Andrew Cordier As I Remember Him

DOREEN GEARY
 

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y If ^HE Cordier papers, which have now come to rest at
Columbia University, reflect not only the life of Andrew
Wellington Cordier, but the history of the twentieth cen¬
tury from its beginning—he was born in 1901—until the time of
his death in July 1975. As I had a part in assembling some of these
papers during his lifetime—and after his death—my thoughts are
often drawn to him, to the unusual kind of person he was and to
the rather exrraordinary career that he had.

Dr. Andrew Cordier is better known to Columbia University
circles as the man who, as the University's 15th President, pre¬
sided over the University for two tumultuous years of campus
unrest from 1968 to 1970; as Dean of its School of International
Affairs from 1962 to 1972; and finally as President Emeritus. But
■when Andrew Cordier first came to Columbia University he was
already sixty-one years of age and had just concluded a unique and
outstanding career with the United Nations. To those of us who
knew and worked with him there in those innovative and forma¬
tive years he is best remembered as "Mr. UN." He was formally
known as "Mr. Andrew Cordier" for he did not use his Ph.D. title
in those days, but to almost everyone in rhe United Nations Secre¬
tariat and in the Delegations he was more affectionately addressed
and spoken of as "Andy Cordier." He held the formidable title of
Executive Assistant to the Secretary-General and Under-Secretary
for General Assembly Affairs.

He came to the organization in 1946 from the State Department
and served in the above capacities under the first two Secretaries-
General, Trygve Lie and Dag Hammarskjold. By the very nature
of his post he was directly and closely associated with both these
distinguished men in the overall direction of the organization. At
the United Nations this was a very interesting and vital period