Former Secretary of State Alexander Haig dies at the age of 85

February 20, 2010 9:30 a.m. EST

Washington (CNN) -- Alexander Haig, the former military officer, secretary of state and adviser to presidents, died Saturday, a Johns Hopkins Medical Center spokesman said.

Haig, 85, was admitted to the Baltimore, Maryland, hospital on January 28, hospital spokesman Gary Stephenson said.

Alexander Meigs Haig Jr. was a retired United States Army general who served as the Secretary of State under President Ronald Regan and the White House Chief of Staff under Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford. In 1973 Haig also served as Vice Chief of Staff of the US Army, the number two ranking officer in the army. Haig also served as the Supreme Allied Commander of Europe and commanded all U.S. and N ATO forces in Europe.