Edward J. Perkins
Edward Joseph Perkins (born June 8, 1928 in Sterlington , Ouachita Parish , Louisiana ) is a former American diplomat . He was the United States Ambassador to Liberia , South Africa , the UN (1992–1993) and Australia . From 1989 to 1992 he was Director-General of the United States Foreign Service , the Foreign Service of the United States, and Supreme Head of Human Resources of the State Department of the United States .
life and career
education
Perkins was born in Sterlington, Louisiana, to Edward Joseph Perkins, Sr. and Tiny Estella Noble Holmes. He grew up in Pine Bluff , Arkansas . There he attended a racial school for blacks that only consisted of two classrooms. He graduated from Jefferson High School in Portland , Oregon in 1947 , where he later grew up. In 1947 he joined the US Army . He did his military service in the US Army and the United States Marine Corps . He served a total of three years in the US Army and four years in the United States Marine Corps. During this time he was stationed with the US Army Quartermaster Corps in South Korea and Tokyo , which are also racially separated .
After completing his military service, he enrolled at Lewis & Clark College , a private college in Portland, in 1953 , where he stayed for a year. In 1967 he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from University College, University of Maryland . He graduated from the University of Southern California in 1972 with a Master of Arts degree in Public Administration . In 1978 he received his Ph.D. ( Doctor of Public Administration ) in Public Administration .
Career
Perkins' professional career began in the US Army . In 1958 he became Chief of Personnel at the Army & Air Force Exchange Service in Taipei , Taiwan . In the period from 1962 to 1966, he was initially Deputy Chief ( Deputy Chief ), later Chief of Personnel and Administration ( Chief of Personnel and Administration ) at the Army and Air Force Exchange Service in Okinawa . In 1967 he was Assistant General Services Officer for the US Mission to Thailand ( US Operations Mission to Thailand ). There he initially worked as a management analyst and later as Deputy Assistant Director for Management .
In 1972 he entered the diplomatic service. In the same year he was assigned to the office of the director general of the United States Foreign Service as a staff assistant. From 1972 to 1974 he was assigned to the State Department's Bureau of Personnel as a Personnel Officer . From 1974 to 1975 he was with the Bureau of Far East and South Asian Affairs and from 1975 to 1978 with the Office of Management Operations of the State Department. In 1978 he moved to the US Embassy in Accra , Ghana as Counselor for Political Affairs . Perkins was named Deputy Chief of Mission of the U.S. Embassy in Monrovia , Liberia in 1981 and was Director of the Department of State's Office of West African Affairs at the State Department from 1983 to 1985 .
He was appointed ambassador to Liberia in 1985. He took office under the presidency of Samuel K. Doe ; Since 1984 this had increasingly begun to restrict freedom of expression and the press , to introduce censorship and to suppress the political opposition. According to Perkins' own statements, it was his job to continue to secure Liberia as an ally of the United States and, in line with American foreign policy in West Africa , to keep the country functional. As US ambassador, Perkins was responsible on the one hand for pushing economic reforms and democratization in Liberia; on the other hand, in Liberia he had to ensure the protection of the considerable strategic and technical facilities that the Americans maintained there. When Perkins and his staff arrived in the Liberian capital, Monrovia , their main task was to convince Samuel K. Doe not to run for president in the 1985 elections. Perkins used financial leverage; he promised that - if Doe were elected - the United States and other states, despite their interests in Liberia, would suspend their technical and military aid to the country.
In 1986 he became ambassador to South Africa , which he remained until 1989. In his role as ambassador in South Africa, in close consultation and cooperation with Ronald Reagan , he campaigned for political change and the abolition of apartheid . He met with civil representatives of the black opposition in Soweto , with religious leaders in Mamelodi and political activists in the squatter camps of Cape Town . He organized art exhibitions in Pretoria , in which black and white artists exhibited together and were also invited to the exhibition openings together. Perkins was a staunch opponent of President Pieter Willem Botha ; he had warned Perkins when he took office not to interfere in the internal affairs of South Africa.
After his return he worked again in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs until 1992. From 1989 to 1992 he was Director-General of the United States Foreign Service ( Director General of the Foreign Service ), the Foreign Service of the United States, and Supreme Head of Human Resources of the State Department of the United States ( Director of Personnel in the Department of State ). In 1992 he was appointed Ambassador to the United Nations . In this capacity he was also the representative of the United States on the UN Security Council . In May 1992, at a meeting of the UN Security Council, he called for an end to the violence emanating from the Serbian government against Bosnia-Herzegovina , other former Yugoslav states and its own civilian population. Serb aggression he condemned as a threat to world peace and a violation of the Helsinki Final Act , the Charter of Paris and the Charter of the United Nations .
