| John N. Irwin | |
| Ambassador From: | United States |
| Country: | France |
| Term Start: | March 23, 1973 |
| Term End: | October 20, 1974 |
| Predecessor: | Arthur K. Watson |
| Successor: | Kenneth Rush |
| President: | Richard Nixon Gerald Ford |
| Office2: | 1st United States Deputy Secretary of State |
| President2: | Richard Nixon |
| Term Start2: | July 12, 1972 |
| Term End2: | February 1, 1973 |
| Successor2: | Kenneth Rush |
| Predecessor2: | Position established |
| Office3: | 26th United States Under Secretary of State |
| President3: | Richard Nixon |
| Term Start3: | September 21, 1970 |
| Term End3: | July 12, 1972 |
| Predecessor3: | Elliot Richardson |
| Successor3: | Himself (as Deputy Secretary) |
| Office4: | 5th Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs |
| President4: | Dwight D. Eisenhower |
| Term Start4: | October 4, 1958 |
| Term End4: | January 20, 1961 |
| Predecessor4: | Mansfield D. Sprague |
| Successor4: | Paul Nitze |
| Birth Name: | John Nichol Irwin II |
| Birth Date: | December 31, 1913 |
| Birth Place: | Keokuk, Iowa, U.S. |
| Death Place: | New Haven, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Spouse: | |
| Party: | Republican |
| Children: | John, Jane, Watkins (stepchild), Thomas (stepchild), Carl (stepchild) |
John Nichol Irwin II (December 31, 1913 – February 28, 2000) was an American diplomat and attorney during the Cold War.[1] During World War II, he served in the Army in the Pacific as a member of General Douglas MacArthur's staff and reached the rank of lieutenant colonel.
He was born on December 31, 1913, in Keokuk, Iowa. After graduating from the Fordham University School of Law, he became an attorney, eventually working as a lawyer at Patterson, Belknap & Webb.[2]
He was the last person to hold the position of Under Secretary of State when that was the U.S. State Department's second-ranking office (1970-1972). In 1972, he became the first person to hold the office of Deputy Secretary of State, which succeeded the office of Under Secretary; he held that office until February 1, 1973.
In both capacities, his superior was Secretary William P. Rogers. Irwin resigned from the position of Deputy Secretary to serve as U.S. Ambassador to France.
In 1973, Irwin bought the Luis Maria Baca Grant No. 5, also known as the O RO Ranch, near Seligman, Arizona, from the Greene Cattle Company.[3] [4] In 1977, Irwin bought the Quien Sabe Ranch near Tres Pinos, California.[5]
He died on February 28, 2000, in New Haven, Connecticut, at the age of 86.[6]