Richard Lee Armitage

Richard L. Armitage, former deputy secretary of state under President George W. Bush, died unexpectedly on Sunday April 13 at the age of 79.  The cause of death was a pulmonary embolism.

Armitage served as deputy to Secretary of State Colin Powell from 2001 to 2005, the tumultuous years of the 9/11 attacks and the start of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.  Before that he had served as a senior Defense Department official during the Reagan administration and as a special presidential envoy for President George H.W. Bush.

“Rich,” as he was called, graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1967 and served one tour as an officer aboard a destroyer off the coast of Vietnam before volunteering to serve in-country as an advisor to South Vietnamese riverine forces.  He served three combat tours, earning the Bronze Star, Navy Commendation Medal and Navy Achievement Medal, all with Combat Vs.  In the days leading up to the fall of Saigon, he organized the evacuation of South Vietnamese naval ships and personnel, leading a flotilla carrying an estimated 30,000 refugees to safety in the Philippines.

After he left government service in 2005, he founded Armitage International, a consulting firm which he ran until his death.  In 2005, Armitage was awarded a knighthood from the Queen of England and has since received awards from the governments of Japan, New Zealand, Australia, and Romania as well as an honorary doctorate from Keio University in Japan.  In 2013, he received the Distinguished Graduate Award from the Naval Academy.

He is survived by his wife Laura Samford Armitage, eight children, and twelve grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers the family requests donations be made to the United States Naval Academy  “Fund for Athletic Excellence.”  Gifts in the form of a check can be sent to the U.S. Naval Academy Foundation at the address below:

U.S. NAVAL ACADEMY

ALUMNI ASSOCIATION & FOUNDATION

Gift Administration

301 King George Street

Annapolis, MD 21402

Gifts can also be made online