Robert McNamara.

Robert Strange McNamara was born on June 9, 1916 in San Francisco, California. Graduating from Piedmont High School in 1933, he achieved a straight A average. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in mathematics and philosophy from UC Berkeley in 1937 and a Master’s from Harvard Business School in 1939. From 1940 to 1943, he taught at Harvard before joining the Army Air Force.

Henry Ford II hired Robert McNamara after World War II to modernize Ford Motor Company. He became a director in 1957 and president in 1960. His tenure at Ford was brief because President John F. Kennedy appointed him Secretary of Defense in January 1961. During the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962, he played a key role. As the Vietnam War escalated, McNamara’s doubts grew, leading to his resignation on February 29, 1968. He then served as president of the World Bank from April 1968 to 1981.

Robert McNamara married twice. He married Margaret Craig in 1940; they divorced in 1981. He later married Diana Masieri in 2004, who survived him. He had one child, Robert Craig McNamara. McNamara died on July 6, 2009 in Washington, D.C. at age 93; the cause of death was not disclosed.

Robert McNamara left a complex legacy as the longest-serving U.S. Secretary of Defense. He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, Defense Distinguished Service Medal, and Legion of Merit. Many credit his role in the Cuban Missile Crisis with averting nuclear war, while his later opposition to the Vietnam War influenced public debate. He was inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame in 1995 and featured in the documentary The Fog of War. He is remembered for his key role in Cold War defense policy.