Arthur E. Dewey
Encyclopedia
Arthur E. "Gene" Dewey was United States
Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration
from 2002 to 2005.
, graduating in 1956. He was then commissioned into the United States Army Corps of Engineers
, serving with a Combat Engineer Battalion in West Germany
as battalion aviator and later as an engineer company commander. He then attended Princeton University
, receiving a master's degree
. He was then posted briefly at Fort Benning
, before being part of the first ever deployment of an Army Aviation company overseas, flying over 1000 hours in Southeast Asia
during the Vietnam War
. Then, he commanded an engineering company at Fort Stewart
and attended the United States Army Command and General Staff College. A stint in the Office of the Chief of Research and Development at the Pentagon
was followed by a promotion to major
and a posting as aide-de-camp
to the Commanding General of the United States Army Materiel Command
, Lieutenant General
Frank S. Besson, Jr.
In 1968, Dewey was named one of the White House Fellows
and spent a year as Assistant to the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development
. In this capacity, he played a major role in coordinating United States civilian relief efforts during the Nigerian Civil War
, developing the Cross River
proposal for delivering humanitarian aide into the Biafra
region.
After his year as a White House fellow, Dewey returned to the army. In 1970, he commanded the 222nd Combat Aviation Battalion in the Vietnam War. He received the Distinguished Flying Cross
for commanding the helicopter gun trips during the prisoner rescue efforts in Cambodia
. He spent 1971 as Director of the President´s Commission on White House Fellowships. The next year, he was selected by the United States Army War College to study at the Graduate Institute of International Studies
in Geneva
. He then returned to the Pentagon as Chief of the Political-Military Division in the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Military Operations. In 1975, he served as Senior Military Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations
. The next year, he became commanding officer of the U.S. military community in Heilbronn
. He then became a Defense Planner in the U.S. Mission to NATO
. He returned to the Pentagon in 1978 as Executive Officer in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs
, where he played a role in designed the Theater Nuclear Force Program for Western Europe.
Dewey retired from the army in 1981, accepting a civilian position at Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in the Bureau for Refugee Programs. In response to the 1984–1985 famine in Ethiopia, Dewey convinced Secretary-General of the United Nations Javier Pérez de Cuéllar
to create the United Nations Organization for Emergency Operations in Africa.
In early 1986, UN Secretary-General Pérez de Cuéllar named Dewey a United Nations Assistant Secretary General, with the post of Deputy United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
in Geneva.
In 1991, United States Secretary of State
Lawrence Eagleburger
asked Dewey to head the new Office of Emergency Humanitarian Assistance for the former Soviet Union. From 1993 to 1997, he was head of the Congressional Hunger Center, a non-governmental organization
. There, his work was instrumental in energizing the U.S. response to the Great Lakes refugee crisis
. In 1997, he became Professor in Residence at the Army Peacekeeping Institute at Carlisle Barracks
.
In January 2002, President of the United States
George W. Bush
nominated Dewey to be Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration
, and Dewey subsequently held this office from January 30, 2002 to July 1, 2005. There, he had to deal with the four million refugees created by the War in Afghanistan
, which he did by convincing President of Afghanistan
Hamid Karzai
to create an Afghan Conservation Corps modeled on the U.S. Civilian Conservation Corps
. He also negotiated an agreement with the government of Vietnam
to reestablish the Orderly Departure Program
.
Dewey retired in 2005.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration
Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration
The Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration is the head of the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration within the United States Department of State...
from 2002 to 2005.
Biography
Gene Dewey was educated at the United States Military AcademyUnited States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...
, graduating in 1956. He was then commissioned into the United States Army Corps of Engineers
United States Army Corps of Engineers
The United States Army Corps of Engineers is a federal agency and a major Army command made up of some 38,000 civilian and military personnel, making it the world's largest public engineering, design and construction management agency...
, serving with a Combat Engineer Battalion in West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
as battalion aviator and later as an engineer company commander. He then attended Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
, receiving a master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
. He was then posted briefly at Fort Benning
Fort Benning
Fort Benning is a United States Army post located southeast of the city of Columbus in Muscogee and Chattahoochee counties in Georgia and Russell County, Alabama...
