Ed Derwinski: Difference between revisions

{{Infobox Officeholderofficeholder

|image name = Ed derwinski.jpgDerwinski

|order image = 1stEd derwinski.jpg

| order = 1st
| office = United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs

| president = [[George H. W. Bush]]

| term_start = March 15, 1989

| term_end = September 26, 1992

| predecessor = ''Position established''

| successor = [[Jesse Brown]]

| office1 = [[Administrator of Veterans Affairs]]

| president1 = [[George H. W. Bush]]

| term_start1 = January 21, 1989

| term_end1 = March 15, 1989

| predecessor1 = [[Thomas TurnageK. (politician)Turnage|Thomas Turnage]]

| successor1 = Position abolished

| office2 = 8th [[Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Affairs|UndersecretaryUnder Secretary of State for International Security Affairs]]

| president2 = [[Ronald Reagan]]

| term_start2 = March 24, 1987

| term_end2 = January 21, 1989

| predecessor2 = [[William Schneider, Jr.|William Schneider]]

| successor2 = [[Reginald Bartholomew]]

| office3 = [[Counselor of the United States Department of State]]

| president3 = [[Ronald Reagan]]

| term_start3 = March 23, 1983

| term_end3 = March 24, 1987

| predecessor3 = [[James L. Buckley|James Buckley]]

| successor3 = [[Max Kampelman]]

| state4 = [[Illinois]]

| district4 = {{ushr|IL|4|4th}}

| term_start4 = January 3, 1959

| term_end4 = January 3, 1983

| predecessor4 = [[William E. McVey|William McVey]]

| successor4 = [[George M. O'Brien|George O'Brien]]

| birth_name = Edward Joseph Derwinski

| birth_date = {{birth date|1926|9|15}}

| birth_place = [[Chicago]], [[Illinois]], U.S.

| death_date = {{nowrap|{{death date and age|2012|1|15|1926|9|15}}}}

| death_place = [[Oak Brook, Illinois|Oak Brook]], [[Illinois]], U.S.

| restingplace = [[Arlington National Cemetery]]

| party = [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]

| spouse = Patricia van der Giessen<br/>Bonnie Hickey

| children = 2

| education = [[Loyola University Chicago|Loyola University, Chicago]] ([[Bachelor of Science|BS]])

| allegiance = {{flag|United States|1912}}

| branch = {{army|United States}}

| serviceyears = 1944–1946

| unit = [[Infantry]]

| battles = [[World War II]]

==PoliticalLegislative career==

A [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] [[redistricting]] plan after the [[United States Census, 1980|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 [[United States House elections, 1982|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 [[United States Department of State|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.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/congress/edward-j-derwinski-first-secretary-of-the-department-of-veterans-affairs-dies/2012/01/18/gIQA5IlL9P_story.html|title=Edward J. Derwinski, first secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs, dies|worknewspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=January 18, 2012}}</ref>

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 [[Serbia]]n Royalist general [[Draža Mihailović]]. Mihailović had received the [[Legion of Merit]] for his resistance efforts against the Axis&mdash;but this information was marked "[[Security clearance#Secret|secret]]" at the behest of the [[United States Department of State|State Department]] so as not to harm relations with Marshal [[Josip Tito|Tito]], the current ruler of [[Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia|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.<ref>{{cite book|last=Freeman|first=Gregory A.|title=The Forgotten 500|date=September 2007|publisher=Penguin Books|location=80 Strand, London|isbn=978-0-451-22212-1|page=271}}</ref> Derwinski served as head of "Ethnic Americans for [[Bob Dole|Dole]]/[[Jack Kemp|Kemp]]" during the [[1996 United States presidential election|1996 presidential election]].

On January 15, 2012, Derwinski died atin a nursing home from [[Merkel cell carcinoma]], aon rareJanuary form15, of2012, skinat cancer. He wasage 85 years old.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/congress/edward-j-derwinski-first-secretary-of-the-department-of-veterans-affairs-dies/2012/01/18/gIQA5IlL9P_story.html|title=Edward J. Derwinski, first secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs, dies|worknewspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=January 18, 2012}}</ref> Derwinski was buried in [[Arlington National Cemetery]] in [[Arlington, Virginia]].

On learning of his death, former United States Senator [[Peter Fitzgerald (politician)|Peter Fitzgerald]] (R-IL) described Derwinski as ''"a giant in Illinois politics [...] [H]e had incredible connections in all the different ethnic neighborhoods in Chicago, he was really loved by everybody on both sides"''.

*[http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?r101:E17MY0-507: Congressional Record: Tribute to Ed Derwinski by Dan Rostenkowski]{{Dead link|date=August 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, May 17, 1990

*{{C-SPAN|EdwardDerwinski4878}}

[[Category:Republican Party members of the Illinois RepublicansHouse of Representatives]]

[[Category:Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Illinois]]

[[Category:Burials_at_Arlington_National_CemeteryBurials at Arlington National Cemetery]]