A former U.S Secretary of State and national security advisor, Henry Kissinger, who fled Nazi Germany as a young man and went on to become one of the most significant and divisive foreign policy figures in American history, is dead.
He was one hundred years old.
Mr. Kissinger passed away at his Connecticut home, according to a statement released by Kissinger Associates, his consulting business.
The cause of death was not disclosed by the company.
The former U.S Secretary of State was synonymous with foreign policy in the 1970s.
He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his role in bringing an end to US military involvement in the Vietnam War. He is also recognized for having played a key role in President Richard Nixon’s visit to communist China in 1972 and other acts of covert diplomacy that helped open up the country to the West and the United States.
Kissinger also commanded attention well beyond the realm of international diplomacy.
Kissinger is survived by his wife, Nancy, two children from his first marriage, Elizabeth and David, and five grandchildren.
Former President George W. Bush remembered Kissinger for “his wisdom, his charm, and his humor.”
He said “I have long admired the man who fled the Nazis as a young boy from a Jewish family, then fought them in the United States Army. When he later became Secretary of State, his appointment as a former refugee said as much about his greatness as it did America’s greatness,” he said in a statement. “He worked in the Administrations of two Presidents and counseled many more. I am grateful for that service and advice, but I am most grateful for his friendship.”
