American Philosophical Society
Member History

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Residency
Resident (1)
1Name:  The Honorable Robert S. McNamara
 Institution:  The World Bank
 Year Elected:  1981
 Class:  5. The Arts, Professions, and Leaders in Public & Private Affairs
 Subdivision:  503. Administrators, Bankers and Opinion Leaders from the Public or Private Sectors
 Residency:  Resident
 Living? :   Deceased
 Birth Date:  1916
 Death Date:  July 6, 2009
   
 
Born in San Francisco in 1916, Robert S. McNamara graduated from the University of California in 1937 and received an MBA degree from Harvard University in 1939. In 1940 he returned to Harvard to become an instructor and later assistant professor of business administration. He was commissioned a captain in the air force in 1943 and served in the United Kingdom, India, China, and the Pacific. He was awarded the Legion of Merit and promoted to lieutenant colonel before going on inactive duty in 1946. Upon discharge from the air force, Mr. McNamara joined the Ford Motor Company. He was elected director of the company in 1957 and president of the company in 1960. Just weeks after assuming the latter position, he agreed, at the request of President-elect John F. Kennedy, to serve as Secretary of Defense of the United States. This eventually became a controversial period for Mr. McNamara, as he became known as one of the primary architects of the Vietnam War. Amidst countless deaths in Southeast Asia and the failure of the government's wartime policies, he resigned the position in 1968 to become president of the World Bank, a position he held until his retirement in 1981. Since his retirement, Mr. McNamara has served on a number of boards of directors for both corporations and non-profit associations. He has written and spoken on many topics including population and development, world hunger, the environment, East-West relations and nuclear arms. Mr. McNamara is the recipient of numerous honorary degrees from colleges and universities in the U.S. and abroad and has received many awards, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom (with Distinction), the Albert Einstein Peace Price, the Franklin D. Roosevelt Freedom from Want Medal, and the Dag Hammarskjold Honorary Medal. He is the author of The Essence of Security; One Hundred Countries, Two Billion People; Out of the Cold; and In Retrospect: The Tragedy and Lessons of Vietnam.
 
Election Year
1981 (1)