Arthur Eugene Dewey

Arthur Eugene “Gene” Dewey, compassionate humanitarian and beloved, husband, father and grandfather passed away on 22 February, at Sibley Hospital in Washington, DC, just 4 days after his 93rd birthday.

Gene was born in Mainesburg, Pennsylvania to Glenn C. Dewey and Florence Tice on 18 February 1933. Educated in a one room school house, Gene went on to an appointment to The United States Military Academy at West Point and graduated in the class of 1956. Gene was commissioned into the United States Army Corps Of Engineers and in 1961, received an MSE from Princeton University. In 2006, at his 50th reunion, Gene was named as a distinguished graduate of the United States Military Academy.

While in the military, Gene, served two tours in Vietnam, flying over 1,000 combat hours in Southeast Asia. His unit was among the first to receive enemy fire. He earned 7 Air Medals, the most notable being the Distinguished Flying Cross for his overall command of the helicopter gun ships in a three nation combined prisoner rescue operation in Cambodia.

In 1968, Gene was given a White House Fellowship and was named Director of Operations in the Office of the Coordinator for Nigerian/Biafran Relief during the 1967-1970 Nigerian Civil War. This began to forge his path towards international humanitarian work and led to his 1971-1972 appointment as Director of the White House Fellows program. In 2011, Gene received the John W. Gardner Legacy of Leadership Award.

Gene was an Aide-De-Camp to Commanding General of the United States Materiel Command, Lieutenant General Frank S. Besson, Jr. This extraordinary association with the Army’s top manager and problem solver, led to Gene’s ability to coordinate and respond to both military and civilian challenges that he faced in his career. He retired from the Army in 1981 as a Colonel.

After his retirement from the military, Gene accepted a civilian appointment from President Ronald Reagan as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, Bureau for Refugee Programs, a newly created Bureau at the Department of State. This work included the United State’s response to relief and recovery of an estimated eight million refugees fleeing the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, the millions fleeing Communist oppression in Southeast Asia and the seven million people at risk from war and famine in Africa’s Greater Horn.

In 1984, Gene succeeded in convincing United Nations Secretary General, Javier Pérez de Cuéllar to create the UN Organization for Emergency Operations in Africa and in 1986, he was appointed Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees at the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), in Geneva, Switzerland. In 1993, he served for four years as the Director of the Congressional Hunger Center, an NGO based in Washington, D.C.

In 2002, Gene was appointed Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees and Migration, by President George W. Bush and held this position until July of 2005. In that position he worked closely with President Hamid Karzai overseeing the safe return of over 1.6 million refugees back to Afghanistan.

Despite retirement from The Department of State, in 2006, Mr. Dewey was named by Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, as a US member of the International Independent Group of Eminent Persons to conduct on-site oversight of human rights investigations during the Sri Lankan Civil War which ran from 1983-2009. His final association with UNHCR came in the form of co-founding USA for UNHCR with entrepreneur and philanthropist, Mark Vittert. USA for UNHCR is an NGO that in one year collected more than US$200 million from businesses and individuals, to help UNHCR in its mission to assist and protect refugees around the world.

Gene was a devout Christian with an unwavering faith. It was his faith that led him to work in the field of international aid and it was his faith that sustained him through the Vietnam War and as a witness to the atrocities of humanitarian crises. Secretary of State Colin Powell once said of him, “Gene is unique. He didn’t strive to be a politician, he didn’t strive to become a General, he didn’t pursue success in business or finance. He dedicated his life to a higher calling - to help the poor, the downtrodden, those in utter despair.”

Gene is survived by his wife of 69 years, Priscilla Parce Dewey, his daughter Elisabeth Parce Ainsworth (Antony) and his granddaughter, Charlotte Ainsworth. A memorial service will be held on 14 April 2026 at 2:00 PM at All Saints Church on Chevy Chase Circle in Chevy Chase, Maryland, with an internment at West Point in June.