James R. Bullington | |
|---|---|
| United States Ambassador to Burundi | |
| In office March 13, 1983 – July 11, 1986 | |
| President | Ronald Reagan |
| Preceded by | Frances D. Cook |
| Succeeded by | James Daniel Phillips |
| Personal details | |
| Born | James R. Bullington (1940-10-27)October 27, 1940 (age 85) Chattanooga, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Spouse | Tuy Cam |
| Alma mater | Auburn University Harvard University |
James Richard Bullington (born October 27, 1940) is an American retired diplomat who served as the U.S. Ambassador toBurundi.
Bullington was born on October 27, 1940,[1] and is a native ofTennessee.[2] He received his bachelor's degree fromAuburn University in 1962 where he was a member ofSigma Pi fraternity and editor of the student newspaper,The Plainsman.[3]
As editor of The Plainsman, Bullington wrote an editorial in 1961 condemning attacks in Alabama on the "Freedom Riders" and calling for desegregation at Auburn University. The editorial provoked a Ku Klux Klan cross-burning at his fraternity house as well as criticism from the Governor of Alabama, John Patterson, who threatened to cut Auburn's appropriations if Bullington were not removed as editor. The editorial and cross-burning were widely covered in the regional and national press. The American Association of University Professors stepped in to intervene on Bullington's behalf, and he continued as editor for his full one-year term.[4][5]
Bullington's early career focused on thewar in Vietnam. From 1965 to 1966 he was theVice Consul at theconsulate inHuế.[2] In May 1966 the consulate was attacked and burned by a mob. His actions during the event earned him the State Department'sSuperior Honor Award.[3][6]
After the events in Hue he became the aide to U.S.Ambassador toVietnam,Henry Cabot Lodge Jr, at theU.S. Embassy in Saigon.[3]
From 1967 to 1968 he was assigned toQuảng Trị Province to work with CORDS, the joint civil-military counterinsurgency program.[7]
During the 1968Tet Offensive Bullington was trapped behind enemy lines in Hue and disguised himself as a French priest to escape. His experience has been chronicled in several books and articles, most notably in Mark Bowden's Hue 1968: A Turning Point of the American War in Vietnam.[3]
Bullington earned hisMasters in Public Administration degree fromHarvard University in 1969.[3]
From 1969 to 1970 he was assigned toWashington D.C. as a Political Analyst for Vietnam for theBureau of Intelligence and Research at theDepartment of State and detailed to the National Security Council Staff as a member of the Vietnam Special Studies Group. In 1971-73 he was Deputy Principal Officer at the U.S. Consulate in Chiangmai, Thailand. From 1973 to 1975 he was the Chief Political Officer for the State Department's Vietnam Working Group, service for which he was awarded his second Superior Honor Award.[3]
Bullington was assigned as Consul in Mandalay, Burma, in 1975-76, and then toRangoon, Burma from 1976 to 1978 as the Counselor for Political and Economic Affairs for the U.S. Embassy. In 1978-79, he was a student at the U.S. Army War College. From 1979 to 1980 he was the deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy inN’Djamena, Chad. He was awarded his third Superior Honor Award in 1980 when he led the evacuation of Americans (while under fire) fromChad during the civil war. Later that year he was moved toCotonou,Benin where he was permanentcharged'affaires and chief of mission. In 1982 he became Senior Advisor on African Affairs to the U.S. delegation at theUnited Nations.[3]
Bullington was appointed Ambassador to Burundi in 1983 by PresidentRonald Reagan.[3] He held the post until 1986. From 1986 until his retirement in 1989 he was the State Department's Senior Seminar Dean.[7]
After retiring from 27 years in theU.S. Foreign Service, in 1989 Bullington became Director of International Affairs forDallas, TX, and in 1993 he became Director for the Center for Global Business and a professor atOld Dominion University.[8] He next served as country director forPeace Corps inNiger, 2000-2006.[7][9] He came out of retirement in 2012-2014 to lead a State Department "expeditionary diplomacy" effort to help resolve the long-runningCasamance conflict inSenegal.[10][11] He published an autobiographical memoir in 2017:Global Adventures on Less-Traveled Roads: A Foreign Service Memoir.[12] His other books are: Adventures in Service with Peace Corps in Niger,[13] 2007, and Expeditionary Diplomacy in Action: Supporting the Casamance Peace Initiative,[14] 2015. Ambassador Bullington received a Lifetime Achievement Award from his alma mater,Auburn University, in February 2022.[15]
| Diplomatic posts | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | United States Ambassador to Burundi 1983–1986 | Succeeded by |