Edward Hidalgo (born Eduardo Hidalgo; October 12, 1912 – January 21, 1995) served as the
United States Secretary of the Navy
The secretary of the Navy (or SECNAV) is a statutory officer () and the head (chief executive officer) of the Department of the Navy, a military department (component organization) within the United States Department of Defense.
By law, the se ...
in the
Carter administration from October 24, 1979 to January 20, 1981. He had previously served as
Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Manpower and Reserve Affairs)
The Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Manpower and Reserve Affairs) (abbreviated as ASN M&RA) is a civilian office in the United States Department of the Navy. The Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Manpower and Reserve Affairs) reports to the Under ...
from April 1977 to October 1979.
Early life
Hidalgo was born Eduardo Hidalgo in
Mexico City
Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital city, capital and primate city, largest city of Mexico, and the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North Amer ...
on October 12, 1912, to Egon and Domita Kunhardt Hidalgo. At the age of six his family moved to New York, where he became a citizen and anglicised his name. He graduated from
Holy Cross College in 1933, and received his
J.D. from
Columbia Law School
Columbia Law School (Columbia Law or CLS) is the law school of Columbia University, a private Ivy League university in New York City. Columbia Law is widely regarded as one of the most prestigious law schools in the world and has always ranked i ...
in 1936.
During World War II he was a lieutenant in the U.S. Naval Reserve. In this capacity he held several positions. From 1942 to 1943 he served in Montevideo,
Uruguay
Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...
, as a legal advisor to the ambassador to the Emergency Advisory for Political Defense. For the remainder of the war he served as air combat intelligence officer on the carrier
USS ''Enterprise'' (CV-6).
From 1945 to 1946 he served as Special Assistant to the Secretary of the Navy,
James Forrestal
James Vincent Forrestal (February 15, 1892 – May 22, 1949) was the last Cabinet-level United States Secretary of the Navy and the first United States Secretary of Defense.
Forrestal came from a very strict middle-class Irish Catholic fami ...
.
Awards
* 1943:
Bronze Star Medal, U.S. Navy
* 1945: Special
Commendation Ribbon
The Commendation Medal is a mid-level United States military decoration presented for sustained acts of heroism or meritorious service. Each branch of the United States Armed Forces issues its own version of the Commendation Medal, with a fifth ...
, U.S. Navy
* 1963: Knight of the
Royal Order of Vasa
The Royal Order of Vasa () is a Swedish order of chivalry, awarded to citizens of Sweden for service to state and society especially in the fields of agriculture, mining and commerce. It was instituted on 29 May 1772 by King Gustav III. It was u ...
, Kingdom of Sweden
* 1980:
Order of the Aztec Eagle
The Mexican Order of the Aztec Eagle ( es, Orden Mexicana del Águila Azteca) forms part of the Mexican Honours System and is the highest Mexican order awarded to foreigners in the country.
History
It was created by decree on December 29, 1933 ...
, Republic of Mexico
Legal career
Prior to World War II Hidalgo was a law clerk for a New York firm; after war service he resumed his career, running the Mexico City office of the legal firm of Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle before becoming a founding partner in 1948 of Barrera, Siqueiros & Torres Landa, also in Mexico, where he remained until 1965.
From 1965 to 1966 he served as Special Assistant to the Secretary of the Navy, Paul H. Nitze, and then resumed legal work from 1966 to 1972 as a partner in the law firm of Cahill, Gordon & Reindel, in charge of their European office.
In 1972 he left the firm to resume government service as Special Assistant for Economic Affairs to the Director of the US Information Agency. The following year he became General Counsel and Congressional Liaison of the Agency.
Secretary of the Navy
Hidalgo served from April 25, 1977 as Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Manpower, Reserve Affairs and Logistics). On September 13, 1979
President Carter
James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 76th governor of Georgia from 19 ...
announced the nomination of Hidalgo as Secretary of the Navy, replacing
W. Graham Claytor, Jr. One of his priorities was recruitment of Hispanics into the Navy, particularly in the officer corps.
The
, a
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
award, was established in 1980 by Hidalgo to honor the inspirational leadership of
James Stockdale
James Bond "Jim" Stockdale (December 23, 1923 – July 5, 2005) was a United States Navy vice admiral and aviator, awarded the Medal of Honor in the Vietnam War, during which he was a prisoner of war for over seven years.
Stockdale was the mos ...
, a
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valo ...
recipient in the
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...
, who exhibited exemplary leadership while a
prisoner of war
A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610.
Belligerents hold prisoners of w ...
in
North Vietnam
North Vietnam, officially the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV; vi, Việt Nam Dân chủ Cộng hòa), was a socialist state supported by the Soviet Union (USSR) and the People's Republic of China (PRC) in Southeast Asia that existed f ...
for nearly eight years. The award was first presented in 1981.
Later career and controversy
After his term as Secretary of the Navy he became a consultant with
General Dynamics Corporation, a defense contractor that he had negotiated a $643 million settlement with while Secretary of the Navy. He was paid $66,000 for his services which he said were related to the Air Force's
F-16 program.
Personal
Hidalgo was married 3 times, the first two ending in divorce and the third with his death in 1995 from cardiac arrest. He had four children.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hidalgo, Edward
1912 births
1995 deaths
Columbia Law School alumni
United States Secretaries of the Navy
Hispanic and Latino American politicians
Carter administration personnel
United States Assistant Secretaries of the Navy
People associated with Cahill Gordon & Reindel
Mexican emigrants to the United States