Born the grandson of an illustrious senator, Cabot Lodge held several important public posts, among them senator from Massachusetts and ambassador to the United Nations during the President Dwight Eisenhower administration. He served two terms as ambassador to Vietnam, the first from 1963 to 1964, and the second from 1965 to 1967. He also played a key role in the overthrow of the Ngo Dinh Diem regime in 1963.