The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001-07.
Haig, Alexander Meigs, Jr.
1924–, American general and public official, U.S. Secretary of State (1981–82), b. Philadelphia, grad. West Point, 1947. He served in Korea (1950–51) and held several staff positions, including military assistant to the Secretary of the Army (1964), before serving in Vietnam (1966–67). As military adviser to Henry Kissinger (1969–73) he became an important member of the National Security Council staff. During the later stages of the Watergate affair he served as President Nixon’s civilian chief of staff (1973–74). A four-star general, he served as Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s forces (1974–79). In 1981 he became President Reagan’s Secretary of State. His sudden resignation (1982) was attributed to disagreements over foreign policy. In 1988, he ran unsuccessfully for the Republican presidential nomination.
