Donald Rumsfeld, who served as Secretary of Defence for President Gerald Ford and President George W Bush, has died aged 88.
Best known for overseeing the US response to the 9/11 terror attacks, his political career eventually came undone by the spiralling conflict in Iraq.
Across a career spanning decades, Rumsfeld forged a reputation as the ultimate Washington insider and a true political survivor notorious for outmanoeuvring his foes. But to his critics he was hawkish and ruthless - a Machiavellian figure and an architect of war.
One of his most memorable moments came at a 2002 news briefing when - asked about the lack of evidence linking Saddam Hussein to weapons of mass destruction - he gave a meandering answer about the concept of "known knowns" and "known unknowns" to much public mockery.
His family said: "History may remember him for his extraordinary accomplishments over six decades of public service, but for those who knew him best and whose lives were forever changed as a result, we will remember his unwavering love for his wife Joyce, his family and friends, and the integrity he brought to a life dedicated to country."