, before being part of the first ever deployment of an Army Aviation company overseas, flying over 1000 hours in Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
during the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
. Then, he commanded an engineering company at Fort Stewart
Fort Stewart
Fort Stewart is a census-designated place and U.S. Army post primarily in Liberty County and Bryan County, but also extending into smaller portions of Evans, Long, and Tattnall Counties in Georgia, USA. The population was 11,205 at the 2000 census...
and attended the United States Army Command and General Staff College. A stint in the Office of the Chief of Research and Development at the Pentagon
The Pentagon
The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, Virginia. As a symbol of the U.S. military, "the Pentagon" is often used metonymically to refer to the Department of Defense rather than the building itself.Designed by the American architect...
was followed by a promotion to major
Major (United States)
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, major is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel...
and a posting as aide-de-camp
Aide-de-camp
An aide-de-camp is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state...
to the Commanding General of the United States Army Materiel Command
United States Army Materiel Command
The U.S. Army Materiel Command is the primary provider of materiel to the United States Army.The Command's mission includes the research & development of weapons systems as well as maintenance and parts distribution....
, Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General (United States)
In the United States Army, the United States Air Force and the United States Marine Corps, lieutenant general is a three-star general officer rank, with the pay grade of O-9. Lieutenant general ranks above major general and below general...
Frank S. Besson, Jr.
Frank S. Besson, Jr.
Frank Schaffer Besson, Jr., CBE was born on May 30, 1910 in Detroit, Michigan. His father was a West Point graduate and an officer in the Corps of Engineers . Frank S. Besson, Jr. graduated seventh in his class from the United States Military Academy in 1932. In 1935, he received a master's...
In 1968, Dewey was named one of the White House Fellows
White House Fellows
The White House Fellows program was established by President of the United States Lyndon B. Johnson in October 1964. President Johnson articulated that the mission of the program was "to give the Fellows first hand, high-level experience with the workings of the federal government and to increase...
and spent a year as Assistant to the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development
United States Agency for International Development
The United States Agency for International Development is the United States federal government agency primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid. President John F. Kennedy created USAID in 1961 by executive order to implement development assistance programs in the areas...
. In this capacity, he played a major role in coordinating United States civilian relief efforts during the Nigerian Civil War
Nigerian Civil War
The Nigerian Civil War, also known as the Nigerian-Biafran War, 6 July 1967–15 January 1970, was a political conflict caused by the attempted secession of the southeastern provinces of Nigeria as the self-proclaimed Republic of Biafra...
, developing the Cross River
Cross River (Nigeria)
Cross River is the main river in southeastern Nigeria and gives its name to Cross River State.It originates in Cameroon, where it takes the name of the Manyu River....
proposal for delivering humanitarian aide into the Biafra
Biafra
Biafra, officially the Republic of Biafra, was a secessionist state in south-eastern Nigeria that existed from 30 May 1967 to 15 January 1970, taking its name from the Bight of Biafra . The inhabitants were mostly the Igbo people who led the secession due to economic, ethnic, cultural and religious...
region.
After his year as a White House fellow, Dewey returned to the army. In 1970, he commanded the 222nd Combat Aviation Battalion in the Vietnam War. He received the Distinguished Flying Cross
Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)
The Distinguished Flying Cross is a medal awarded to any officer or enlisted member of the United States armed forces who distinguishes himself or herself in support of operations by "heroism or extraordinary achievement while participating in an aerial flight, subsequent to November 11, 1918." The...
for commanding the helicopter gun trips during the prisoner rescue efforts in Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
. He spent 1971 as Director of the President´s Commission on White House Fellowships. The next year, he was selected by the United States Army War College to study at the Graduate Institute of International Studies
Graduate Institute of International Studies
The Graduate Institute of International Studies, best known as HEI , was founded in 1927 as one of the first institutions in the world dedicated to the study of international relations...
in Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
. He then returned to the Pentagon as Chief of the Political-Military Division in the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Military Operations. In 1975, he served as Senior Military Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations
Council on Foreign Relations
The Council on Foreign Relations is an American nonprofit nonpartisan membership organization, publisher, and think tank specializing in U.S. foreign policy and international affairs...
. The next year, he became commanding officer of the U.S. military community in Heilbronn
Heilbronn
Heilbronn is a city in northern Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is completely surrounded by Heilbronn County and with approximately 123.000 residents, it is the sixth-largest city in the state....
