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Robert Ellsworth
Robert Ellsworth
Robert Ellsworth
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Robert Fred Ellsworth (June 11, 1926 – May 9, 2011)[1] was an American legislator and diplomat. He served as the United States Permanent Representative to NATO (an ambassadorial-level appointment) between 1969 and 1971.[2] He had previously served three terms as a Republican Member of Congress from Kansas, from 1961 to 1967, and as an Assistant to the President during the presidency of Richard Nixon; under President Gerald Ford, he was Deputy Secretary of Defense.[1] Ellsworth also served as assistant to the chairman of the Federal Maritime Commission.[3]

Key Information

Life and career

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Ellsworth was born in Lawrence, Kansas, and was educated in the public schools of that city. He served in the United States Navy during World War II and the Korean War. In 1945, he was graduated with a baccalaureate in engineering from the University of Kansas, where he had been a member of the Alpha Nu chapter of the Beta Theta Pi collegiate fraternity. He then studied law at the University of Michigan Law School, from which he was graduated in 1949; he practiced law in Lawrence, Kansas, and in Springfield, Massachusetts.

The retired ambassador was admitted to the Order of Saint John as a knight of honor in 1995.[4]

While serving as a congressman for Kansas's 1st congressional district, Ellsworth voted present for the 24th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.[5] However, during his tenure as representative for Kansas's 3rd congressional district, Ellsworth voted in favor of the Civil Rights Acts of 1964[6] and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.[7]

On November 9, 2010, Ellsworth provided commentary to KFMB regarding an unexplained vapor trail in the airspace off the coast of Los Angeles which, at the time, was widely speculated to be a missile launch.[8] He cautioned the news crew to wait for definitive answers from the military, then went on to theorize: "It could be a test firing of an intercontinental ballistic missile from a submarine, an underwater submarine, to demonstrate, mainly to Asia, that we could do that."[8]

Ellsworth died in Encinitas, California: near the small city of Solana Beach, where he had founded and directed a research firm, Hamilton BioVentures.[9]

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Robert Ellsworth

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Robert Ellsworth was an American politician and diplomat known for his service as a U.S. Representative from Kansas, U.S. Ambassador to NATO, and Deputy Secretary of Defense during the Nixon and Ford administrations. He was recognized for his independent foreign-policy views, often diverging from party lines when he believed U.S. national interests were better served by pragmatic approaches. Born on June 11, 1926, in Lawrence, Kansas, Ellsworth graduated with a Bachelor of Science in engineering from the University of Kansas and earned a law degree from the University of Michigan School of Law. He served as a U.S. Navy officer during World War II in the Pacific theater and again during the Korean War, leaving active duty as a lieutenant commander. After practicing law and holding positions in government and academia, he was elected as a Republican to the U.S. House of Representatives from Kansas's 3rd district, serving three terms from 1961 to 1967. Ellsworth played a significant role in Republican administrations, serving as national political director for Richard Nixon's 1968 presidential campaign and later as assistant to the president and U.S. Ambassador to NATO from 1969 to 1971, where he worked to maintain alliance cohesion amid U.S.-Soviet arms negotiations. He subsequently held investment banking roles before returning to the Defense Department as Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs in 1974 and then as Deputy Secretary of Defense from December 1975 to January 1977. He was the first and only person to serve as the second Deputy Secretary of Defense (a position created in 1972 and eliminated in 1977), where he oversaw intelligence reorganization and defended Pentagon programs against congressional reductions. In later years, he chaired the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London and advised on national security matters. Ellsworth died on May 9, 2011, in Encinitas, California.

Early life

Family background

Robert F. Ellsworth was born on June 11, 1926, in Lawrence, Kansas. He was the son of Fred Ellsworth, a leader in the fight against the Ku Klux Klan in Kansas. His family was staunchly Republican, with roots in antislavery principles.

Career

Early career and entry into politics

After leaving active duty in the U.S. Navy in 1953 as a lieutenant commander, Ellsworth served as assistant to the vice chairman of the Federal Maritime Board. He taught at the Kansas School of Business from 1954 to 1955 and maintained a private law practice in Lawrence, Kansas, from 1955 to 1961. During the 1950s, he chaired the Republican central committee of Douglas County, Kansas.

U.S. House of Representatives

Ellsworth was elected as a Republican to the U.S. House of Representatives from Kansas's 3rd congressional district in 1960, defeating the Democratic incumbent. He served three terms from January 1961 to January 1967, known for his independent foreign-policy views that sometimes diverged from strict party lines. In 1966, he unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate.

Nixon administration

Ellsworth served as national political director for Richard Nixon's 1968 presidential campaign and was one of six advisors who helped select Spiro T. Agnew as the vice-presidential running mate. In 1969, he was appointed Assistant to the President by Nixon and later that year became U.S. Ambassador to NATO, where he worked to maintain alliance cohesion during U.S.-Soviet arms negotiations.

Private sector interlude

From 1971 to 1974, Ellsworth worked in investment banking at Lazard Frères.

Department of Defense roles

In 1974, Ellsworth returned to government as Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs. He was appointed Deputy Secretary of Defense in December 1975, serving until January 1977 under Presidents Nixon and Ford—the second person to hold this position. In this role, he oversaw intelligence reorganization and defended Pentagon programs, particularly espionage budgets, against congressional reductions.

Later career

After leaving government, Ellsworth chaired the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London and served on the boards of the Nixon Center and Nixon Foundation. He wrote on national security issues and later expressed opposition to the Iraq War, endorsing Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama in 2008 based on pragmatic assessments of U.S. interests.

Personal life

Marriage and family

Robert Ellsworth's first marriage ended in divorce. He later married the Rev. Eleanor Lynch Biscoe. He had a daughter, Ann Ellsworth Dowell, and a son, William, from his first marriage. From his second marriage, he had three stepchildren: stepsons John S. Dempster III and Will Biscoe, and stepdaughter Sara Duke Biscoe. He was also survived by four grandchildren and a brother, Stephen.

Death

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