David Manker Abshire

David Manker Abshire (April 11, 1926 – October 31, 2014) was an American politician who served as a Special Counselor to President Ronald Reagan and was the United States Permanent Representative to NATO from 1983 to 1987. Abshire presided over the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress.

In July 2002, he was elected President of the Richard Lounsbery Foundation of New York. He was a member of the exclusive Alfalfa Club.

Abshire was a Republican and the author of seven books, the most recent being A Call to Greatness: Challenging Our Next President, which was published in 2008. Abshire was married and had five children.

He was a member of the advisory council of the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation and sat on the advisory board of America Abroad Media.

Background

Early life Abshire was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, on April 11, 1926.

Education and early career He graduated from The Bright School in 1938, and Baylor School in Chattanooga in 1944.

Abshire graduated from the US Military Academy at West Point in 1951. Till 1977 he worked as administrator in the Advisory Board at St. Albans School and in the Board of Advisors at Naval War College.

During the transition of government in 1980, Abshire was asked by President-elect Reagan to head the National Security Group, which included the State and Defense Departments, the U.S. Information Agency, and the Central Intelligence Agency. He served for nine years on the board of Procter & Gamble.

Ambassador to NATO In 1983–1987 Abshire was Ambassador to NATO where, in reaction to the threat posed by Soviet SS-20 missiles, he was appointed to oversee the deployment of Pershing and Cruise missiles. For his service, he was given the Distinguished Public Service Medal.

Special Counselor to President Reagan Abshire was recalled as the Iran-Contra Affair unfolded to serve as Special Counselor to President Reagan with Cabinet rank. His charge was to assure a full investigation of the sale of arms to Iran so as to restore the confidence of the nation in the Reagan presidency.

Honors Doctor of Humane Letters from Virginia Theological Seminary in 1992. Distinguished Graduate Award of the United States Military Academy. Order of Diplomatic Service Merit Heung-In Medal (Korea) Insignia of the Commander, First Class, Order of the Lion of Finland Order of the Liberator (Argentina) in 1999. Order of the Sacred Treasure Gold and Silver Star (Japan) in 2001. Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service. Presidential Citizens Medal – Awarded in 1989 by President Ronald Reagan. Doctor of Civil Law, honoris causa, from the University Georgetown in 2006. He is survived by his wife of 56 years, the former Carolyn Sample, his son, Lupton, his daughters Anna Bowman, Mary Lee Jensvold, Phyliis d'Hoop and Carolyn Hall. He has 11 grandchildren.

Books National Security: Political, Military, and Economic Strategies in the Decade Ahead, 1963. . The South Rejects a Prophet: The Life of Senator D. M. Key, 1824–1900, Praeger, 1967. . International Broadcasting: A New Dimension of Western Diplomacy, 1976. . . Foreign Policy Makers: President vs. Congress, 1979. . . Preventing World War III: A Realistic Grand Strategy, 1988. . Putting America's House in Order: The Nation as a Family (with Brock Brower), 1996. . . Saving the Reagan Presidency: Trust Is the Coin of the Realm (with Richard E. Neustadt), 2005. . . A Call to Greatness: Challenging Our Next President, 2008. . .