Helene A. von Damm
| Helene A. von Damm | |
|---|---|
1982
|
|
| United States Ambassador to Austria | |
|
In office May 10, 1983 – January 15, 1986 |
|
| Preceded by | Theodore E. Cummings |
| Succeeded by | Ronald S. Lauder |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
May 4, 1938 Ulmerfeld, Amstetten, Austria |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Charles McDonald; Christian von Damm; Byron Leeds; Peter Gürtler |
| Occupation | Diplomat |
Helene Antonia von Damm (born May 4, 1938) is a former United States diplomat and Ambassador to Austria who also worked as an assistant to President Ronald Reagan.
Helene von Damm was born Helene Antonia Winter in Ulmerfeld (now part of Amstetten), Austria in 1938. She had a tumultuous childhood, marked by the Second World War, the Soviet occupation, and the death of her father from tuberculosis when she was twelve years old. She recalled that she "had a difficult time digesting" the things she witnessed as a child, and dreamed of "a better life in places far away."
In 1958 von Damm married a U.S. Army corporal named Charles McDonald and emigrated to the United States. In 1959 the couple settled in Detroit, where she found work as a typist and immersed herself in politics.
Following her 1964 split from McDonald, von Damm moved to Chicago and worked as a secretary for the American Medical Political Action Committee. It was in that role that she first met Ronald Reagan during a speech in 1965. Having experienced communism first-hand in Austria, von Damm was deeply critical of President Lyndon Johnson's Great Society, and was attracted to Reagan's political vision. "Reagan was one of the few people who spoke totally differently," she said. "He made a lot of sense to someone who had just come from socialism. Johnson wanted to change things back to what I'd left. I resolved that if Reagan ever ran for office, I'd try to get on his team."
She moved to California in 1966 to work for Reagan's gubernatorial campaign. She started as a scheduling assistant, and in 1969 was appointed as his personal secretary. She continued working with Reagan through his two terms as governor. She then served as his executive assistant during his business years, and as a finance director for nine northeastern states during the 1980 Presidential campaign. After Reagan was elected president, von Damm was named Director for Presidential Personnel, and held that position for two years until 1983.
...
Wikipedia