Harry J. Gilmore

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Harry Gilmore
United States Ambassador to Armenia
In office
May 31, 1993 – July 11, 1995
PresidentBill Clinton
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byPeter Tomsen
Personal details
BornNovember 16, 1937
McKeesport, Pennsylvania, U.S.
DiedApril 23, 2015 (aged 77)
Dumfries, Virginia, U.S.
Alma materUniversity of Pittsburgh
Indiana University

Harry Joseph Gilmore (November 16, 1937 – April 23, 2015) was an American diplomat who served as the first U.S. Ambassador to Armenia.[1][2]

Early life and education[edit]

Gilmore was born in McKeesport, Pennsylvania, and raised in Clairton, Pennsylvania. He graduated from Clairton High School in 1955 as class president. He attended Carnegie Mellon University for two years to study piano, before graduating in 1960 from the University of Pittsburgh. Gilmore then pursued Russian and East European studies at Indiana University.[3]

Career[edit]

Gilmore's rise in the foreign service included working as deputy commandant for international affairs at the United States Army War College. Gilmore served as Deputy Chief of Mission at the American Embassy in Belgrade from 1981 to 1985, and was the Deputy Director for Eastern European and Yugoslav Affairs at the United States Department of State.[4][5]

Gilmore was the U.S. Minister and Deputy Commandant of the American Sector in Berlin from 1987-1990. He contributed to ensuring the safety of thousands of East Berliners, who moved to Southern Berlin after the fall of the Berlin Wall.[6]

President George H. W. Bush tapped Gilmore as U.S. ambassador to Armenia in August 1992, but his nomination was not acted upon by the United States Senate.[7][8] Gilmore was nominated for the second time by President Bill Clinton on April 2, 1993, and confirmed by the Senate.[9][10][11]

After his retirement from the foreign service in 1997 after 36 years of service, Mr. Gilmore served as a dean at the Foreign Service Institute in Arlington County, Virginia.

Personal life[edit]

An accomplished pianist, Gilmore would often accompany his wife who was a professional singer. The couple would present American show tunes and other music at U.S. embassy events.

References[edit]

  1. ^ Kennedy, Charles S. (February 3, 2003). "The Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training Foreign Affairs Oral History Project - Ambassador Harry Joseph Gilmore" (PDF).
  2. ^ "Harry Joseph Gilmore - People - Department History - Office of the Historian". history.state.gov. Retrieved 2019-04-20.
  3. ^ "First US Ambassador to Armenia passes away at 77". A1Plus. Retrieved 2019-04-20.
  4. ^ "First U.S. Ambassador to Armenia Harry J. Gilmore passes away". Armenia News. April 28, 2015.
  5. ^ "Death of Harry Gilmore". U.S. Embassy in Armenia. 2015-04-29. Retrieved 2019-04-20.
  6. ^ VOA Armenian (2015-04-28), Կյանքից հեռացավ Հայաստանում ԱՄՆ-ի առաջին դեսպանը, retrieved 2019-04-20
  7. ^ "Ambassadorial Appointments - William J. Clinton". www.afsa.org. Retrieved 2019-04-20.
  8. ^ J, Clinton, William (1994-01-01). Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton, 1993. Best Books on. ISBN 9781623767907.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  9. ^ "First U.S. ambassador to Armenia Harry Gilmore dies at 77". PanARMENIAN.Net. Retrieved 2019-04-20.
  10. ^ Congressional Record, V. 151, Pt. 4, March 11 to April 6, 2005. Government Printing Office.
  11. ^ Phillips, David L. (2005-02-01). Unsilencing the Past: Track-Two Diplomacy and Turkish-Armenian Reconciliation. Berghahn Books. ISBN 9781782389385.
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