John N. Irwin II
John Nichol Irwin II was an American diplomat and attorney during the Cold War. During World War II, he served in the Army in the Pacific as a member of General Douglas MacArthur's staff and reached the rank of lieutenant colonel.Biography
He was born on December 31, 1913 in Keokuk, Iowa.
He was the last person to hold the position of Under Secretary of State when that was the U.S. State Department's second-ranking office. In 1972, he became the first person to hold the office of Deputy Secretary of State, which succeeded the office of Under Secretary; he held that office until February 1, 1973. In both capacities, his superior was Secretary William P. Rogers. Irwin resigned from the position of Deputy Secretary to serve as U.S. Ambassador to France.
He died on February 28, 2000 in New Haven, Connecticut.
