Fred Eckert | |
|---|---|
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| United States Ambassador to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture | |
| In office May 7, 1987 – January 11, 1989 | |
| President | Ronald Reagan |
| Preceded by | Millicent Fenwick |
| Succeeded by | Gerald Monroe |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromNew York's30th district | |
| In office January 3, 1985 – January 3, 1987 | |
| Preceded by | Barber Conable |
| Succeeded by | Louise Slaughter |
| United States Ambassador to Tuvalu | |
| In office July 22, 1982 – May 7, 1984 | |
| President | Ronald Reagan |
| Preceded by | William Bodde |
| Succeeded by | Carl Edward Dillery |
| United States Ambassador to Kiribati | |
| In office May 31, 1982 – May 7, 1984 | |
| President | Ronald Reagan |
| Preceded by | William Bodde |
| Succeeded by | Carl Edward Dillery |
| United States Ambassador to Tonga | |
| In office April 15, 1982 – May 7, 1984 | |
| President | Ronald Reagan |
| Preceded by | William Bodde |
| Succeeded by | Carl Edward Dillery |
| United States Ambassador to Fiji | |
| In office February 25, 1982 – May 7, 1984 | |
| President | Ronald Reagan |
| Preceded by | William Bodde |
| Succeeded by | Carl Edward Dillery |
| Member of theNew York Senate from the 54th district | |
| In office January 1, 1973 – February 11, 1982 | |
| Preceded by | Thomas F. McGowan |
| Succeeded by | William M. Steinfeldt |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Fred James Eckert (1941-05-06)May 6, 1941 (age 84) |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Karen Eckert |
| Children | 3, includingCindy |
| Education | University of North Texas (BA) |
Fred James Eckert[1] (born May 6, 1941) is an American politician and diplomat who served as a member of theUnited States House of Representatives fromNew York's 30th congressional district for one term. A friend and political ally ofRonald Reagan, Eckert had previously served as theU.S. ambassador to Fiji,Tonga,Kiribati, andTuvalu.
Eckert was born inRochester, New York, and grew up inGreece, New York He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from theUniversity of North Texas, where he majored in government and minored in both history and journalism.
He worked as a journalist for theRichardson Daily News while attending college.[2] He was also a contributing editor toThe New Guard, the magazine ofYoung Americans for Freedom.[3] As a college student, he sold two magazine articles, one toWriter's Digest about lessons he had learned fromBruce Catton,[4] the other toFamily Weekly, about billionaireH. L. Hunt,[5] with whom he later conducted aPlayboy interview.[6]
Following college and his marriage to his college sweetheart, Karen Laughlin, he served as assistant director of mass communications for the CatholicForeign Mission Society of America and was recruited to join the public relations staff ofGeneral Foods, at itsWhite Plains, New York headquarters. While living in the New York City, area he took advanced courses in advertising, public relations and television scriptwriting atNew York University and atThe New School for Social Research.[7]
Returning to Rochester, he joined the area's largest advertising and public relations agency as an account executive working onKodak andMobil accounts. At age 27, he was elected town supervisor of Greece, New York.[8]
In 1972, Eckert was elected to theNew York State Senate, defeating incumbent DemocratThomas F. McGowan.[9]
Eckert resigned as state senator when PresidentRonald Reagan appointed himU.S. ambassador to Fiji. In the position, Eckert also managed diplomatic relations withTonga,Kiribati, andTuvalu. Eckert and Reagan had become friends years earlier when Eckert was the only New York State Republican officeholder to endorse Reagan when he challenged PresidentGerald Ford in the1976 Republican Party presidential primaries.[10]
Congressional Quarterly ranked Eckert as the member of Congress most supportive of President Reagan[11] andReader's Digest ran a profile feature portraying him as an example of the sort of "gutsy" leader unintimidated by special interests that Washington needs.[12] In May 1966, the Oxford University Union selected Eckert to debate the British's government Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs on how best to counter international terrorism; Eckert was criticized by newspapers in his district for arguing at Oxford thatstate-sponsored terrorism needed to be regarded as acts of war as opposed to mere violations of laws and dealt with by effective military force.[13] His one major break with the Reagan administration was his vote in opposition to theImmigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, which Eckert viewed as rewarding illegal immigrants who broke US immigration law and encouraging more of the same in the future.[14] Reagan later said his signing that bill into law was a mistake.
Following Eckert's defeat for re-election, President Reagan appointed him U.S. ambassador to theFood and Agriculture Organization in Rome, Italy.[15]
He resigned as US ambassador and returned from Rome to the United States and private life to accept an offer from the Government of Fiji to be a strategic advisor after the1987 Fijian coups d'état. Fiji's prime minister publicly praised his work as "invaluable."[16] He also did other consulting work and teamed up with a friend to develop real estate subdivisions.
In retirement, Eckert, who as a public official had always written his own speeches, newspaper columns and newsletters and occasionally authored magazine and newspaper feature articles and op-eds forThe Wall Street Journal andOutdoor Life.
He wrote theReader's Digest profile about a then little-known computer entrepreneur named Michael Dell[17] also authored theDigest's iconic "Unforgettable" tribute to his friend and mentor Bruce Catton, a friendship that had developed when as a 15-year-old Eckert had called to Catton's attention a couple minor historical errors in This Hallowed Ground while it was the number one best-selling book in the country.[18] His early age interest in, and knowledge about, history and government was such that the nuns who operated Saint Charles Borromeo Elementary School had him teach eighth grade social studies to his fellow eighth-graders.[19]
He is also author/photographer of two coffee table books on Fiji – Fiji: Pacific Paradise[20] and Fiji: Some Enchanted Islands[21] – and one on Tonga – Tonga: The Friendly Islands.[22] A semi-professional photographer, his images have also appeared in books, magazines, advertisements, encyclopedias, postcards and travel brochures throughout the world and have won awards in competitions.
Eckert and his wife, Karen, live inRaleigh, North Carolina. They have three grown children, includingCindy Eckert, and four grandchildren.
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromNew York's 30th congressional district 1985–1987 | Succeeded by |
| Diplomatic posts | ||
| Preceded by | United States Ambassador to Fiji United States Ambassador to Kiribati United States Ambassador to Tonga United States Ambassador to Tuvalu 1982–1984 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | United States Ambassador to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture 1987–1989 | Succeeded by Gerald Monroe |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded byas Former U.S. Representative | Order of precedence of the United States as Former U.S. Representative | Succeeded byas Former U.S. Representative |
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| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
