New York — Former Secretary of State Cyrus Vance was remembered as an old fashioned patriot, a peacemaker and a humanitarian Saturday as dignitaries representing at least six presidential administrations mourned at his funeral.
About 1,000 people attended the service.
Vance, who served as secretary of state under President Carter, died Jan. 12 at the age of 84 following a long battle with Alzheimer's disease. He was to be buried later at Arlington National Cemetery.
"It will be the end of a long journey that advanced the cause of peace," former secretary of state Henry Kissinger said in the eulogy.
Kissinger escorted Vance's flag-draped coffin along with former Secretary of State Warren Christopher, former Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara, former Secretary of the Army Stanley Resor, former presidential speech writer Theodore Sorenson, and Najeeb Halaby, father of Jordan's Queen Noor.
Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, presidential historian Arthur Schlesinger Jr., former National Security Adviser Sandy Berger and numerous ambassadors also attended the funeral at the Episcopal Church of the Heavenly Rest.
After the service, Christopher, who had been Vance's deputy, remembered his former boss as "an old fashioned patriot."
"He inspired a whole generation of people to try to follow in his footsteps," Christopher said. "I think he leaves a dedication to public service and peace."
Albright called Vance a superb secretary of state, saying "He did an incredible job in terms of trying to bring people together."
Heading the State Department was the highlight of Vance's career, but his duties on behalf of presidents, Congress and the United Nations spanned more than three decades. He used his peacemaking skills to ease conflicts in foreign lands, racially torn American cities and even corporate boardrooms.
Vance, a West Virginian who went to Yale, played a quiet but key role in guiding the United States out of the Vietnam War. Carter appointed Vance secretary of state in 1977, and he became known for his support of human rights and advocacy of diplomacy in place of force.
During his early tenure as secretary of state, Vance played a key role in normalizing relations with China, winning approval for new Panama Canal treaties and helping negotiate the Camp David treaty between Egypt and Israel.
But his tenure also saw the collapse of the pro-American monarchy in Iran and the seizure of American hostages there.
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