Lawrence Eagleburger

Lawrence Eagleburger served as Secretary of State from December 1992 to January 1993, after acting in the office from August 1992. His substantive appointment capped a career in the Foreign Service and senior departmental management. He succeeded James Baker when Baker left the department to assist George H. W. Bush’s reelection campaign. ¹

Eagleburger’s earlier assignments included work in Yugoslavia, service at the United States mission to NATO, responsibility for department management, and the ambassadorship in Belgrade from 1977 to 1981. He later became under secretary for political affairs and deputy secretary. This experience made him an important adviser during the breakup of Yugoslavia and the Persian Gulf crisis. ¹

His Yugoslav expertise also became controversial as war and atrocities undermined earlier assumptions about preserving the federation and dealing with its leaders. The department’s response was shaped by the difficulty of moving from longstanding relationships to policy toward successor states fighting over territory and political authority. Eagleburger’s short period as secretary ended with the Bush administration. After government service, he chaired the International Commission on Holocaust-Era Insurance Claims and participated in the Iraq Study Group. His biography is distinctive for the long professional diplomatic career that preceded a brief appointment at the head of the department. ¹