Charles E. Saltzman

Charles Eskridge Saltzman (September 19, 1903 – June 16, 1994) was an American soldier, businessman and State Department official.

Early life and education Saltzman was born on September 19, 1903, in Zamboanga City in the Philippines, where his father, Charles McKinley Saltzman, was a captain in the Signal Corps of the United States Army, serving on the staff of Major General Leonard Wood. His mother was Mary Peyton (née Eskridge) Saltzman (the niece of brevet Brig. Gen. Hazard Stevens and the granddaughter of Army general Isaac Stevens). Saltzman's father's military career meant that he lived in a variety of places growing up: the Philippines, Washington, D.C., New York City, and Panama.

When Saltzman was five years old, in September 1908, he was present at Fort Myer for the Wright brothers' demonstration of manned flight in an event arranged by Saltzman's father. Saltzman's father served as chairman of the Federal Radio Commission from 1930 to 1932.

Saltzman's National Guard unit was called to active service in October 1940. After the Attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, he was appointed assistant to the chief signal officer in the United States Department of War. He was posted overseas in May 1942, first in London, then in North Africa, where he served on the staff of Lt. Gen. Mark W. Clark. He was Lt. Gen. Clark's deputy chief of staff, first in North Africa, and later in Italy. He stayed in Europe after the war as part of the Allied occupation of Austria, returning to the U.S. and leaving the military in 1946. He remained a member of the Reserves until 1955, retiring with the rank of major general.

Personal life Saltzman was married three times and had three children. After sixteen years of marriage, they divorced in 1947. They were the parents of:

Charles McKinley Saltzman II (b. 1937), a Harvard graduate who became the headmaster of the Madeira School in McLean, Virginia (after the previous Head Mistress Jean Harris, was arrested for the murder of Herman Tarnower).

On September 25, 1947, he was married to Cynthia Southall Myrick (b. 1921) at Christ Methodist Church on Park Avenue in New York City. Cynthia was a daughter of Marian Susan Washburn and Julian Southall Myrick, president of the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company. They remained married until 1969 and were the parents of:

Cynthia Myrick Saltzman (b. 1949), Richard Stevens Saltzman (1951–1965)

In 1978, he married Clotilde (née Knapp) McCormick (1908–2004), the former Countess von Francken-Sierstorpff.

Saltzman died from a heart attack at his home in New York on June 16, 1994.

Honors and legacy Saltzman was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, the Order of the British Empire, the Croix de Guerre, the Polish Cross of Merit, the Order of the Crown of Italy and the Brazilian War Medal.