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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2026

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H O U S E   R E S O L U T I O N

EXPRESSING DEEPEST CONDOLENCES ON THE PASSING OF AMBASSADOR

J. WILLIAM MIDDENDORF II

     Introduced By: Representatives Shekarchi, Blazejewski, McGaw, Chippendale, Abney,
Fogarty, Ajello, Fellela, Tanzi, and McNamara

     Date Introduced: January 15, 2026

     Referred To: House read and passed

     WHEREAS, It is with deep sadness that this House of Representatives has learned of the

passing of J. William Middendorf II, a distinguished former Ambassador and United States Navy

World War II veteran. He was the beloved husband of the late Isabelle Jackson Paine for 63

years; and

     WHEREAS, John William Middendorf II, was born in Baltimore, Maryland, the son of

Sarah and Harry Middendorf. He rowed and played sports in high school, and briefly attended

Harvard, but because there were no Navy ROTC openings at Harvard, he transferred to the

College of the Holy Cross; and

     WHEREAS, While attending the College of the Holy Cross, J. William Middendorf II,

joined the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps and played basketball with the highly regarded

Holy Cross Basketball Team and Hall of Fame teammate, the legendary Bob Cousy. While at

Holy Cross, Mr. Middendorf took classes in navigation, naval history, engineering, gunnery, and

ship stability; and

     WHEREAS, After graduating from Holy Cross with a degree in Naval Science, Mr.

Middendorf served with distinction in the United States Navy as an officer in World War II. Mr.

Middendorf served as an Engineer Officer and Navigator aboard the USS LCS(L) 53, and was

later stationed in China, first as a member of the occupation forces and later as part of a security

detail for General George Marshall, who at the time was trying to broker a peace deal in the

Chinese Civil War between Mao Zedong and Chiang Kai-shek; and

     WHEREAS, After completing his military obligation, Mr. Middendorf attended Harvard

College, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1947 and was a member of the Hasty

Pudding Theatricals and the Owl Club. Mr. Middendorf later attended the Stern School of

Business at NYU, where he earned his MBA. Upon graduation, Mr. Middendorf became an

investment banker, founded the highly successful Middendorf, Colgate and Company, and gained

a seat on the New York Stock Exchange; and

     WHEREAS, Mr. Middendorf was also very active in Republican politics, first at the local

level in Connecticut, then in service to the 1964 presidential campaign of Barry Goldwater,

serving as the Treasurer of the Republican National Committee from 1965 to 1969; and

     WHEREAS, Beginning in 1969, Mr. Middendorf began a long and distinguished period

of public service, mostly in ambassadorial and military-related positions, starting with Mr.

Middendorf's appointment to serve as the United States Ambassador to the Netherlands by

President Nixon, a position he held until June of 1973; and

     WHEREAS, Upon returning to the United States, Mr. Middendorf was chosen to serve as

the Under Secretary of the United States Navy and later was chosen to serve as the Secretary of

the Navy when Secretary John Warner left to serve on the Bicentennial Commission. Mr.

Middendorf was confirmed by the Senate and served in this position until the end of the Ford

administration. His most notable accomplishments included securing a 60 percent increase in the

Navy budget, while Army and Air Force spending remained flat; and

     WHEREAS, Mr. Middendorf declined President Carter's offer to remain as the Secretary

of the Navy, and returned to the private sector in 1977, serving as the President and Chief

Executive Officer of Financial General BankShares, which Mr. Middendorf re-organized and

renamed First American Bank; and

     WHEREAS, Mr. Middendorf returned to public service once again in 1980, serving as

the head of the CIA transition team for incoming President Reagan, then later serving as the

Permanent Representative of the United States of America to the Organization of the American

States (OAS), with the rank of Ambassador. In 1984, President Reagan appointed him to serve as

the U.S. Representative to the European Community, known today as the European Union, a

position he held until 1987; and

     WHEREAS, In his free time, Mr. Middendorf was a devotee of the arts and was a prolific

composer of symphonies. One of the highlights of his music career was his writing of more than

100 marches and the Holland Symphony, which he presented to Dutch Queen Juliana on the 25th

Anniversary of her ascension to the throne. In recognition of his excellence in music, Mr.

Middendorf received the "Edwin Franko Goldman Award" from the American Bandmasters

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Association, and was a member of the American Society of Composers and Performers; and

     WHEREAS, In his later years, Mr. Middendorf wrote two well-received books, "A

Glorious Disaster: Barry Goldwater's Presidential Campaign and the Origins of the Conservative

Movement", and "Potomac Fever: A Memoir of Politics and Public Service", in which President

George H.W. Bush said that Mr. Middendorf "was always constructively involved in the political

world, and he is a good friend. For those who believe in public service, Bill Middendorf's memoir

should be a must read."; and

     WHEREAS, Mr. Middendorf was a member of the Council of American Ambassadors,

Defense Forum Foundation, the Board of Directors of the International Republican Institute, and

was a member of the Heritage Foundation. He was also a member of the Rhode Island Society of

the Sons of Revolution and the Navy League of the United States; and

     WHEREAS, Mr. Middendorf leaves behind his daughters, Frances Middendorf and Dr.

Amy Givler, and her husband, Don, and his son, Ralph Middendorf and his wife, Sofia, and

daughter-in-law, Jeni Middendorf. He also leaves behind his grandchildren, Martha, Chandler,

John, Rowen, Remi, Laila, and Wolfie, along with four great-grandchildren. He was predeceased

by his wife, Isabelle Jackson Paine Middendorf and children, Martha and John; now, therefore be

it

     RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island hereby

expresses its deepest condolences on the passing of J. William Middendorf II; and be it further

     RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to

transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to Frances Middendorf, Dr. Amy Givler and

Ralph Middendorf.

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