George M. Seignious

George Marion Seignious
George Marion Seignious
	Joint Service Commendation Medal

U.S. Army

(June 21, 1921 – July 3, 2005) was a distinguished military leader, diplomat and college president.

Biography

General Seignious was born and raised in

European Theater of Operations during World War II. Postwar assignments included attending the Army Armor School at Fort Knox, Kentucky

; training officer with the Military Assistance Group in Brazil and as a staff officer with the Caribbean Command in Panama.

During the 1950s he served as Assistant Executive Secretary to the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the Pentagon, attended the Joint Services Staff College in England and served with the Military Assistance Advisory Group in Spain. From 1957 to 1960 he was the Military Assistant to Secretary of the Army

Wilber Marion Brucker, in 1961 he graduated from the National War College; he then returned to Europe to assume command of the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment followed by tours on the staff of U.S. Army, Europe and as Chief of Staff of the 3d Infantry Division

. In 1964 he became one of the youngest generals in Army history at the age of 42.

Returning to Washington, DC he was assigned as Director of Policy Plans for the Assistant Secretary of Defense and served as a military advisor to the delegation of Secretary of State

Quadripartite Negotiations on Berlin

.

Returning to the Pentagon he served concurrently as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs and Director, Defense Security Assistance Agency. Promoted to

Lieutenant General in 1972 he was appointed as the first Director of the Joint Staff

for the Joint Chiefs of Staff; he retired in July, 1974 after being selected as the 14th President of his alma mater The Citadel.

During his tenure enrollment soared after suffering from the anti-military sentiment of the Vietnam War; endowments and scholarships were increased, a new physical education building was completed and major renovations were made to the barracks, mess hall and main academic building. He resigned as president in March, 1979 when President Jimmy Carter appointed him as Director of the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency where he had a major role in the delicate negotiations with the Soviet Union over the Strategic Arms Limitations Treaty. In 1981 President Ronald Reagan made him Delegate-at-Large for Arms Control Negotiations with the rank of Ambassador; after retiring from public service in 1984 he served as President of the Atlantic Council, a foreign policy think tank. He was later chairman of the board for a high tech telecommunications company and also served as a trade representative for the state of South Carolina.

General Seignious died in

Joint Service Commendation Medal

. Seignious Hall, the football facility at The Citadel is named in his honor.