Anne L. Armstrong

For the American novelist, see Anne W. Armstrong. For American basketball player, see Anne Marie Armstrong.

Anne Armstrong
Chair of the President's Intelligence Advisory Board
In office October 20, 1981 – July 17, 1990
President	Ronald Reagan George H. W. Bush
Preceded by	Leo Cherne (1977)
Succeeded by	John Tower
United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom
In office March 17, 1976 – March 3, 1977
President	Gerald Ford Jimmy Carter
Preceded by	Elliot Richardson
Succeeded by	Kingman Brewster
Counselor to the President
In office January 19, 1973 – December 18, 1974 Serving with Dean Burch, Kenneth Rush
President	Richard Nixon Gerald Ford
Preceded by	Robert Finch
Succeeded by	Robert T. Hartmann John O. Marsh
Personal details
Born	(1927-12-27)December 27, 1927 New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
Died	July 30, 2008(2008-07-30) (aged 80) Houston, Texas, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Tobin Armstrong
Children	5
Education	Vassar College (AB)

Anne Legendre Armstrong (December 27, 1927 – July 30, 2008) was a United States diplomat and politician. She was the first woman to serve as Counselor to the President and as United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom, serving in those capacities under the Nixon, Ford,^[1] and Carter administrations. She was the recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1987.^[2]

Personal life

Armstrong was born on December 27, 1927 in New Orleans, Louisiana, and graduated from Vassar College in 1949.^[2] In 1950, she married Tobin Armstrong, a cattle rancher from Texas.^[3]

Political Career

From 1966 to 1968, she was the vice chairman of the Texas Republican Party. From 1971 to 1973, she was co-chairman of the Republican National Committee, and she was the keynote speaker at the 1972 Republican National Convention.^[4] Armstrong was the first woman from either major party to keynote at a national convention.^[5] In a Christmas dinner toast at the White House on Dec. 16, 1972, she "in one breath" praised "'Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace'" and Nixon as "the man who has done the most for peace in our history"; at the time, Nixon had given orders for the Christmas Bombing of North Vietnam.^[6]

Counselor to the President

President Richard Nixon named Armstrong as Counselor to the President on December 19, 1972. She held from January 19, 1973 to November 1974 under President Ford.^[7]

During her tenure as Counselor, Armstrong founded the first Office of Women's Programs in the White House,^[8] predecessor to the current White House Council on Women and Girls. Fluent in Spanish, she was Nixon's liaison to Hispanic Americans and was a member of a Cabinet committee on opportunities for Spanish-speaking people.^[8] From 1976 to 1977, Armstrong was the first woman United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom.^[9]

Consideration for the vice presidency

At the 1976 Republican National Convention in Kansas City, Missouri, there was a draft effort to put Armstrong on the ticket as the vice presidential nominee with incumbent President Gerald Ford.^[5] Senator Robert Dole of Kansas was instead chosen by Ford. In 1978, Armstrong supported George W. Bush in his successful primary challenge to Jim Reese in their congressional runoff primary in Texas's 19th congressional district.^[10]

Support for the Equal Rights Amendment

Armstrong was a supporter of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA).^[11][12] In 1971, Armstrong was quoted as saying, "I feel like it has become a symbol of meaning for so many people. Plus it would clear up a lot of legal questions."^[13]

Awards and recognition

In 1987, Armstrong was given the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Ronald Reagan. In 1989, she received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement.^[14] She received an honorary Doctor of Laws from St. Mary's University in 1978.

Death

Armstrong died of cancer in 2008.^[1] She is buried at Oakwood Cemetery, Austin, Texas.^[15]

References

1. Grimes, Williams (July 31, 2008). "Anne Armstrong, Presidential Adviser and Pioneering Politician, Dies at 80". New York Times.
2. "Anne Armstrong". www.k-state.edu. Retrieved 2024-10-04.
3. "Hon. Anne Legendre Armstrong | Penn State University Libraries". libraries.psu.edu. Retrieved 2024-10-16.
4. "Armstrong, Anne Legendre | Penn State University Libraries Archival Collections". archives.libraries.psu.edu. Retrieved 2024-10-04.
5. Hodgson, Godfrey (2008-07-31). "Anne Armstrong". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-10-04.
6. Weiner, Tim (2015). One Man Against the World: The Tragedy of Richard Nixon. (New York: Henry Holt and Company. New York: Henry Holt and Company. p. 222. ISBN 978-1-62779-083-3.
7. "Desert Sun, December 19, 1972 — California Digital Newspaper Collection". cdnc.ucr.edu. Retrieved May 3, 2017.
8. Holley, Joe (2008-07-31). "Leading Texas Republican Anne Armstrong". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2016-10-22.
9. "Studies and Training Foreign Affairs Oral History Project Women Ambassadors Series AMBASSADOR ANNE LEGENDRE ARMSTRONG" (PDF). Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training. 7 October 1987. Archived (PDF) from the original on 16 July 2024. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
10. "Mayor Jim Reese of Odessa and the Republican Party in the Permian Basin", The West Texas Historical Association Year Book, Vol. LXXXVII (October 2011), p. 138
11. "Leading Texas Republican Anne Armstrong". Washington Post. 2024-02-02. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2024-10-04.
12. "Anne Armstrong Declines to Join Reagan Administration". Washington Post. 2024-02-27. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2024-10-04.
13. Blackman, Ann (October 14, 1971). "Anne Armstrong, Sells GOP as Party of Peace, Prosperity". Wichita Falls Times.
14. "Golden Plate Awardees of the American Academy of Achievement". www.achievement.org. American Academy of Achievement.
15. "Anne Armstrong Obituary (2008) - New Orleans, LA - The Times-Picayune". Legacy.com. Retrieved 2024-10-04.

External links

• Brief biography from the Gerald R. Ford Library
• Brief biography on Seven Revolutions site
• A Few Good Women... The Honorable Anne Legendre Armstrong
• Appearances on C-SPAN

Party political offices
Preceded by Daniel Evans	Keynote Speaker of the Republican National Convention 1972	Succeeded by Howard Baker
Political offices
Preceded by Robert Finch	Counselor to the President 1973–1974 Served alongside: Dean Burch, Kenneth Rush	Succeeded by Robert Hartmann
		Succeeded by John O. Marsh
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by Elliot Richardson	United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom 1976–1977	Succeeded by Kingman Brewster
Government offices
Vacant Title last held by Leo Cherne	Chair of the President's Intelligence Advisory Board 1981–1990	Succeeded by John Tower