A Legacy
A major figure in 20th-century military history, General Goodpaster served as a member of the St. Mary's College of Maryland Board of Trustees for 12 years. As chair of the Board's Academic Affairs Committee, he was at the forefront of the legislative hearings establishing St. Mary's as Maryland's Honors College and helped the College define "honor beyond the curriculum." Indeed, when the College conferred an honorary Doctor of Laws upon him at Commencement 2002, it particularly noted his reputation as the man to consult "on any issue for which the College requires clear thinking and unwavering adherence to honorable principle."
Andrew J. Goodpaster was born on February 12, 1915 in Granite City, Illinois, where his father worked for the railroad. Hoping to pursue a career as a math teacher, he enrolled at a local college but had to withdraw because of financial difficulties during the Depression. Determined to continue his education, he earned an appointment to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and graduated second in his class in 1939.
During World War II, he served as commander of the 48th Engineer Combat Battalion in North Africa and Italy. He returned to the United States after being wounded twice. He served for three years in the General Staff at the War Department under Generals Dwight D. Eisenhower and George C. Marshall. In this position, he was a member of the Joint War Plans committee of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Following his service in World War II, Lt. Col. Goodpaster attended Princeton University, earning a master’s degree in engineering and a Ph.D. in international relations.
His academic and battlefield credentials -- along with a regard for anonymity -- impressed those in Washington. From 1954 to 1961 he served in the White House as staff secretary to President Eisenhower, beginning the advisory role he would play for all future U.S. presidents in the twentieth century.
He became known as the president’s alter ego for his ability to carry out orders in his wide-ranging national security portfolio with minimal need for instruction. With Eisenhower, he was part of the group that developed a statement detailing the political aims of NATO.
Some called him “the man with the briefcase” for his quiet, yet essential backstage role in practically all military matters. “General Goodpaster,” wrote one reporter for the New York Herald Tribune, “looks like a business executive and hides his White House importance behind a quiet façade that lends itself neither to anecdotes nor stuffiness.”
In the summer of 1968, General Goodpaster served as military adviser to the U.S. delegation in Paris for the peace negotiations with the North Vietnamese. Shortly afterwards, he was promoted to full general and named commander-in-chief of U.S. military forces in Europe. From 1969 to 1974, served as NATO supreme allied commander.
In 1974, he retired from active duty as a four-star general, going on to serve as a senior fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, and as the John C. West Professor of Government and International Studies at The Citadel.
In 1977, he was recalled to active duty to serve as the 51st commandant of West Point in the wake of a cheating scandal at the school. Goodpaster voluntarily gave up a star, assuming the rank of lieutenant general as superintendent. It is said he helped rebuild the academy’s reputation by his mere presence. When West Point started admitting women, he eased the transition, telling staff members he would “escort them to the door with a handshake” should they fail to make the women feel welcome.
He retired a second time and from 1986 to 1997 served as chairman of the Atlantic Council of the United States, a foreign policy think tank – roughly the same period when he stepped onto the Board of Trustees at St. Mary’s.
After a lengthy illness, Andrew Goodpaster died on May 16, 2005 at the age of 90.
His military decorations include the Distinguished Service Cross; the Silver Star; the Defense Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) with Oak Leaf Cluster; the Army DSM with three Oak Leaf Clusters; the Navy and Air Force DSMs; and the Purple Heart with Oak Leaf Clusters. He also received the U.S. Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor.
Andrew Goodpaster brought to St. Mary’s College a sterling reputation for leadership, honor, and academic integrity. It is most fitting that the College name its new academic building after him.