who was on temporary assignment. Truesdale moved to Washington, D.C., in 1952, where he was appointed an administrative analyst for the board. He wed Karin Nelson in 1957. Truesdale left the NLRB in 1957 after being appointed deputy director of the National Academy of Sciences. From July 1, 1957, to December 31, 1958, he served as director of information for the International Geophysical Year. He returned to his post as deputy director after the event ended, serving until 1963. Truesdale returned to the NLRB in 1963. He was appointed associate executive secretary, and served in that role until 1968. He was promoted to deputy executive secretary and served in that capacity until 1972. Truesdale had a positive opinion of Edward B. Miller, the Nixon-appointed chair of the NLRB chair from 1970 to 1974. "He did not come to the board to execute a management agenda," Truesdale said in 2006. "He was a very fair-minded person; he worked well with his colleagues." He received his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center in 1972. That same year he was appointed executive secretary of the board, the highest-ranking career office at the agency. First NLRB term, 1977–1981 President Jimmy Carter nominated Truesdale to be a member of the NLRB on September 26, 1977, to fill the unexpired term of Peter D. Walther (who had resigned). The AFL-CIO was pushing Daniel Pollitt for the seat. Pollitt had been special counsel to Frank McCulloch, chair of the NLRB during the Kennedy and Johnson administrations, and employer groups (such as the Business Roundtable and United States Chamber of Commerce) were adamantly opposed to him. Walther and NLRB chair John H. Fanning were advocates of Truesdale, however. Employer groups felt Truesdale was somewhat liberal but would help push Fanning to adopt a more moderate course. Carter, not wishing to begin a political fight over what was perceived as a minor appointment, nominated Truesdale. The United States Senate confirmed him, and he served on the board from October 25, 1977, to August 27, 1980. Truesdale was succeeded as executive secretary by William Lubbers in 1979. During his term on the board, Truesdale provided the critical vote in General Knit of California, Inc., 239 NLRB 619 (1978). The United Steelworkers of America had won an election, 134 to 104, at a specialized steel manufacturer, General Knit, Inc. The company asked the board to overturn the election because the union