Melvin Laird

Melvin Laird
10th United States Secretary of Defense
In office January 21, 1969 – January 29, 1973
President	Richard Nixon
Preceded by	Clark Clifford
Succeeded by	Elliot Richardson
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Wisconsin's 7th district
In office January 3, 1953 – January 21, 1969
Preceded by	Reid Murray
Succeeded by	Dave Obey
Personal details
Born	Melvin Robert Laird (1922-09-01)September 1, 1922 Omaha, Nebraska, U.S.
Died	November 16, 2016(2016-11-16) (aged 94) Fort Myers, Florida, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Barbara Masters (1942–1992) Carole Fleishman (1993–2016)
Children	John Allison David Kimberly
Alma mater	Carleton College
Awards	Purple Heart
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Navy
Years of service	1942–1946
Battles/wars	World War II

Melvin Robert "Bom" Laird (September 1, 1922 – November 16, 2016) was an American politician and writer.^[1] He was a U.S. congressman from Wisconsin before serving as Secretary of Defense from 1969 to 1973 under President Richard Nixon.

Laird died from complications of congestive heart failure at a hospital in Fort Myers, Florida on November 16, 2016, aged 94.^[2]

1. ↑ "Melvin R. Laird, Wisconsin Historical Society". Archived from the original on 2017-10-27. Retrieved 2014-08-07.
2. ↑ Timothy R. Smith (November 16, 2016). "Melvin Laird, Nixon defense secretary at the height of the Vietnam War, dies at 94". Washington Post. Retrieved November 16, 2016.