Academia From 1927 to 1944, Cordier was a professor at his alma mater Manchester College and chair of the department of history and political science, also teaching at
Indiana University extension.
State Department He became an international security advisor at the U.S.
State Department in 1944 and was part of the U.S. delegation to the
San Francisco Conference. The State Department sent him to
London in 1945 to help organize the
United Nations.
United Nations From 1946 to 1961, Cordier served as Undersecretary in Charge of
General Assembly and Related Affairs and took on assignments as a special representative of the Secretary General in the
Korean War and the
Suez Canal and
Congo crises. Cordier was dubbed a "demon parliamentarian" for his ability to cite the specific rules governing matters of procedure on the spot. Cordier is noted for convincing
Dean Rusk and Ambassador
Yakov Malik to meet in the basement of his
Great Neck, New York home to discuss how to lessen U.S.–Soviet tensions. Cordier was considered responsible for facilitating the first US-supported coup against
Congo Prime Minister
Patrice Lumumba by closing airports and radio stations to him while his opponents had such facilities available to them. Both Belgian and UN documents show Cordier as doing this purposefully. In 1962, Cordier resigned from his post after the Soviets criticized him for usurping too many of the
Secretary General's responsibilities after the death of
Dag Hammarskjöld.
Columbia University After leaving the United Nations, Cordier joined Columbia University as the Dean of the
School of International Affairs (SIA), serving in that role from 1962 to 1972. When
Grayson L. Kirk resigned in 1968, Cordier assumed the presidency on an interim basis while remaining Dean of SIA. The trustees were sufficiently pleased with his work that they gave him the permanent title in 1969; Cordier accepted on the condition that the search for a new president continue. He was president until 1970, when he was succeeded by
William J. McGill. Cordier continued as Dean of SIA after leaving the president's office. As president he enjoyed moderate success in dealing with student unrest and unhappiness by maintaining an open-door policy, attending student rallies sponsored by Students for a Restructured University (SRU) which was led by Neal H. Hurwitz, and speaking out against U.S. involvement in Vietnam.
Columbia College awarded him its highest honor, the Alexander Hamilton Medal, in 1970. ==Later years==