Henry Kissinger

Described as

American diplomat and geopolitical advisor, served as U.S. Secretary of State from 1973 to 1977 (1923–2023)

Other names

Henry Alfred Kissinger, Heinz Kissinger, Henry A. Kissinger, Heinz Alfred Kissinger, Kissinger

Born

May 27, 1923 · 10 references

Died

November 29, 2023 · 3 references

Born in

Fürth · 4 references

Died in

Kent · 1 reference

Buried in

Arlington National Cemetery · 1 reference

Name at birth

Heinz Alfred Kissinger · 1 reference

Citizen of

German Reich · 1 reference; United States (1943–) · 2 references

Occupation

politician · 1 reference; political scientist · 1 reference; diplomat; writer; entrepreneur; pedagogue; autobiographer; foreign minister · 1 reference

Positions held

United States National Security Advisor (1969–1975); United States Secretary of State (1973–1977) · 1 reference; Chancellor of the College of William & Mary (2000–2005)

Political party

Republican Party

Worked for

Harvard University; Georgetown University; Kissinger Associates; Rockefeller Brothers Fund (1956–1958)

Education

George Washington Educational Campus (1938–1940) · 1 reference; City College of New York (1941–1943) · 1 reference; Harvard University (1947–1954) · 4 references

Member of

Trilateral Commission; American Academy of Arts and Sciences; Phi Beta Kappa Society; Harlem Globetrotters (1976–2023) · 1 reference; Academy of the Kingdom of Morocco · 1 reference

Awards

Bronze Star Medal (1945) · 1 reference; Guggenheim Fellowship (1965) · 1 reference; Nobel Peace Prize (1973) · 3 references; Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (1976) · 1 reference; Presidential Medal of Freedom (1977) · 2 references; Charlemagne Prize (1987) · 1 reference; Eric M. Warburg Award (1992); Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (1995) · 1 reference; National Book Award (1980); Bavarian Order of Merit; Order of Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk, 1st class; Order of Merit of Baden-Württemberg (2007); Wateler Peace Prize (1975); Ewald von Kleist Prize (2009); Golden Plate Award

Field

international relations; political science · 1 reference; politics · 1 reference; foreign policy · 1 reference; geopolitics · 1 reference; diplomacy · 1 reference

Spouse

Ann Fleischer (1949–1964) · 1 reference; Nancy Kissinger (1974–2023) · 1 reference

Father

Louis Kissinger · 2 references

Mother

Paula Stern · 2 references

Siblings

Walter Kissinger · 1 reference

Religion

Judaism

Military branch

United States Army

Military rank

Sergeant

Height

1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) · 1 reference

Website

https://www.henryakissinger.com/

Wikipedias with a page

144

Wikidata item Q66107 (wikidata.org/wiki/Q66107), public domain (CC0). Copied November 13, 2026.

Henry Alfred Kissinger (May 27, 1923 – November 29, 2023) was an American diplomat, political scientist, and politician. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 7th national security advisor from 1969 to 1975 and as the 56th United States secretary of state from 1973 to 1977, serving under presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford.
Born in Germany, Kissinger emigrated to the United States in 1938 as a Jewish refugee fleeing Nazi persecution. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II. After the war, he attended Harvard University, where he excelled academically. He later became a professor of government at the university and earned an international reputation as an expert on nuclear weapons and foreign policy. He acted as a consultant to government agencies, think tanks, and the presidential campaigns of Nelson Rockefeller and Nixon before being appointed as national security advisor and later secretary of state by President Nixon.
An advocate of a pragmatic approach to geopolitics known as Realpolitik, Kissinger pioneered the policy of détente with the Soviet Union, orchestrated an opening of relations with China, engaged in "shuttle diplomacy" in the Middle East to end the Yom Kippur War, and negotiated the Paris Peace Accords, which ended American involvement in the Vietnam War. For his role in negotiating the accords, he was awarded the 1973 Nobel Peace Prize, which sparked controversy. Kissinger is also associated with controversial U.S. policies including its bombing of Cambodia, involvement in the 1971 Bolivian and 1973 Chilean coups d'état, and support for Argentina's military junta in its Dirty War, Indonesia in its invasion of East Timor, and Pakistan during the Bangladesh Liberation War and Bangladesh genocide. Considered by many American scholars to have been an effective secretary of state, Kissinger was also accused by critics of war crimes for the civilian death toll of the policies he pursued and for his role in facilitating U.S. support for authoritarian regimes.
After leaving government, Kissinger founded Kissinger Associates, an international geopolitical consulting firm which he ran from 1982 until his death. He authored over a dozen books on diplomatic history and international relations. His advice was sought by American presidents of both major political parties.

Born, in its opening lines

May 27, 1923

Died, in its opening lines

November 29, 2023

From the Wikipedia article “Henry Kissinger” (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Kissinger), by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Copied November 13, 2026; not changed.