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| Ed Derwinski | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 1st United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs | |
| In office March 15, 1989 – September 26, 1992 | |
| President | George H. W. Bush |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Jesse Brown |
| Administrator of Veterans Affairs | |
| In office January 21, 1989 – March 15, 1989 | |
| President | George H. W. Bush |
| Preceded by | Thomas Turnage |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished |
| 8th Under Secretary of State for International Security Affairs | |
| In office March 24, 1987 – January 21, 1989 | |
| President | Ronald Reagan |
| Preceded by | William Schneider |
| Succeeded by | Reginald Bartholomew |
| 22nd Counselor of the United States Department of State | |
| In office March 23, 1983 – March 24, 1987 | |
| President | Ronald Reagan |
| Preceded by | James L. Buckley |
| Succeeded by | Max Kampelman |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois's 4th district | |
| In office January 3, 1959 – January 3, 1983 | |
| Preceded by | William E. McVey |
| Succeeded by | George M. O'Brien |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Edward Joseph Derwinski (1926-09-15)September 15, 1926 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | January 15, 2012(2012-01-15) (aged 85) Oak Brook, Illinois, U.S. |
| Resting place | Arlington National Cemetery |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Patricia van der Giessen Bonnie Hickey |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Loyola University, Chicago (BS) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  United States Army |
| Years of service | 1944–1946 |
| Unit | Infantry |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
Edward Joseph Derwinski (September 15, 1926 – January 15, 2012) was an American politician who served as the first Cabinet-level United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs, serving under President George H. W. Bush from March 15, 1989 to September 26, 1992. He previously served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1959 to 1983, representing south and southwest suburbs of Chicago.
Early life
He was born in Chicago, Illinois, on September 15, 1926, to Sophia Zmijewski and Casimir Ignatius Derwinski, who died in 1947. He attended Loyola University of Chicago. Derwinski served in the United States Army in the Pacific Theater during World War II and in the postwar U.S. occupation of Japan. He graduated from Loyola University Chicago in 1951. He was a celebrated member of Alpha Delta Gamma National Fraternity.
Legislative career
In 1957, he was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives, where he served one term before winning election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1958. He served 12 terms as a Republican representative from the 4th District of Illinois, a suburban region south and west of Chicago, eventually becoming ranking member of the House Foreign Relations Committee. He also served as a delegate to the United Nations General Assembly 1971–1972 and as chairman of the U.S. delegation to the Interparliamentary Union from 1970–1972 and 1978-1980.
Executive career
A Democratic redistricting plan after the 1980 Census carved up the 4th District, with only about 15% of its territory being retained and added to various territory from other districts; Derwinski and fellow Republican congressman George M. O'Brien were placed in the same district, and O'Brien won the 1982 primary on the strength of having more of his previous district included in the new configuration. After Derwinski's loss, President Ronald Reagan appointed him Counselor to the State Department. In 1987, Reagan appointed him Under Secretary of State for Security Assistance, Science and Technology, where he served until the end of Reagan's term, shortly after which he was appointed Administrator of Veterans Affairs, in charge of the Veterans Administration, which was elevated to cabinet-level status as the Department of Veterans Affairs in 1989, making Derwinski the first Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
Advocacy
A Polish American, Derwinski was noted for his efforts on behalf of Eastern Europe throughout his career. Notably, he aided in the rehabilitation of the Serbian Royalist general Draža Mihailović. Mihailović had received the Legion of Merit for his resistance efforts against the Axis—but this information was marked "secret" at the behest of the State Department so as not to harm relations with Marshal Tito, the current ruler of Yugoslavia in 1967. Tito was Mihailović's rival in World War II, and after Tito's forces emerged triumphant, Mihailović was accused of collaboration with the Nazis and executed. At the urging of airmen involved in Operation Halyard who had been saved by Mihailović's forces and had heard rumors of the award to him, Derwinski insisted that the State Department make the text of President Truman's citation public, confirming that Mihailović had not collaborated. Derwinski served as head of "Ethnic Americans for Dole/Kemp" during the 1996 presidential election.
Post-politics
Derwinski resided in Glen Ellyn, Illinois with his wife, the former Bonita Hickey, known as Bonnie. He had two adult children, Maureen and Michael, from his first marriage to Patricia Derwinski.
Derwinski died in a nursing home from Merkel cell carcinoma, on January 15, 2012, at age 85. He was buried in Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia.
On learning of his death, former United States Senator Peter Fitzgerald (R-IL) described Derwinski as "a giant in Illinois politics e had incredible connections in all the different ethnic neighborhoods in Chicago, he was really loved by everybody on both sides".
References
- "Edward J. Derwinski, first secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs, dies". The Washington Post. January 18, 2012.
- Freeman, Gregory A. (September 2007). The Forgotten 500. London: Penguin Books. p. 271. ISBN 978-0-451-22212-1.
- "Edward J. Derwinski, first secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs, dies". The Washington Post. January 18, 2012.
External links
- United States Congress. "Ed Derwinski (id: D000269)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
- Congressional Record: Tribute to Ed Derwinski by Dan Rostenkowski, May 17, 1990
- Appearances on C-SPAN
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded byWilliam McVey | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois's 4th congressional district 1959–1983 |
Succeeded byGeorge O'Brien |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded byJames Buckley | Counselor of the United States Department of State 1983–1987 |
Succeeded byMax Kampelman |
| Preceded byWilliam Schneider | Undersecretary of State for International Security Affairs 1987–1989 |
Succeeded byReginald Bartholomew |
| Preceded byThomas Turnage | Administrator of Veterans Affairs 1989 |
Position abolished |
| New office | United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs 1989–1992 |
Succeeded byJesse Brown |
| United States secretaries of veterans affairs | ||
|---|---|---|
|
# denotes acting secretary |  | |
| Administrators of Veterans Affairs (1930–1989) | |
|---|---|
| United States Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Affairs | ||
|---|---|---|
| Under Secretary of State for International Security Affairs 1972–1993 |  | |
| Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Affairs 1993–present | ||
| Illinois's delegation(s) to the 86th–97th United States Congresses (ordered by seniority) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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- 1926 births
- 2012 deaths
- United States Army personnel of World War II
- American people of Polish descent
- Deaths from cancer in Illinois
- Deaths from Merkel-cell carcinoma
- George H. W. Bush administration cabinet members
- Republican Party members of the Illinois House of Representatives
- Military personnel from Illinois
- Politicians from Chicago
- Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Illinois
- United States Army soldiers
- United States Department of Veterans Affairs officials
- United States secretaries of veterans affairs
- United States Under Secretaries of State
- Burials at Arlington National Cemetery
- 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives