Stephen Ailes (May 25, 1912 – June 30, 2001) was a prominent member of the District of Columbia Bar and a partner in the firm of Steptoe & Johnson. He served as the United States Under Secretary of the Army from February 9, 1961, to January 28, 1964, and as United States Secretary of the Army from January 28, 1964, to July 1, 1965. He received his undergraduate education at

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

, and attended the law school of West Virginia University, where he was a member of Phi Kappa Psi fraternity.

Early life and education

Ailes was born in Romney, West Virginia, on May 25, 1912. He attended the Scarborough School in New York with his brother, and later attended Episcopal High School in

Alexandria, Virginia Alexandria is an independent city (United States), independent city in Northern Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of Washington, D.C., D.C. The city's population of 159,467 at the 2020 ...

and graduated in 1929. He graduated from Princeton University in 1933 and received his law degree from West Virginia University in 1936. He was admitted to the West Virginia bar in 1936.

Legal career

He was appointed assistant professor of law at West Virginia University, 1937–1940. He was prevented from military service due to

color blindness Color blindness, color vision deficiency (CVD) or color deficiency is the decreased ability to color vision, see color or differences in color. The severity of color blindness ranges from mostly unnoticeable to full absence of color percept ...

; but later he was hired at the Office of Price Administration in 1942 until 1946. He served as counsel to the American Economic Mission to Greece in 1947, and then returned to private practice at Steptoe & Johnson in 1948; beforce entering government services.

Government career

Ailes served as Under Secretary of the Army, February 9, 1961, until January 28, 1964, and he was then promoted to Secretary of the Army until July 1, 1965. He is often credited as the driving force for the creation of the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

Drill Sergeant program. He conducted a far-reaching survey over time that included a wide variety of experienced personnel across all the services and the results contained five principal findings, with appropriate recommendations and suggestions for eliminating the problems encountered. The Training and Doctrine Command's annual Drill Sergeant of the Year award is named after Ailes. Ailes came under heavy criticism by both Democrats and Republicans in early 1965 when he sought funding from a U.S. Senate appropriations subcommittee for what was quickly derided as the "Instant Veteran Program". As critics summarized the Ailes proposal, up to "8,000 young men incapable of meeting the minimum physical and mental requirements for military service" would be still be inducted into the U.S. and "could serve one day and then be discharged as a veteran, eligible for veterans' benefits available to service men who had completed long periods in uniform." Ailes testified that the plan (which the subcommittee declined to endorse) would cost $31,300,000 in its first year in 1965 dollars, the equivalent of $235 million fifty years later. From 1965 to 1970, Ailes was head of the Federal City Council, a group of business, civic, education, and other leaders interested in economic development in Washington, D.C.;

Personal life

Ailes married Helen 'Nellie' Wales on June 24, 1939. and had four children. He died on June 30, 2001, from a stroke at his home in

Bethesda, Maryland Bethesda () is an unincorporated, census-designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. Located just northwest of Washington, D.C., it is a major business and government center of the Washington metropolitan region ...

. He is buried in his home town of Romney at Indian Mound Cemetery. Indian Mound Cemetery Romney WV 2013 07 13 15

References

External links

Stephen Ailes at West Virginia University
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ailes, Stephen 1912 births 2001 deaths 20th-century American lawyers American people of Welsh descent Burials at Indian Mound Cemetery Cornwell family Episcopal High School (Alexandria, Virginia) alumni Kennedy administration personnel Lawyers from Washington, D.C. Lyndon B. Johnson administration personnel Lawyers from Bethesda, Maryland People from Romney, West Virginia Princeton University alumni United States Secretaries of the Army United States Under Secretaries of the Army West Virginia lawyers West Virginia University College of Law alumni West Virginia University College of Law faculty