Former U.S. Secretary of State George Shultz dies at 100

FILE PHOTO: Former U.S. Secretary of State George Shultz arrives with his wife Charlotte for the state dinner hosted by U.S. President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama for President of China Hu Jintao at the White House in Washington, January 19, 2011. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst/File Photo

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - George Shultz, the U.S. secretary of state who survived bitter infighting in President Ronald Reagan's administration to help forge a new era in American-Soviet relations and bring on the end of the Cold War, died on Saturday at age 100, the California-based Hoover Institute said.

A man of broad experience and talents, Shultz achieved success in statesmanship, business and academia. Lawmakers praised him for opposing as sheer folly the sale of arms to Iran that were the cornerstone of the Iran-Contra scandal that marred Reagan's second term in office.