Donald Rumsfeld, former US Secretary of Defense, dies at 88

Donald Rumsfeld, who served as U.S. Secretary of Defense under two different presidents, has died. He was 88.

A statement from his family on Wednesday said Rumsfeld was surrounded by family at his home in Taos, New Mexico, at the time of his death.

Rumsfeld served as Secretary of Defense from 1975 to 1977 under President Gerald Ford, then served in the position again from 2001 to 2006 under President George W. Bush. He oversaw the nation’s response to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, and subsequently the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Rumsfeld also was a three-term U.S. Congressman from Illinois.