it revoked President Truman's Executive Order 9835 of 1947, and dismantled its Loyalty Review Board program. Instead it charged the heads of f ...

, signed on April 27, 1953, contributing language that identified "sexual perversion" as grounds for exclusion from employment by the federal government. It represented an attempt to fulfill Eisenhower's campaign promise, made in response to charges made by Senator

Joseph McCarthy Joseph Raymond McCarthy (November 14, 1908 – May 2, 1957) was an American politician who served as a Republican U.S. Senator from the state of Wisconsin from 1947 until his death in 1957. Beginning in 1950, McCarthy became the most visi ...

, to remove "subversives" from the federal government. The order initiated the years-long purge of gays and lesbians from employment by the federal government, the Lavender Scare component of the Red Scare witch hunts of the 1950s. Cutler resigned his post in 1955 apparently for fear that the disclosure of his secret homosexuality might harm the

Eisenhower administration Dwight D. Eisenhower's tenure as the 34th president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 1953, and ended on January 20, 1961. Eisenhower, a Republican from Kansas, took office following a landslide victory ...

. His homosexuality was known to some Washington insiders, including the prominent columnist Joseph Alsop, a closet gay himself, and

Charles Bohlen Charles "Chip" Eustis Bohlen (August 30, 1904 – January 1, 1974) was an American diplomat, ambassador, and expert on the Soviet Union. He helped shape US foreign policy during World War II and the Cold War and helped develop the Marshall Plan ...

, whose nomination as ambassador to Moscow had been threatened by McCarthy's innuendo about his sexuality. In May 1955, Cutler returned to the National Security Council as a part-time consultant and took its leadership position, then called the Special Assistant for National Security Affairs, on January 6, 1957. He was succeeded by Gordon Gray on June 24, 1958.

Later life

In 1958, Cutler was nominated for a seat on the Massachusetts Board of Regional Community Colleges by Governor Foster Furcolo. His nomination was rejected by the

Massachusetts Governor's Council The Massachusetts Governor's Council (also known as the Executive Council) is a governmental body that provides advice and consent in certain matterssuch as judicial nominations, pardons, and commutationsto the Governor of Massachusetts. Council ...

by a 4-3 vote on the grounds that the position should go to a Democrat. Furcolo submitted Cutler's nomination again, and on December 30, the Council approved his appointment by a 6-2 vote. On October 14, 1959, Eisenhower announced that he would nominate Cutler to serve a three-year term as an executive director of the new

Inter-American Development Bank The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB or IADB) is an international financial institution headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States of America, and serving as the largest source of development financing for Latin America and the Cari ...

. He was sworn in by Eisenhower on February 2, 1960. He resigned effective July 15, 1962. He published his memoirs, ''No Time for Rest'', in 1966. He died on May 8, 1974 in

Concord, Massachusetts Concord () is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, in the United States. At the 2020 census, the town population was 18,491. The United States Census Bureau considers Concord part of Greater Boston. The town center is near where the confl ...

. Never married and predeceased by all of his brothers, Cutler left no immediate survivors but was survived by several nieces and nephews, including

Elliott C. Cutler Jr. Elliot Carr Cutler Jr. (June 15, 1920 – November 27, 2006) was a United States Army officer with the rank of brigadier general. His last military service was as a head of the Electrical Engineering Department at United States Military Academy fr ...

Robert B. Cutler Robert Bradley Cutler (November 8, 1913 – September 1, 2010) was an American rower who competed in the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin. He was also a conspiracy theorist who founded The Conspiracy Museum in Dallas. Early life Cutler was bor ...

and Roger W. Cutler Jr.

References

External links

Papers of Robert Cutler, Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library
, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Cutler, Robert 1895 births 1974 deaths United States Army personnel of World War I Corporation counsels of Boston Cutler family Harvard Law School alumni Massachusetts Republicans United States Army colonels United States National Security Advisors Writers from Boston Harvard College alumni United States Army personnel of World War II