President-elect George W. Bush’s nominee for Secretary of Defense taught at Northwestern’s business school in 1977 before moving into private business in Illinois.

Donald Rumsfeld, who previously served as Secretary of Defense during the Ford Administration, taught two Friday classes during Spring Quarter of 1977, according to university archivist Patrick Quinn. Rumsfeld’s 10-week classes covered the topic of management for business executives in the school’s Public Management Program and the Executive Master’s Degree program, Quinn said.

The business school, which was called the Graduate School of Management before 1979, has often attracted high-profile lecturers to teach its classes.

The most recent example is talk-show host Oprah Winfrey, who has decided to end her Dynamics of Leadership course after teaching it for two years.

“They’re a dime-a-dozen, (famous) people teaching a course over there,” Quinn said.

Rumsfeld came to what is now Kellogg from his position as the youngest Secretary of Defense in U.S. history. During his 14 months as defense secretary, Rumsfeld pushed for increased military spending and piloted a test version of the B-1 bomber.

He entered Congress in 1962 at age 30 and served as the U.S. ambassador to NATO in 1973.

After leaving NU, Rumsfeld became CEO of the Illinois-based pharmaceutical company G.D. Searle & Co. until 1985. He now is a member of the board of directors of the Tribune company and several other science and pharmaceutical companies.

Even after leaving Washington for private business, Rumsfeld continued to remain active in Republican politics. He worked as President Reagan’s special ambassador to the Middle East, served on the National Economic Commission and was a member of the President’s General Advisory Committee on arms control.

Rumsfeld was born in Chicago in 1932 and returned to the area after more than 20 years in Washington. He also has lectured at his alma mater, Princeton University.