Robert Dean Nesen (January 22, 1918 – November 14, 2005) was an American car dealer and diplomat who served as the U.S.
from 1972 to 1974 and as
United States Ambassador to Australia from 1981 to 1985.
Biography
Robert D. Nesen was born January 22, 1918 in
St. Louis, Michigan. He was educated at
Tri-State College
Trine University is a private university in Angola, Indiana. It was founded in 1884 and offers degrees in the arts and sciences, business, education, and engineering. Trine University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
History
Tri ...
and the
Curtiss-Wright Technical Institute, receiving a
B.S. in
Aeronautical Engineering in 1941. He worked for the Air-Research Corp. until 1942, when he joined the
United States Navy, serving in
World War II until 1946. Upon leaving the Navy, Nesen remained a member of the
United States Navy Reserve, ultimately attaining the rank of
Lieutenant Commander before retiring from the Navy Reserve in 1966.
Upon leaving the Navy in 1946, he opened the Coast Aero Flying Service in
Oxnard, California. Nesen started in the automobile business a few year later, opening an
Oldsmobile car dealership in Oxnard. The dealership added
Cadillac
The Cadillac Motor Car Division () is a division of the American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM) that designs and builds luxury vehicles. Its major markets are the United States, Canada, and China. Cadillac models are distributed i ...
in the mid-1950s and then in 1971, moved to a new facility in
Thousand Oaks, California. The business continued to grow in what became known as the "Thousand Oaks Auto Mall" and took on many more franchises; from
Subaru
( or ; ) is the automaker, automobile manufacturing division of Japanese transportation conglomerate (company), conglomerate Subaru Corporation (formerly known as Fuji Heavy Industries), the Automotive industry#By manufacturer, twenty-first ...
and
Hyundai Hyundai is a South Korean industrial conglomerate ("chaebol"), which was restructured into the following groups:
* Hyundai Group, parts of the former conglomerate which have not been divested
** Hyundai Mobis, Korean car parts company
** Hyundai ...
in the 1970s and 1980s to high-end exotic brands like
Rolls-Royce and
Bentley
Bentley Motors Limited is a British designer, manufacturer and marketer of luxury cars and SUVs. Headquartered in Crewe, England, the company was founded as Bentley Motors Limited by W. O. Bentley (1888–1971) in 1919 in Cricklewood, North ...
in the 1990s.
Governor of California
The governor of California is the head of government of the U.S. state of California. The governor is the commander-in-chief of the California National Guard and the California State Guard.
Established in the Constitution of California, the g ...
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...
appointed Nesen to the California New Car Dealers Policy and Appeals Board, and Nesen was elected as that organization's first president. Reagan later appointed him to the
California State Board of Education. Nesen was active in the
Republican Party
Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party.
Republican Party may also refer to:
Africa
*Republican Party (Liberia)
* Republican Part ...
during this period and served as chairman, and then cochairman, of the California delegation to the
Republican National Convention
The Republican National Convention (RNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1856 by the United States Republican Party. They are administered by the Republican National Committee. The goal of the Repu ...
. In 1970, he became a member of the Executive Committee of the National Review Board of the
United States Department of State.
In 1972,
President of the United States Richard Nixon nominated Nesen as
and Nesen subsequently served in this office from May 31, 1972 until May 15, 1974.
President Reagan named Nesen
United States Ambassador to Australia in 1981 and concurrently as Ambassador to the
Republic of Nauru, a post he held until 1985. In 1981 and 1987, there was press speculation that President Reagan would name Nesen
United States Secretary of the Navy, but this never happened.
Bernard E. Trainor, "Lehman Resigning as Navy Secretary," ''New York Times'', Feb. 13, 1987.
/ref>
In 1991, Nesen was inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame.
Nesen died in Thousand Oaks, California on November 14, 2005, at the age of 87.
References
External links
Profile at NNDB
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nesen, Robert D.
1918 births
2005 deaths
United States Assistant Secretaries of the Navy
Ambassadors of the United States to Australia
People from St. Louis, Michigan
Trine University alumni
20th-century American diplomats