Eagleburger, US hails top diplomat dead at 80

Tributes poured in Saturday for Lawrence Eagleburger, who died at age 80, hailing his diplomatic career and service as US secretary of state under president George H.W. Bush at the end of the Cold War. "Our nation has lost a distinguished diplomat and public servant," President Barack Obama said in a statement. Eagleburger, the first career foreign service officer to be named secretary of state, "devoted his life to the security of our nation and to strengthening our ties with allies and partners," Obama added, noting his lengthy service to US diplomacy spanning over four decades. At the State Department, he "helped our nation navigate the pivotal days during the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of the Cold War," the president said. Eagleburger died from a pneumonia at the University of Virginia Medical Center in the city of Charlottesville, following a heart attack earlier this week, reports said. Current Secretary of State Hillary Clinton hailed Eagleburger as a strong voice and stalwart champion for America's values," calling his passing "America's loss." And Vice President Joe Biden, who worked with Eagleburger for three decades, honored "one of the finest foreign service officers of his generation," commending his "candor and straightforward manner." "The post-Cold War world, particularly Europe and Eurasia, is more stable and secure because of (his) dedicated service," Biden added. Eagleburger, who ran the State Department for five months at the end of Bush's term in 1992, was "one of the most capable and respected diplomats our foreign service ever produced," the former president said in a statement quoted by US media. "During one of the tensest moments of the Gulf War, when Saddam Hussein began attacking Israel with scud missiles trying cynically and cruelly to bait them into the conflict, we sent Larry to Israel to preserve our coalition," Bush recalled. "It was an inordinately complex and sensitive task, and his performance was nothing short of heroic." Eagleburger, who served under secretaries from both parties, replaced James Baker at the post in August 1992, first as acting secretary before his official appointment later that year. He brought with him decades of experience as a career diplomat and a solid knowledge of Middle East issues. He had departed public service in 1984 to launch a consulting firm with former secretary of state Henry Kissinger, but returned to become deputy secretary of state in 1989 at Bush's insistence. Born in 1930 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Eagleburger joined the diplomatic service at age 27, starting his career as a low-level officer in the US embassy in Tegucigalpa, the Honduran capital, before moving to Europe in the early 1960s. Working as an economic adviser to the US mission in Belgrade in the former Yugoslavia -- where he would later serve as ambassador between 1977 and 1981 -- Eagleburger's diplomatic prowess made him a top US player in Europe during the Cold War, also serving as a political adviser to the US delegation to NATO in Brussels. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates praised his "close colleague and very dear friend." Eagleburger, Gates said, "was a supremely talented diplomat and public servant. And very funny. I will miss him very much." Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell described his late friend as an "incredibly gifted public servant." Clinton noted that even in retirement, "Larry remained a staunch advocate for the causes he believed in. He never stopped caring, contributing and speaking out." "He believed in the strength of America's values, and he fought for them around the world. He was outspoken, but always the consummate diplomat," she added. Eagleburger was a vocal supporter of Republican John McCain in the 2008 presidential election and made headlines when he questioned Obama's readiness to lead the country. Larry Sabato, a longtime political commentator, marked Eagleburger's passing in a tweet, noting that the former diplomat had recently taught his class at the University of Virginia. "Students loved him. He was blunt, whip-smart and very, very funny. Understood world as few do," Sabato said.