Donald Rumsfeld, Secretary Of Defense For 2 Presidents, Dies

TAOS, NM — Donald Rumsfeld, the former U.S. secretary of defense under two presidents, has died. His family confirmed the death at his New Mexico home Wednesday afternoon. He was 88.

"It is with deep sadness that we share the news of the passing of Donald Rumsfeld, an American statesman and devoted husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather," his family said in a statement posted to Twitter.

"History may remember him for his extraordinary accomplishments over six decades of public service," the statement continued, "but for those who knew him best and whose lives were forever changed as a result, we will remember his love for his wife, Joyce, his family and friends, and the integrity he brought to a life dedicated to country."

Rumsfeld served as both the 13th and 21st secretary of defense, first from 1975 to 1977 under President Gerald Ford, and then from 2001 to 2006 under President George W. Bush.

He was also chief of staff during the Ford presidency and previously served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois.

Rumsfeld grew up in Winnetka, Illinois, and graduated from New Trier High School. The school honored him in 2011 with its alumni achievement award.

Rumsfeld is the only person to serve twice as Pentagon chief. Under Ford, he was the youngest ever. Under Bush, he was the oldest.

He made a brief run for the 1988 Republican presidential nomination, a spectacular flop that he once described as humbling for a man used to success at the highest levels of the government, including stints as White House chief of staff, U.S. ambassador and member of Congress. George H.W. Bush, the father of Rumsfeld's future boss, won the Republican nomination that year.

For all Rumsfeld’s achievements, it was the setbacks in Iraq in the twilight of his career that will likely etch the most vivid features of his legacy.

Nine months into his second tour as defense secretary, on Sept. 11, 2001, suicide hijackers attacked the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon, thrusting the nation into wars for which the military was ill-prepared. Rumsfeld oversaw the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan and toppling of the Taliban regime. Frequently presiding at televised briefings on the war, Rumsfeld became something of a TV star, applauded for his blunt talk and uncompromising style.

By 2002, the Bush administration’s attention shifted to Iraq, which played no role in the Sept. 11 attacks. The war effort in Afghanistan took a back seat to Iraq, opening the way for the Taliban to make a comeback and prevent the U.S. from sealing the success of its initial invasion.

The U.S.-led invasion of Iraq was launched in March 2003. Baghdad fell quickly, but U.S. and allied forces soon became consumed with a violent insurgency. Critics faulted Rumsfeld for dismissing the pre-invasion assessment of the Army’s top general, Eric Shinseki, that several hundred thousand allied troops would be needed to stabilize Iraq.

Rumsfeld twice offered his resignation to President George W. Bush in 2004 amid disclosures that U.S. troops had abused detainees at Iraq’s Abu Ghraib prison — an episode he later referred to as his darkest hour as defense secretary.

Not until November 2006, after Democrats gained control of Congress by riding a wave of antiwar sentiment, did Bush finally decide Rumsfeld had to go. He left office in December, replaced by Robert Gates.

In 2013, Rumsfeld published a book, "Rumsfeld's Rules: Leadership Lessons in Business, Politics, War, and Life." In it is "hundreds of pithy, compelling, and often humorous observations about leadership, business, and life," according to his website.

Among them: "Simply because a problem is shown to exist doesn’t necessarily follow that there is a solution."

Rumsfeld is survived by his wife, Joyce, three children and seven grandchildren.

The Associated Press contributed reporting.

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