Widow of the former US Secretary of State
Nancy Kissinger is dead
08/21/2026 – 02:11 amReading time: 3 minutes
Nancy Kissinger has died at the age of 92. She was the wife of the controversial US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger.
The widow of long-time US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, Nancy Kissinger, is dead. According to her family, she died at the age of 92 in her home in South Kent, Connecticut.
Nancy Kissinger accompanied her husband in his political activities for almost 50 years as Secretary of State and later as an advisor and elder statesman. She was considered politically savvy, with a deep knowledge of global issues and a passionate supporter of her husband, whose politics were considered controversial.
The Kissingers were also among the most prominent couples in public life new Yorktheir primary residence, and attended museum openings, fashion shows and charity events. Since the early 1980s, a property in South Kent had been her retreat for summers and weekends, away from social engagements.
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“Good sense of humor and an ironclad integrity”
“For the men and women who know her well,” the New York Times quoted a friend after the wedding as saying, “Mrs. Kissinger is an intelligent, capable and warm woman with great charm, a good sense of humor and iron integrity.”
As Secretary of State under Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford from 1973 to 1977, Henry Kissinger shaped American foreign policy like no other: He pushed forward the policy of detente towards the Soviet Union and paved the way for historic rapprochement China after decades of isolation and mediated between the fronts during the Yom Kippur War of 1973. He was instrumental in the negotiations for the Paris Peace Agreement, which ended American involvement in the Vietnam War. For the latter, he received the Nobel Peace Prize together with the North Vietnamese negotiator Le Duc Tho.
Despite all these honors, Kissinger remained a controversial figure throughout his life. Journalists and human rights organizations accused him of war crimes – for example in connection with the bombing of Hanoi and the American invasion of Cambodia during the Vietnam War. Also his role in supporting the military coup against the socialist government of Salvador Allende Chile caused sharp criticism, as did the accusation that he had tacitly given the Argentine military junta the green light for its “dirty war” against dissidents.
