John Foster Dulles (1888-1959) died on May 24, 1959 at age 71. Foster was an American diplomat and statesman who served as Secretary of State from 1953 until 1959. Foster was born in Washington, D.C., to Presbyterian minister Allen Macy Dulles and his wife, Edith F. Dulles. He graduated from Princeton University and subsequently attended George Washington University Law School. Foster served as advisor on international law to the War Department during both World Wars. In 1945 he was part of the delegation sent by President Truman to the United Nations Conference in San Francisco. After his appointment as Secretary of State, he formulated the policy of containment of Communism and developed the strategy of brinkmanship during the height of the Cold War. He also engineered the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO) and the Central Treaty Organization (CENTO) alliances. His other accomplishments include facilitating the signing of the armistice that ended the Korean War and participating in international conferences in Geneva and in Vienna. Foster will be remembered as a statesman who did much to shape American foreign policy during a critical period in history.