Robert McNamara: Vietnam-Era Defense Secretary Dies at 93

Robert McNamara was the U.S. Secretary of Defense from 1961 to 1968. Born on June 9, 1916, in San Francisco, he taught at Harvard Business School and became president of the Ford Motor Company.

He served under Presidents Kennedy and Johnson, and he was a leading figure in the escalation of the Vietnam War. He later said that the war was a mistake, in his 1995 memoir In Retrospect. He also helped manage the Cuban Missile Crisis.

He was president of the World Bank from 1968 to 1981, focusing on poverty. He was featured in the documentary The Fog of War. McNamara died at his home in Washington, D.C., on July 6, 2009, at age 93.

Achievements: U.S. Secretary of Defense (1961-1968), World Bank president (1968-1981).

Birth: June 9, 1916 - San Francisco, California.

Profession: Defense Secretary and businessman.

Interesting Facts: He was the first Ford president from outside the Ford family.