Robert Frederick Froehlke (October 15, 1922 – February 12, 2016) was an American businessman, lawyer, and government official who served as

Secretary of the Army The secretary of the Army (SA or SECARMY) is a senior civilian official within the United States Department of Defense, with statutory responsibility for all matters relating to the United States Army: manpower, personnel, reserve affairs, insta ...

from July 1971 until May 1973.

Early life

Froehlke was born in

Neenah, Wisconsin Neenah () is a city in Winnebago County, Wisconsin, in the north central United States. It is situated on the banks of Lake Winnebago, Little Lake Butte des Morts, and the Fox River, approximately forty miles (60 km) southwest of Green ...

on October 15, 1922. He graduated from high school in Marshfield, and attended the

University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

from 1940 to 1943. He joined the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

in 1943 serving at an Infantry Replacement Center in Europe, attaining the rank of

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

before being discharged in 1946.

Education

After the war Froehlke attended the University of Wisconsin Law School. He graduated in 1949, was admitted to the bar, and practiced in

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the county seat of Dane County and the capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census the population was 269,840, making it the second-largest city in Wisconsin by population, after Milwaukee, and the 80th-lar ...

with the firm of MacDonald and MacDonald. He also served as a member of the faculty at the University of Wisconsin Law School.

Career

In 1951, Froehlke joined the legal department of the Sentry Insurance Company and he later became an executive with the company. A longtime friend of

Melvin R. Laird Melvin Robert Laird Jr. (September 1, 1922 – November 16, 2016) was an American politician, writer and statesman. He was a U.S. congressman from Wisconsin from 1953 to 1969 before serving as Secretary of Defense from 1969 to 1973 under Presi ...

, he managed Laird's congressional campaigns. When Laird became

Secretary of Defense A defence minister or minister of defence is a cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from country to country; in som ...

, Froehlke was appointed Assistant Secretary of Defense for Administration. He served until 1971 and during his tenure he was assigned responsibility for all Department of Defense intelligence resources and he was chairman of the Defense Investigative Review Council.

Secretary of the Army

Froehlke became Secretary of the Army in July 1971 and served until May 1973. Under his administration, the Army redeployed its last troops from

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

and converted from the draft to an all-volunteer force. In addition, Army administration of the

Ryukyu Islands The , also known as the or the , are a chain of Japanese islands that stretch southwest from Kyushu to Taiwan: the Ōsumi, Tokara, Amami, Okinawa, and Sakishima Islands (further divided into the Miyako and Yaeyama Islands), with Yonaguni ...

was ended, and U.S. biological warfare facilities were closed in order to comply with international treaties and conventions. As Secretary of the Army, Froehlke also was responsible for the action changing from dishonorable to honorable the discharges of the African-American soldiers who had been falsely accused of crimes in the 1906 Brownsville Affair.

Later career

After resigning as Secretary of the Army, Froehlke returned to Sentry, serving as the company's president until 1976 when he left to become president of the

Health Insurance Association of America AHIP (formerly America's Health Insurance Plans) is an American political advocacy and trade association of health insurance companies that offer coverage through the employer-provided, Medicare Advantage, Medicaid managed care, and individual ma ...

. He then became president of the

American Council of Life Insurers The American Council of Life Insurers (ACLI) is a Washington, D.C.-based lobbying and trade group for the life insurance industry. ACLI represents 290 insurance companies that account for 95 percent of the U.S. life insurance industry's total asse ...

where he served until 1982, when he became chairman of the

Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States Equitable Holdings, Inc. (formerly The Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States and AXA Equitable Life Insurance Company, and also known as The Equitable) is an American financial services and insurance company that was founded in 1 ...

where he served until 1987 when he became president and chief executive officer of the IDS Mutual Fund Group. After his 1993 retirement Froehlke resided in

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

, where he was active in raising funds for civic and charitable causes. He and then University of Wisconsin, Madison chancellor

Donna Shalala Donna Edna Shalala ( ; born February 14, 1941) is an American politician and academic who served in the Carter and Clinton administrations, as well as in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2019 to 2021. Shalala is a recipient of the Presid ...

co-chaired that school's first major fund drive. He maintained a summer home in Waupaca, Wisconsin after relocating to

Scottsdale, Arizona , settlement_type = City , named_for = Winfield Scott , image_skyline = , image_seal = Seal of Scottsdale (Arizona).svg , image_blank_emblem = City of Scottsdale Script Logo.svg , nick ...

. Froehlke died in Scottsdale, Arizona on February 12, 2016. Froehlke was buried at

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

.U.S. Government Printing Office
Hearing Record: Nominations of Froehlke, Shillito, and Lincoln
1969, page 3

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Froehlke, Robert Frederick 1922 births 2016 deaths Lawyers from Madison, Wisconsin People from Marshfield, Wisconsin Politicians from Neenah, Wisconsin People from Waupaca, Wisconsin Lawyers from Minneapolis Politicians from Scottsdale, Arizona University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni University of Wisconsin Law School alumni University of Wisconsin Law School faculty Nixon administration personnel United States Secretaries of the Army Businesspeople from Madison, Wisconsin Wisconsin lawyers American businesspeople in insurance Wisconsin Republicans United States Army personnel of World War II Military personnel from Madison, Wisconsin United States Army officers Businesspeople from Minneapolis Burials at Arlington National Cemetery