. He then became a Defense Planner in the U.S. Mission to NATO
United States Permanent Representative to NATO
The United States Permanent Representative to NATO is the official representative of the United States to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The Representative has the rank of full ambassador and is appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate...
. He returned to the Pentagon in 1978 as Executive Officer in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs
Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs
In America, the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs or ASD is the principal advisor to the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy and the Secretary of Defense on international security strategy and policy on issues of DoD interest related to the governments and defense...
, where he played a role in designed the Theater Nuclear Force Program for Western Europe.
Dewey retired from the army in 1981, accepting a civilian position at Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in the Bureau for Refugee Programs. In response to the 1984–1985 famine in Ethiopia, Dewey convinced Secretary-General of the United Nations Javier Pérez de Cuéllar
Javier Pérez de Cuéllar
Javier Pérez de Cuéllar y de la Guerra is a Peruvian diplomat who served as the fifth Secretary-General of the United Nations from January 1, 1982 to December 31, 1991. He studied in Colegio San Agustín of Lima, and then at Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú. In 1995, he ran unsuccessfully...
to create the United Nations Organization for Emergency Operations in Africa.
In early 1986, UN Secretary-General Pérez de Cuéllar named Dewey a United Nations Assistant Secretary General, with the post of Deputy United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees , also known as The UN Refugee Agency is a United Nations agency mandated to protect and support refugees at the request of a government or the UN itself and assists in their voluntary repatriation, local integration or resettlement to...
in Geneva.
In 1991, United States Secretary of State
United States Secretary of State
The United States Secretary of State is the head of the United States Department of State, concerned with foreign affairs. The Secretary is a member of the Cabinet and the highest-ranking cabinet secretary both in line of succession and order of precedence...
Lawrence Eagleburger
Lawrence Eagleburger
Lawrence Sidney Eagleburger was an American statesman and former career diplomat, who served briefly as the United States Secretary of State under President George H. W. Bush. Previously, he had served in lesser capacities under Presidents Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, and George H....
asked Dewey to head the new Office of Emergency Humanitarian Assistance for the former Soviet Union. From 1993 to 1997, he was head of the Congressional Hunger Center, a non-governmental organization
Non-governmental organization
A non-governmental organization is a legally constituted organization created by natural or legal persons that operates independently from any government. The term originated from the United Nations , and is normally used to refer to organizations that do not form part of the government and are...
. There, his work was instrumental in energizing the U.S. response to the Great Lakes refugee crisis
Great Lakes refugee crisis
The Great Lakes refugee crisis is the common name for the situation beginning with the exodus in April 1994 of over two million Rwandans to neighboring countries of the Great Lakes region of Africa in the aftermath of the Rwandan Genocide...
. In 1997, he became Professor in Residence at the Army Peacekeeping Institute at Carlisle Barracks
Carlisle Barracks
Carlisle Barracks is a United States Army facility located in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. It is part of the United States Army Training and Doctrine Command and is the site of the U.S. Army War College...
.
In January 2002, President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
nominated Dewey to be Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration
Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration
The Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration is the head of the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration within the United States Department of State...
, and Dewey subsequently held this office from January 30, 2002 to July 1, 2005. There, he had to deal with the four million refugees created by the War in Afghanistan
War in Afghanistan (2001–present)
The War in Afghanistan began on October 7, 2001, as the armed forces of the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the Afghan United Front launched Operation Enduring Freedom...
, which he did by convincing President of Afghanistan
President of Afghanistan
Afghanistan has only been a republic between 1973 and 1992 and from 2001 onwards. Before 1973, it was a monarchy that was governed by a variety of kings, emirs or shahs...
Hamid Karzai
Hamid Karzai
Hamid Karzai, GCMG is the 12th and current President of Afghanistan, taking office on 7 December 2004. He became a dominant political figure after the removal of the Taliban regime in late 2001...
to create an Afghan Conservation Corps modeled on the U.S. Civilian Conservation Corps
Civilian Conservation Corps
The Civilian Conservation Corps was a public work relief program that operated from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men from relief families, ages 18–25. A part of the New Deal of President Franklin D...
. He also negotiated an agreement with the government of Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
to reestablish the Orderly Departure Program
Orderly Departure Program
The Orderly Departure Program ' was a program to permit immigration of Vietnamese refugees to the United States of America, instituted in 1979 under the auspices of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees...
.
Dewey retired in 2005.