J. William Middendorf II

William Middendorf II worked between 1924 and 2025 across diplomat, politician, writer and composer. This article rests on 1 catalogued composition, 2 published texts, 15 digitised documents and 46 scholarly references drawn from named institutional registers. Every statement below returns to a source shown in the evidence panel; where the record is silent or divided, the article says so instead of resolving it.

William Middendorf II studied at College of the Holy Cross, Harvard University and New York University. Places of work recorded in the authority are United States and The Hague. Positions recorded include United States Secretary of the Navy and United States Ambassador to the European Union.

• Name — William Middendorf • Office — United States Ambassador to the European Communities • President — Ronald Reagan • Term Start — July 12, 1985 • Term End — February 1, 1987 • Predecessor — George S. Vest • Successor — Alfred H. Kingon • Office1 — 10th United States Ambassador to the Organization of American States • President1 — Ronald Reagan • Term Start1 — July 1, 1981 • Term End1 — June 20, 1985 • Predecessor1 — Gale W. McGee • Successor1 — Richard T. McCormack • Office2 — 62nd United States Secretary of the Navy • President2 — Richard Nixon Gerald Ford • Term Start2 — April 8, 1974 • Term End2 — January 20, 1977 • Predecessor2 — John Warner • Successor2 — W. Graham Claytor Jr. • Office3 — Under Secretary of the Navy • President3 — Richard Nixon • Term Start3 — August 3, 1973 • Term End3 — June 20, 1974 • Predecessor3 — Frank P. Sanders • Successor3 — David S. Potter • Office4 — United States Ambassador to the Netherlands • President4 — Richard Nixon • Term Start4 — July 9, 1969 • Term End4 — June 10, 1973 • Predecessor4 — William R. Tyler • Successor4 — Kingdon Gould Jr. • Birth Name — John William Middendorf II • Born — 22 September 1924 • Birthplace — Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. • Died — 24 October 2025 • Place of death — Fall River, Massachusetts, U.S. • Party — Republican • Education — * College of the Holy Cross (BS) • Harvard University (BA) • New York University (MBA) • Allegiance — United States • Branch — United States Navy • Branch Label — Branch • Service Years — 1944–1946 • Service Years Label — Service years • Battles — World War II • Battles Label — Conflict • Children — 2, including John • Spouse — Isabelle Paine

John William Middendorf II was born in Baltimore, Maryland, on September 22, 1924. He attended Gilman School and Middlesex School, where he was on the rowing team. He graduated in 1943. He was 17 when the attack on Pearl Harbor brought the United States into World War II.

Middendorf received a Bachelor of Naval Science (BNS) degree from College of the Holy Cross in 1945. In World War II, he served in the United States Navy from 1944 to 1946 as engineer officer and navigator aboard USS LCS(L) 53. He was discharged from the Navy in 1946. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Harvard College in 1947, where he was a member of the Hasty Pudding Theatricals and the Owl Club. He also graduated from New York University's Graduate School of Business Administration, receiving an MBA degree in 1954.

Middendorf became an investment banker and in 1963 in partnership with Austen Colgate formed his own company, Middendorf, Colgate and Company (with a seat on the New York Stock Exchange). An early member of Barry Goldwater's presidential campaign, he served as treasurer of that campaign, and continued to have the same duties with the Republican National Committee from 1965 to 1969.

Shortly after taking office in 1969, President Richard Nixon appointed Middendorf as United States Ambassador to the Netherlands. Middendorf served in this position until June 1973. After returning to the U.S., he became Under Secretary of the Navy; not long after, Secretary John Warner moved on to become head of the Bicentennial Commission, and Middendorf was told he could expect promotion to Secretary. However, when his nomination seemed to be stalled, he discovered that Secretary of Defense James Schlesinger had a candidate of his own (information that Schlesinger had not shared with Middendorf). Whereupon, Middendorf paid a personal call on many of the senators he had worked with while he was Treasurer of the Republican Party—and soon enough he had been nominated and confirmed as Secretary of the Navy, serving until the end of the administration of President Gerald Ford. As he would later write, "Life is relationships. Politics is compromise." During his tenure and again using his legislative contacts, Middendorf helped increase the Navy budget by 60 percent while the U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force budgets remained relatively flat. Programs he championed included the Ohio-class submarine and the companion Trident missile, the Aegis surface-launched missile system (which became the Navy's longest-running construction program; the 100th Aegis-equipped ship was delivered to the U.S. Navy in 2009 and systems are now in service with five allied navies). He also championed the F/A-18 Hornet carrier-based fighter attack aircraft—which Middendorf arranged to have dubbed "Hornet", as a tribute to his Revolutionary War ancestor merchant-shipping Captain William Stone, who donated two ships to the fledgling Navy which were then renamed "Wasp" and "Hornet". Those names survived many years and many ships, but as the fleet began to shrink and as ship-naming became more political—i.e., breaking the old rules and naming ships after living politicians—there weren't enough new candidates for traditional names. Incoming President Jimmy Carter invited Middendorf to stay on as Secretary of the Navy; however, as Middendorf noted in his 2011 memoir Potomac Fever, he told the President-elect "that it was the best job in government and therefore an insecure post for a Republican in a Democratic administration." During the Carter presidency, Middendorf was back in the private sector, as President and Chief Executive Officer of Financial General Bankshares (which he re-organized and renamed First American Bank). Next, he headed the CIA transition team (1980) for incoming President Ronald Reagan and was then named Permanent Representative of the United States of America to the Organization of American States (OAS), with the rank of Ambassador. He served in the post until 1984, when he accepted appointment as U. S. Representative to the European Communities (known today as the European Union) serving until 1987.

