Roger M. Kyes

Roger M. Kyes
United States Deputy Secretary of Defense
In office
January 30, 1953 – May 1, 1954
President Dwight D. Eisenhower
Preceded by William Chapman Foster
Succeeded by Robert B. Anderson
Personal details
Born Rogers Martin Kyes
(1906-03-06)March 6, 1906
East Palestine, Ohio,[1] United States
Died February 14, 1971(1971-02-14) (aged 64)
Columbus, Ohio
Spouse(s) Helen G. Kyes
Children Carolyn Kyes Eggert, Frances Elizabeth Kyes, Katharine Kyes Leab, Cynthia Anne Spence
Residence Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
Alma mater Harvard University (B.A.)

Roger Martin Kyes (March 6, 1906 – February 14, 1971), born Rogers Martin Kyes, was a General Motors executive who served as United States Deputy Secretary of Defense in 1953.

Biography

Roger M. Kyes was a native of Cleveland.[2] Kyes got his start in farm implements, running a Cleveland firm that supplied implements to the Ferguson Company.[2] In 1940, Harry Ferguson persuaded Kyes to join the Ferguson Company and Kyes relocated from Cleveland to Dearborn, Michigan.[2] As Ferguson's Executive Vice President, Kyes was responsible for overseeing the firm's day-to-day business operations.[2]

Kyes left the Ferguson Company in the 1940s, joining General Motors. There, he was responsible for the transit bus division of General Motors Diesel Division. Kyes was responsible for GM's bus division in the period in which transit buses overtook streetcars as the primary form of public transport in most large American cities.

In 1953, President of the United States Dwight D. Eisenhower named GM president Charles Erwin Wilson as United States Secretary of Defense. Wilson asked to be allowed to bring Kyes along, so, at Wilson's request, Eisenhower nominated Kyes as United States Deputy Secretary of Defense.[3] Kyes was sworn in on February 2, 1953, and served as Deputy Secretary of Defense until May 1, 1954.[4] Upon becoming Deputy Secretary of Defense, Kyes criticized the United States military-defense establishment as dominated by "unrealistic requirements, poor planning and inefficient execution . . . waste of money, poor utilization of manpower, unnecessary drain of materials from the civilian economy, and the inefficient use of tools, equipment and facilities."[3] He slashed the defense budget in an attempt to improve efficiencies, in the process gaining himself the nickname of "Jolly Roger" because of his piratical ruthlessness.[3] As Deputy Secretary, Kyes was a member of the Committee on International Information Activities.

Kyes agreed to come to Washington, D. C. for only a year, although Defense Secretary Wilson convinced Kyes to stay a few months longer to help explain the administration's "New Look" defense concept to the United States Congress.[5] When some editors speculated that Kyes was leaving because he was afraid of being called before the McCarthy hearings, the tough minded Kyes said he was not afraid of a fight.[5] President Eisenhower awarded Kyes the Medal of Freedom for his service to the country.[3]

Upon leaving government, Kyes returned to General Motors, becoming an Executive Vice President in 1965.[6] In the 1960s, he clashed with John DeLorean.[7]

In 1969, Kyes left General Motors to become chief executive officer of the American Steamship Company.[8]

At the beginning of 1971 he joined Lazard Freres as a General Partner.[9]

Kyes died of a heart attack in 1971 in Columbus, Ohio.[3]

An American Steamship Company vessel was christened the Roger M. Kyes in his honor on July 28, 1973 at Toledo, Ohio.[8] This boat was renamed the Adam E. Cornelius in 1989.[8]

References

  1. ↑ Meet the men to boss our military forces
  2. 1 2 3 4 Profile of Harry Ferguson in the Jan. 1942 issue of Fortune Magazine
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Milestones, Mar. 1, 1971", Time, Mar. 1, 1972
  4. ↑ List of Deputy Secretaries of Defense from the Pentagon Library
  5. 1 2 "The Administration: Leave-Taking," Time, Mar. 15, 1954
  6. ↑ https://www.eisenhower.archives.gov/research/finding_aids/pdf/Kyes_Roger_M_Family_Papers.pdf
  7. ↑ Posting at ateupwithmotor.com
  8. 1 2 3 Profile of the ship Roger M. Kyes
  9. ↑ The New York Times, January 7, 1971
Political offices
Preceded by
Robert A. Lovett		 United States Deputy Secretary of Defense
February 2, 1953 – May 1, 1954		 Succeeded by
Robert B. Anderson
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