David William Killin Peacock Jr. (1924-2005) was a government official and businessman. He served as a Deputy Undersecretary at the
U.S. Department of Commerce
The United States Department of Commerce is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government concerned with creating the conditions for economic growth ...
during the
Nixon Administration
Richard Nixon's tenure as the List of presidents of the United States, 37th president of the United States began with First inauguration of Richard Nixon, his first inauguration on January 20, 1969, and ended when he resigned on August 9, 1974 ...
. Peacock also held positions at the
U.S. State Department
The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other nati ...
.
Early life and education
Peacock was born in
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...
to David Peacock Sr. and Beryl McCaslin Peacock on July 30, 1924. He grew up in
Flanders, New Jersey
Flanders is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located within Mount Olive Township, in southwestern Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Flanders is served by the United States Postal Service as ZIP Code ...
, a neighborhood of
Mount Olive Township. In 1942, Peacock graduated from the
Morristown School (now the Morristown-Beard School) in
. His father, David Peacock, Sr., headed the Board of Trustees during his time at the school.
Following graduation, Peacock served in the
U.S. Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...
during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. He piloted twin-engine airplanes. After the war, Peacock earned his bachelor's degree in economics from
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...
in
Princeton, New Jersey
Princeton is a municipality with a borough form of government in Mercer County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It was established on January 1, 2013, through the consolidation of the Borough of Princeton and Princeton Township, both of whi ...
. He then joined
J. P. Morgan
John Pierpont Morgan Sr. (April 17, 1837 – March 31, 1913) was an American financier and investment banker who dominated corporate finance on Wall Street throughout the Gilded Age. As the head of the banking firm that ultimately became known ...
in a trainee role. Peacock later served as an assistant to
security analysts.
Government and industry career
In 1950, Peacock moved to
Washington, DC
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan ...
to work as a foreign service officer in the State Department. He served as an assistant to U.S. Secretary of State
John Foster Dulles
John Foster Dulles (, ; February 25, 1888 – May 24, 1959) was an American diplomat, lawyer, and Republican Party politician. He served as United States Secretary of State under President Dwight D. Eisenhower from 1953 to 1959 and was briefly ...
. Peacock later headed the State Department's Public Correspondence Branch, and served as a vice consul at the U.S. Consulate General in
Casablanca, Morocco
Casablanca, also known in Arabic as Dar al-Bayda ( ar, الدَّار الْبَيْضَاء, al-Dār al-Bayḍāʾ, ; ber, ⴹⴹⴰⵕⵍⴱⵉⴹⴰ, ḍḍaṛlbiḍa, : "White House") is the largest city in Morocco and the country's econom ...
. In 1959, the U.S. Department of Commerce named Peacock a special assistant to Secretary of Commerce
Frederick H. Mueller. He served in that role until joining the office of U.S. Senator
Kenneth Keating
Kenneth Barnard Keating (May 18, 1900 – May 5, 1975) was an American politician, diplomat, and judge who served as a United States Senator representing New York from 1959 until 1965. A member of the Republican Party, he also served in the ...
(New York) as a staff member.
After leaving the federal government, Peacock served as the assistant vice president at
American Security and Trust Company
The American Security and Trust Company Building is a Neoclassical bank office in Washington, D.C., designed by the architectural firm of York and Sawyer. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.
Design
The neoclassical ...
. He headed the bank's branch in
Georgetown. Peacock then worked as an investment officer at the
International Finance Corporation
The International Finance Corporation (IFC) is an international financial institution that offers investment, advisory, and asset-management services to encourage private-sector development in less developed countries. The IFC is a member of t ...
, a unit of the
World Bank Group
The World Bank Group (WBG) is a family of five international organizations that make leveraged loans to developing countries. It is the largest and best-known development bank in the world and an observer at the United Nations Development Grou ...
, until 1968. In 1969, he rejoined the federal government to serve as a Deputy Undersecretary at the Department of Commerce. Peacock later consulted on government sales and
market research
Market research is an organized effort to gather information about target markets and customers: know about them, starting with who they are. It is an important component of business strategy and a major factor in maintaining competitiveness. Mark ...
for Atlantic Development Corporation. He worked at the
Export-Import Bank, an independent federal agency, from 1971 to 1984. Peacock served as a vice president for
exporter credits and guarantees and then coordinated the feasibility study program.
The
Eisenhower Presidential Center
The Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum and Boyhood Home is the presidential library and museum of Dwight David Eisenhower, the 34th president of the United States (1953–1961), located in his hometown of Abilene, Kansas. The mu ...
in
Abilene, Kansas
Abilene (pronounced ) is a city in, and the county seat of, Dickinson County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 6,460. It is home of The Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum and the G ...
houses Peacock's papers from his tenure working for Dulles. The papers appear in the Special Assistants Series in the John Foster Dulles Papers.
Abscam Jury
In 1981, Peacock served on the federal jury for one of the
Abscam
Abscam (sometimes written ABSCAM) was an FBI sting operation in the late 1970s and early 1980s that led to the convictions of seven members of the United States Congress, among others, for bribery and corruption. The two-year investigation initi ...
corruption trials. He held the role of jury foreman. While reading the verdict convicting U.S. Representative
Richard Kelly, he wore a yellow ribbon on his jacket lapel. The ribbon commemorated the release of American hostages during the
Iran hostage crisis
On November 4, 1979, 52 United States diplomats and citizens were held hostage after a group of militarized Iranian college students belonging to the Muslim Student Followers of the Imam's Line, who supported the Iranian Revolution, took over t ...
.
Volunteer service
After retirement, Peacock moved to
Cheriton, Virginia
Cheriton is a town in Northampton County, Virginia, United States. The population was 487 at the 2010 census.
History
Eyre Hall was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1969. It was designated a National Historic Landmark on Mar ...
on the
Eastern Shore Eastern Shore may refer to:
* Eastern Shore (Nova Scotia), a region
* Eastern Shore (electoral district), a provincial electoral district in Nova Scotia
* Eastern Shore of Maryland, a region
* Eastern Shore of Virginia, a region
* Eastern Shore (Al ...
. He tutored first grade students at Kiptopeke Elementary School in
Northampton County, Virginia
Northampton County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 12,282. Its county seat is Eastville. Northampton and Accomack Counties are a part of the larger Eastern Shore of Virginia.
The ...
. In 2002, the school awarded Peacock their Volunteer of the Year Award. While living in New Jersey, Peacock served on the Executive Committee of
Morris County's Board of Agriculture. He also served on the Flanders Subcommittee for the Planning Board of Mount Olive Township, New Jersey.
[
]
Family
Peacock married Judith Van Orden Peacock in 1952. They had two children together, Sarah and William. After Peacock and Judith Peacock divorced, he married Mary Eyre Peacock.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Peacock, David W.
United States Department of Commerce officials
United States Department of State officials
American bankers
Princeton University alumni
Businesspeople from Cleveland
People from Mount Olive Township, New Jersey
1924 births
2005 deaths
Morristown-Beard School alumni
People from Cheriton, Virginia
20th-century American businesspeople