William L. Stearman

William Lloyd Stearman (June 22, 1922 – October 2021) was an American government official, aviator and author.

William Lloyd Stearman
Dr. William L. Stearman
Born(1922-06-22)June 22, 1922
Wichita, Kansas, U.S.
DiedOctober 2021 (aged 99)
NationalityAmerican
Alma materUniversity of Geneva, Graduate Institute of International Studies, Armed Forces Staff College
Scientific career
InstitutionsNational Security Agency
United States Department of State

Biography

William Lloyd Stearman was born on June 22, 1922, in Wichita, Kansas, the brother of Linda Stearman and son of Lloyd Stearman, [1][2] the founder of Stearman Aircraft. After graduating high school in 1940, he went into the Navy's V-12 program.[3] Then in 1944 he was commissioned as an ensign and attended midshipman's school. After training Stearman left to go to the Pacific. He was in the 7th Amphibious Fleet and was involved in the Philippines campaign (1944–1945) and in the Borneo campaign. After World War II he entered the foreign service. He was a stationed in Vienna, Berlin, Bonn and Saigon. In 1971, he joined the National Security Council staff and remained until 1976.[4] From 1977 to 1981, he was an adjunct professor at Georgetown University where he was Director of the Russian Studies Program.[3] He then became a staff member of the National Security Council again (1981–1994), eventually serving under four Presidents.[3][5][6] He was also an advisor to United States Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger and was considered an expert on Vietnam.[7] Later, he served as the assistant director of the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency.[3] He retired as a Senior U.S. Foreign Service Officer.[6] He was a founding member of Vietnam Veterans for Factual History.

He earned a BA from the University of California, Berkeley and an MA and Ph.D. from the University of Geneva-affiliated Graduate Institute of International Studies.[8] He was also a graduate of the Armed Forces Staff College.[9]

In 2012, Stearman wrote a memoir entitled "An American Adventure: From Early Aviation Through Three Wars, to the White House", which has been described as "a fascinating accounting of his own remarkable life and the tumultuous times in which he lived."[10][11]

One of the last articles he wrote before his death was "I Owe My Life to the A-Bomb". He died in October 2021, at the age of 99.[12]

References
  1. "An American Adventure | U.S. Naval Institute". www.usni.org. U.S. Naval Institute. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
  2. "National Air and Space Museum Center Opening". www.stearman.net. Stearman Restorers Association. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
  3. "Foreign Affairs Oral History Project Interview with William Lloyd Stearman" (PDF). www.adst.org. The Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
  4. "Navy's Arsenal Ship Is a Sop to Congress". The New York Times. 8 September 1995. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
  5. Novak, Robert (6 December 2005). "Losing the battleships". www.cnn.com. CNN. Retrieved 4 December 2017.
  6. "William L Stearman | Marine Corps Association". www.mca-marines.org. Retrieved 4 December 2017.
  7. Hanhimaki, Jussi M. (2004). The Flawed Architect: Henry Kissinger and American Foreign Policy. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, USA. p. 58. ISBN 9780195172218. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
  8. Stearman, William Lloyd, ed. (1960). The Soviet Union and the occupation of Austria: an analysis of Soviet policy in Austria, 1945-1955. Bad Godesberg.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  9. "William L Stearman Biography". williamlstearman67.com. Retrieved 4 December 2017.
  10. Stearman, William (2013). An American Adventure: From Early Aviation through Three Wars to the White House (1st ed.). Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 9781612514031. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
  11. "BOOK REVIEW - An American Adventure: From Early Aviation Through Three Wars to the White House | Naval Historical Foundation". www.navyhistory.org. Naval Historical Association. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
  12. "Notable & Quotable: 76 Years After the A-Bomb". Wall Street Journal. 2021-11-22. Retrieved 2021-12-06.
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