“And this is good old Boston,
The home of the bean and the cod,
Where the Lowells talk only to Cabots,
And the Cabots talk only to God.”
Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr., of Boston served his country for most of his life. According to family and friends, he really didn’t have a choice. His ancestors had been US Senators and cabinet members. I think there was one Secretary of State along the way, but who’s counting?
Expectations were high. Duty was not some far-off concept. To whom much is given, the old saying goes, much shall be required.
After the predictable Middlesex to Harvard route, Lodge plunged into public life…and raised eyebrows and begrudging respect when he resigned his Senate seat to serve in the armed forces in World War II. Nobody had done that since the Civil War.
A Republican, he was Richard Nixon’s running mate in 1960. Then went to work for President Kennedy as his Ambassador to Vietnam. (Kennedy had defeated him a few years earlier in the US Senate race in Massachusetts.)
Tellingly, Lodge’s allegiance seemed more to his country than any political party. He worked with President Truman (a Democrat) and other farsighted public servants to partner with a post-war Europe, help it get back on its feet, and create a global alliance that would preserve and nourish democracies around the world.
I’m sure he had his faults, but I prefer to take note of his commitment to his country.
A biography on this American is available HERE.
In this divisive time, I think it might be good reading to learn about a life devoted to national service, rather than partisan agenda.
Enjoy.
- BGT