Ed Derwinski

Ed Derwinski
1st United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs
In office March 15, 1989 – September 26, 1992
President	George H. W. Bush
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Jesse Brown
Administrator of Veterans Affairs
In office January 21, 1989 – March 15, 1989
President	George H. W. Bush
Preceded by	Thomas Turnage
Succeeded by	Position abolished
Undersecretary of State for International Security Affairs
In office March 24, 1987 – January 21, 1989
President	Ronald Reagan
Preceded by	William Schneider
Succeeded by	Reginald Bartholomew
Counselor of the United States Department of State
In office March 23, 1983 – March 24, 1987
President	Ronald Reagan
Preceded by	James Buckley
Succeeded by	Max Kampelman
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois's 4th district
In office January 3, 1959 – January 3, 1983
Preceded by	William McVey
Succeeded by	George O'Brien
Personal details
Born	Edward Joseph Derwinski (1926-09-15)September 15, 1926 Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Died	January 15, 2012(2012-01-15) (aged 85) Oak Brook, Illinois, U.S.
Resting place	Arlington National Cemetery
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Patricia van der Giessen Bonnie Hickey
Children	2
Education	Loyola University, Chicago (BS)
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Army
Years of service	1944–1946
Unit	Infantry
Battles/wars	World War II

Edward Joseph "Ed" Derwinski (September 15, 1926 – January 15, 2012) was an American politician who served as the first Cabinet-level United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs, serving under President George H. W. Bush from March 15, 1989 to September 26, 1992. He previously served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1959 to 1983, representing south and southwest suburbs of Chicago.

Early life

He was born in Chicago, Illinois, on September 15, 1926, to Sophia Zmijewski and Casimir Ignatius Derwinski, who died in 1947. Derwinski attended Loyola University of Chicago. Derwinski served in the United States Army in the Pacific Theater during World War II and in the postwar U.S. occupation of Japan. He graduated from Loyola University Chicago in 1951. He was a celebrated member of Alpha Delta Gamma National Fraternity.

Member of the House of Representatives

In 1957, he was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives, where he served one term before winning election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1958. He served 12 terms as a Republican representative from the 4th District of Illinois, a suburban region south and west of Chicago, eventually becoming ranking member of the House Foreign Relations Committee. He also served as a delegate to the United Nations General Assembly 1971-1972 and as chairman of the U.S. delegation to the Interparliamentary Union from 1970–1972 and 1978-1980.

First Secretary of Veterans Affairs

A Democratic redistricting plan after the 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 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 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.

Advocacy

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 Serbian Royalist general Draža Mihailović. Mihailović had received the Legion of Merit for his resistance efforts against the Axis—but this information was marked "secret" at the behest of the State Department so as not to harm relations with Marshal Tito, the current ruler of 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. Derwinski served as head of "Ethnic Americans for Dole/Kemp" during the 1996 presidential election.

Post-politics

Derwinski resided in Glen Ellyn, Illinois with his wife, the former Bonita Hickey, known as Bonnie. He had two adult children, Maureen and Michael, from his first marriage to Patricia Derwinski.

On January 15, 2012, Derwinski died at a nursing home from Merkel cell carcinoma, a rare form of skin cancer. He was 85 years old. Derwinski was buried in Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia.

On learning of his death, former United States Senator 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".

External links

• United States Congress. "Ed Derwinski (id: D000269)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
• Congressional Record: Tribute to Ed Derwinski by Dan Rostenkowski, May 17, 1990