Herbert Eugene Meyer, aged 73, died June 23, in Seattle nine months after a bicycle accident near his home on San Juan Island. Historian Steven Hayward described Herb as “one of the genuine heroes of the Cold War.”

Herb’s first career was journalism with a focus on the Soviet Union. In 1982, Director of Central Intelligence William J. Casey invited him to join the CIA as his special assistant. In his time there he was the first analyst to predict the collapse of the Soviet Union. For this, he was awarded the National Intelligence Distinguished Service Medal in 1985, the agency’s highest civilian award at that time.

In 2002 Herb ran in the Republican primaries to represent Washington’s 2nd Congressional District. In more recent years he became a celebrated public speaker. Though he often spoke about his experience at the CIA, his favorite subjects to present were the achievements of Western Civilization, evolving world demographics, and the eradication of severe poverty in much of the developing world. At the time of his accident his speaking calendar was booked well into 2020.

Herb was the author of several books. Many of his video presentations are available on his website, www.stormkingpress.com, and on YouTube.

Above and beyond all of this, he was a loving and devoted husband, father, and friend. He is survived by: His wife, Jill, of San Juan Island; His daughter, Anna, and son-in-law, Travis, of San Juan Island; His son, Tom, and daughter-in-law, Kimberly, of Quincy, Massachusetts. Herb’s first grandchild, Henry Herbert Meyer, will be born this fall.

Herb’s funeral will be held graveside at 11 am on Saturday July 20, 2019, at St Francis Catholic cemetery on Madden Lane.