Lucy W. Benson

Lucy W. Benson
4th Under Secretary of State for International Security Affairs
In office
March 28, 1977 – January 5, 1980
PresidentJimmy Carter
Preceded byCarlyle E. Maw
Succeeded byMatthew Nimetz
Massachusetts Secretary of Human Services
In office
1975–1977
GovernorMichael Dukakis
Preceded byPeter C. Goldmark Jr.
Succeeded byJerald Stevens
Personal details
Born
Lucy Peters Wilson

(1927-08-25)August 25, 1927
New York City, New York, U.S.
DiedJuly 17, 2021(2021-07-17) (aged 93)
Amherst, Massachusetts, U.S.
Spouse
Bruce Buzzell Benson
​
​
(m. 1950; died 1990)​
[1]
Parent
  • Willard O. Wilson (father)

Lucy Peters Wilson Benson (August 25, 1927 – July 17, 2021)[2][3] was an American government official who served as the Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Affairs from 1977 to 1980. When Benson was named to this post, it was the highest position ever held by a woman in the United States Department of State.[4]

Prior to joining the State Department, Benson served as President of the League of Women Voters (1968 to 1974) and Massachusetts Secretary of Human Services from 1975 to 1977.[5] She has also been a member of the Lafayette College Board of Trustees since 1985.[6]

  1. ^ "Benson-Wilson Vows Are Read". Arizona Republic. April 9, 1950. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
  2. ^ Presidency. 1978. ISBN 9780871871312. Retrieved 14 November 2015.
  3. ^ "Storied Lucy Wilson Benson recalled as 'fearless, formidable'". Daily Hampshire Gazette. July 31, 2021. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
  4. ^ "Washington Talk: Women in Government; The Pioneers", New York Times, Nov. 13, 1986
  5. ^ "Lucy Wilson Benson (1943), H1974". Amherst College. Amherst College. Retrieved 2 July 2012.
  6. ^ Gendebien, Albert W. (1986). The Biography of a College: A History of Lafayette College 1927 - 1978. Easton, PA: Lafayette College.