George Elsey

George McKee Elsey (February 5, 1918 – December 30, 2015) was an American commander who was a military advisor to Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman.

Life

Elsey was born in Palo Alto, California and was raised in Oakmont, Pennsylvania. He studied at Princeton University, and Harvard University.

A commander in the U.S. Naval Reserve, he was a duty officer in the White House Map Room, 1941–46, accompanying Truman to the Potsdam Conference; Assistant to Clark Clifford, the Special Counsel to the President, 1947–49; Administrative Assistant to the President, 1949–51; and Assistant to the Director, Mutual Security Agency, 1951-53. Having served as Vice-President of the organization between 1958 and 1961, Elsey became President of the American Red Cross in 1970, serving in that post until 1982. He died in Tustin, California on December 30, 2015. He provided an oral history to the Truman Presidential Library in July 1969.