Thomas S. Gates, Jr.
| Thomas S. Gates Jr. | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| 7th United States Secretary of Defense | |
|
In office December 2, 1959 – January 20, 1961 |
|
| President | Dwight D. Eisenhower |
| Deputy | James H. Douglas Jr. |
| Preceded by | Neil H. McElroy |
| Succeeded by | Robert S. McNamara |
| 3rd Chief of the U.S. Liaison Office in Beijing | |
|
In office April 14, 1976 – May 8, 1977 |
|
| Appointed by | Gerald R. Ford |
| Preceded by | George H. W. Bush |
| Succeeded by | Leonard Woodcock |
| 8th United States Deputy Secretary of Defense | |
|
In office June 8, 1959 – December 1, 1959 |
|
| President | Dwight D. Eisenhower |
| Preceded by | Donald A. Quarles |
| Succeeded by | James H. Douglas Jr. |
| 54th United States Secretary of the Navy | |
|
In office April 1, 1957 – June 8, 1959 |
|
| President | Dwight D. Eisenhower |
| Deputy | William B. Franke |
| Preceded by | Charles S. Thomas |
| Succeeded by | William B. Franke |
| 9th Under Secretary of the Navy | |
|
In office October 7, 1953 – April 1, 1957 |
|
| President | Dwight D. Eisenhower |
| Preceded by | Charles S. Thomas |
| Succeeded by | William B. Franke |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Thomas Sovereign Gates Jr. April 10, 1906 Germantown, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | March 25, 1983 (aged 76) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Millicent Brengle Gates |
| Children | Millicent Anne Gates Ponce Patricia Sovereign Gates Norris Thomas Sovereign Gates III Katherine Curtis Gates McCoy |
| Parents |
Thomas Sovereign Gates Marie Rogers Gates |
| Alma mater | University of Pennsylvania |
| Profession | Investment Banker |
| Military service | |
| Service/branch | United States Navy |
| Rank | Lieutenant Commander |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
Thomas Sovereign Gates Jr. (April 10, 1906 – March 25, 1983) was United States Secretary of Defense from 1959 to 1961 under President Eisenhower. He was promoted from deputy secretary of defense. During his tenure, he established a task force to set nuclear target priorities. He also authorized U-2 reconnaissance flights, including the flight of Francis Gary Powers.
Born in Germantown, Pennsylvania, Gates was the son of Thomas S. Gates Sr., an investment banker and lawyer who was president of the University of Pennsylvania from 1930 to 1944, and his wife, Marie (née Rogers) Gates. Gates graduated from Chestnut Hill Academy, an all-male private preparatory school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1924. He was then accepted into the University of Pennsylvania, where his father was serving on the university's board of trustees. At Penn, Gates managed the Penn Quakers football team and was a member of the school's basketball team, where in March 1928, he was arrested along with 16 other students with charges of inciting a riot after Penn defeated Princeton to become Intercollegiate League champions. A member of Zeta Psi fraternity, and the Phi Beta Kappa Society, Gates graduated with his Bachelor of Arts in English in 1928.
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