In 1993 Perkins became the US ambassador to Australia , where he stayed until 1996. On the occasion of the appointment, Perkins received permission from then- President Bill Clinton because he was older than 65 years. He then retired with the rank of Career Minister with the United States Foreign Service.
He has taught at the University of Oklahoma , where he is Senior Vice Provost Emeritus of International Programs at the International Program Center and Professor Emeritus of the School of International and Area Studies . He is a member of the American Academy of Diplomacy .
Honors
Perkins has several honorary doctorates . He received honorary doctorates as Doctor of Laws from Lewis and Clark College (1988), St. John's University (1990) and the University of Maryland (1990), among others . He has received other honorary doctorates: Doctor of Humanities from Beloit College (1990), Doctor of Humane Letters from Winston-Salem State University (1990) and Doctor of Humane Laws from St. Augustine College (1991). He also holds honorary doctorates from Bowie State University ( Doctor of Humane Letters , Honoris Causa, 1993) and the University of Southern California ( Doctor of Laws , Honoris Causa, 1995).
During his career in the diplomatic service, he received the Presidential Distinguished and Meritorious Service Awards , the Distinguished Honor and Superior Honor Award of the Foreign Ministry, the Una Chapman Cox Foundation Award for outstanding achievement in the Foreign Service ( Una Chapman Cox Foundation Award for Distinguished Foreign Service Work ) the Distinguished Alumni Award of the University of Southern California , the Achievement Award of the Southern University , the Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Award for outstanding achievement in the Foreign service ( Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Award for Distinguished Diplomatic service ) and the Kappa Alpha Psi C. Rodger Wilson Leadership Conference Award , as well as the Kappa Alpha Psi Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Foreign Service ( Kappa Alpha Psi Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Foreign Service ).
In 1992 he was honored with the Statesman of the Year Award from George Washington University .
He is an active member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Incorporated and is the recipient of its highest honor, the Laurel Wreath Award , which he received in 1993. On September 10, 2001, he received the Director General's Cup , which is awarded by the US State Department. 2006 Perkins was one of the Strong Men and Women of America of Dominion Resources Services, Inc honored.
family
He married Lucy Chen-mei Liu on September 9, 1962. They have two daughters together.
Publications
- The seedlings of hope: US policy in Africa , US Department of State, 1989.
- The Middle East Peace Process: Vision Versus Reality (Studies in peace politics in the Middle East) , Sussex Academic Press, 2001, ISBN 978-1903900017 (editor with Joseph Ginat )
- Palestinian Refugees: Traditional Positions and New Solutions , University of Oklahoma Press, 2001, ISBN 978-0806133935 (edited with Joseph Ginat)
- The Palestinian Refugees: Old Problems - New Solutions (Studies in peace politics in the Middle East) , Sussex Academic Press, 2002 (with Joseph Ginat), ISBN 978-1902210872
- Mr. Ambassador, Warrior for Peace , The University of Oklahoma Press, 2006, ISBN 978-0806137674 (Memoirs)
literature
- Unsung Heroes: Federal Execucrats Making a Difference , Georgetown University Press, 1995, ISBN 978-0878405923 ( Norma M. Riccucci )
Individual evidence
- ↑ US TIES TO LIBERIA Interview with Edward J. Perkins; Online NewsHour of August 6, 2003
- ↑ Edward Perkins Biography at Answers.com
- ↑ Directors General of the Foreign Service / Directors of the Bureau of Human Resources U.S. Department of State website , accessed May 2, 2011
- ^ United Nations (New York) US State Department website , accessed May 4, 2011
- ↑ Aggression by the Serbian regime - statement by Ambassador Edward J. Perkins before the United Nations Security Council - Transcript ( Memento from July 16, 2012 in the web archive archive.today ) Transcript at findarticles.com , accessed on May 10, 2011
- ↑ Veteran US ambassador Edward Perkins named new envoy to Australia ( Memento of the original from March 31, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Article of the Jet dated October 18, 1993
- ^ Edward Perkins' Bio Biographical Entry on the Worldtradepartnership website , accessed May 9, 2011
- ↑ Edward J. Perkins ( Memento of the original from July 20, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. American Academy of Diplomacy website , accessed May 4, 2011
Web links
- Edward J. Perkins - Biography (US State Department)
- Edward J. Perkins - Biography (Political Science Department)
- Warrior for Peace (portrait; University of Maryland University College magazine)
predecessor | Office | successor |
---|---|---|
William L. Swing |
United States Ambassador to Liberia 1985–1986 |
James Keough Bishop |
Herman W. Nickel |
United States Ambassador to South Africa 1986–1989 |
William L. Swing |
Mel Sembler |
United States Ambassador to Australia 1993–1996 |
Genta H. Holmes |
personal data | |
---|---|
SURNAME | Perkins, Edward J. |
ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Perkins, Edward Joseph |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American diplomat |
DATE OF BIRTH | June 8, 1928 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | Sterlington , Louisiana |