In 2006, Middendorf published a book describing his work with the Goldwater campaign. Glorious Disaster: Barry Goldwater's Presidential Campaign and the Origins of the Conservative Movement details how Goldwater's campaign became the foundation of the modern Conservative movement. In 2011, he published his autobiography, Potomac Fever. He composed eight symphonies (including the Holland Symphony, presented to Queen Juliana of the Netherlands on the 25th anniversary of her ascension to the throne) and numerous marches for Navy and Marine Corps bands. Ambassador Middendorf was a member of the board of directors of the International Republican Institute. He was a member of the board of trustees for The Heritage Foundation, an influential Washington, D.C.–based public policy research institute. Middendorf studied stained glass production with Dutch-born expert Joep Nicolas. He was on the board of the New York Studio School of Drawing, Painting and Sculpture.

Middendorf married Isabelle Paine. They had a daughter, Frances, and a son, John. He died in Fall River, Massachusetts, on October 24, 2025, at the age of 101.

William Middendorf II was born on 22 September 1924 in Baltimore. William Middendorf II held the nationality of United States. William Middendorf II was educated at College of the Holy Cross, Harvard University, New York University, Stern School of Business and Harvard College. William Middendorf II worked as diplomat, politician, writer and composer. William Middendorf II was active from 1945 to 2016. William Middendorf II worked in United States and The Hague. William Middendorf II died on 24 October 2025 in Fall River.

• Superior Honor Award, U.S. Department of State, 1974 • Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service, 1975; bronze palm (second award), 1976 • Navy Distinguished Public Service Award, 1976 • American Campaign Medal • Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with two battle stars • World War II Victory Medal • Navy Occupation Medal with "ASIA" clasp • China Service Medal

• Grand Officer of Order of Orange-Nassau, The Netherlands, 1985 • Order of the Arab Republic of Egypt – Rank A (highest foreign decoration) by President Sadat • Grand Officer of the Order of Naval Merit – Republic of Brazil, 1974 • Naval Distinguished Service Medal, Brazil, 1976

Middendorf has received the "Edwin Franko Goldman Award" from the American Bandmasters Association and was a member of the American Society of Composers and Performers (ASCAP). Other honors include: • Hudson River Museum Honoree, Hudson River Museum, 2009 • Maritime Security Lifetime Excellence Award, 2002 • Arleigh Burke Award – Navy League of the United States, 1998 • Ludwig von Mises Free Market Award – 1985 • Distinguished Service Award, Purdue University Band • Gold Medal, The Netherlands Society of the Sons of American Revolution • Medal of Honor, Midwest National Band and Orchestra Association • Alumnus of the Year, New York University Graduate School of Business • Association of Harvard Clubs of American Award (Music) (Keogh Award) • NYU Eugene Keogh Award for Distinguished Public Service (1989) • American Friends of Turkey Leadership Award, 1989 • Presidential Physical Fitness Award, 1990 • Distinguished Patriot Award, SAR of State of New York, 1975 • Award of Merit, Art League of Virginia (Portrait of Del), 1996 • U.S. Olympic Committee Gold Shield Award • Gold Medal, Holland Society of New York, 1996 • American Bandmasters Association Edwin Franko Goldman Award • American Music Award, Harvard Clubs

• Troy State University – Doctor of Law • School of the Ozarks – Doctor of Letters • American Christian College – Doctor of Letters • Francisco Marroquin University – Doctor of Social Sciences