Henry Kissinger, Former Diplomat And Presidential Adviser, Dies At 100

KENT, CT — Former diplomat and presidential adviser Henry Kissinger died Wednesday at his home in Connecticut, his consulting firm Kissinger Associates said in a news release. Kissinger was 100.

Kissinger was born in southern Germany in 1923. His father was a teacher, and his family fled Nazi Germany, coming to America in 1938. He became an American citizen in 1943, serving in the 84th Army Division from 1943-1946. Kissinger was awarded the Bronze Star for his "meritorious service," and later served in the Counter Intelligence Corps in occupied Germany. He was in the U.S. Army Reserves until 1959.

In the United States, Kissinger earned his bachelor's, master's, and PhD degrees from Harvard University, where he taught international relations for nearly two decades.

In 1969, Kissinger was appointed as National Security Advisor by President Richard Nixon. He later served as Secretary of State under Nixon and President Gerald Ford. During those years, he played key roles in opening to China, negotiating the end of the Yom Kippur War in the Middle East, and helping to bring America's role in the Vietnam War to a close.

In 1973, Kissinger was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, with a Gallup Poll of Americans listing him as the most admired person in the world. Four years later, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom — the nation’s highest civilian honor — and the Medal of Liberty, given one time to ten foreign-born American leaders, in 1986.

Kissinger marked his 100th birthday in May. Leading up to his birthday, David Kissinger wrote in The Washington Post that his father’s centenary “might have an air of inevitability for anyone familiar with his force of character and love of historical symbolism."

"Not only has he outlived most of his peers, eminent detractors and students, but he has also remained indefatigably active throughout his 90s," David Kissinger said.

Henry Kissinger wrote not one but two books during the pandemic, and had begun work on a third, his son said. He coauthored a book about artificial intelligence in 2021 called "The Age of AI: And Our Human Future," and has warned that governments should prepare for the potential risks with the technology. He also wrote a new book, out last year, titled "Leadership: Six Studies in World Strategy."

"My father’s longevity is especially miraculous when one considers the health regimen he has followed throughout his adult life, which includes a diet heavy on bratwurst and Wiener schnitzel, a career of relentlessly stressful decision-making, and a love of sports purely as a spectator, never a participant," David Kissinger said.

Henry Kissinger is survived by his wife of nearly 50 years, Nancy Maginnes Kissinger, two children by his first marriage, David and Elizabeth, and five grandchildren.

He will be interred at a private family service. A memorial service is planned at a later date in New York City. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests considering donations to: Animal Medical Center, Development Office, 510 East 62nd Street, New York, NY 10065 or Henry A. Kissinger Center for Global Affairs, Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, 1717 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20036.

Kissinger spent his later years in Kent, Connecticut, with a home office surrounded by acres of books, the New York Post wrote last year. Even as he prepared to turn 100, he spent much of his time thinking of his early days.

“Those were crucial moments in my life,” he told the Post. “I came from a situation in which I was part of a persecuted minority that had no civil rights that was obliged to live in isolation into a country where no matter where you were obliged to start, you had the vision of a better future and you were free to express yourself.”

“I wrote an essay when I first came here,” he added. “I wrote that, of course, I missed the family and friends I was obliged to leave behind, but when I thought that I could walk across American streets with my head erect and without fear, and with the ability to have my own future, I was very happy to … join such a society.”

Kissinger said that other than living in America, his greatest honor was being invited to the White House to discuss foreign policy by every sitting president since Richard Nixon, including Barack Obama and Donald Trump.