David W. K. Peacock Jr.

David William Killin Peacock Jr.
Born	Template:Birth date Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
Died	2005
Occupation(s)	Businessman, government official
Known for	Deputy Undersecretary at the U.S. Department of Commerce during the Nixon Administration; various roles in U.S. State Department

David William Killin Peacock Jr. (1924–2005) was a prominent businessman and government official who held the position of Deputy Undersecretary at the U.S. Department of Commerce during the Nixon Administration. His career also included various appointments within the U.S. State Department.

Early life and education

Peacock was born on July 30, 1924, in Cleveland, Ohio to parents David Peacock Sr. and Beryl McCaslin Peacock. He was raised in Flanders, New Jersey, a community within Mount Olive Township. He completed his secondary education at the Morristown School in 1942, where his father served as chairman of the Board of Trustees.

Following his service as a twin-engine pilot in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II, Peacock obtained a bachelor's degree in economics from Princeton University. Subsequently, he entered the financial sector by joining J. P. Morgan as a trainee and assistant to securities analysts.

Government and industry career

Peacock’s government service commenced in 1950 when he joined the State Department as a foreign service officer, working closely with Secretary of State John Foster Dulles. He directed the Public Correspondence Branch and fulfilled duties as vice consul at the U.S. Consulate General in Casablanca, Morocco. In 1959, he assumed the role of special assistant to Secretary of Commerce Frederick H. Mueller, later transitioning to work on Senator Kenneth Keating’s staff.

Shifting towards finance, Peacock became assistant vice president at American Security and Trust Company, where he oversaw operations at its Georgetown branch. He then served as an investment officer with the International Finance Corporation until 1968. Returning to public service in 1969, he was appointed Deputy Undersecretary at Commerce before moving into consulting on government sales and market research with Atlantic Development Corporation.

Between 1971 and 1984, Peacock occupied executive positions at the Export-Import Bank, concentrating on exporter credit programs, guarantees, and conducting feasibility analyses.

Documents related to his collaboration with Dulles are preserved at the Eisenhower Presidential Center located in Kansas.

Abscam Jury

In 1981, Peacock acted as jury foreman during a federal corruption trial connected to Abscam. While announcing the guilty verdict against U.S. Representative Richard Kelly, he wore a yellow ribbon as a symbol of support for the release of American hostages during the Iran hostage crisis.

Volunteer service

After retiring, Peacock moved to Cheriton, Virginia on the Eastern Shore and dedicated time to tutoring first-grade students at Kiptopeke Elementary School, where he received their Volunteer of the Year Award in 2002. Prior to this, while residing in New Jersey, he contributed to Morris County’s Board of Agriculture Executive Committee and participated on Mount Olive Township’s Planning Board Flanders Subcommittee.

Family

In 1952, Peacock married Judith Van Orden Peacock; they had two children named Sarah and William. Following their divorce, he remarried Mary Eyre Peacock.