Robert P. DeVecchi | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 6, 1930 New York City,New York, U.S. |
| Died | October 26, 2015(2015-10-26) (aged 85) Southport, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Education | Harvard University Buckley School |
| Occupation(s) | C.E.O, diplomatic corp |
| Employer(s) | International Rescue Committee United States Department of State |
Robert P. DeVecchi (October 6, 1930 – October 26, 2015) was an American diplomatic officer who became president of theInternational Rescue Committee.[1][2]
DeVecchi was born inNew York City.[1] His parents were Mr. and Mrs. Robert De Vecchi ofWashington Crossing, Pennsylvania.[3][4] His paternal grandfather was Dr. Paola De Vechhi ofSan Francisco, California.[4] His maternal grandfather was James Guthrie Shaw ofBrooklyn, New York.[4]
He went to theBuckley School in Lawrenceville, and the Collegiate School.[1] He enrolled inYale University, graduating with a B.A. in 1952.[1][5] While at Yale, he was a member of St. Anthony Hall.[4]
After he graduated from Yale, he served for two years as a first lieutenant with theUnited States Air Force.[4] He then enrolled inHarvard University where he received an M.B.A. from the Graduate School of Business in 1956.[1][2]
DeVecchi joined theU.S. Department of State as a foreign service officer from 1958 to 1968.[1][2] His posts included theNATO headquarters in Paris, the U.S. Embassy in Warsaw, and the U.S. Embassy in Rome.[1] In 1969, he became European Director of The National Industrial Conference Board in Paris.[1][2]
In 1972, he became the New York Representative of theSave the Children Foundation and the director of the Inner Cities Programs.[1] He returned to the United States in 1975 and volunteered for theInternational Rescue Committee for a month.[2]
In 1975, DeVecchi became the coordinator of the Indochinese Refugee Resettlement Program for the International Rescue Committee (IRC).[1] This was the large resettlement program for refugees in United States history.[1] In 1980, he was promoted to program director for the IRC, followed by the executive director in 1985.[1] In 1993, he became the president and C.E.O. of IRC.[1] As president, DeVecchi started many initiatives and emergency relief programs for more than 28 countries, includingAfghanistan,Bosnia,Burma,Burundi,Cambodia, theDemocratic Republic of the Congo,El Salvador,Ethiopia,Haiti,Iraq,Kosovo,Pakistan,Rwanda,Somalia,Sudan,Thailand, andVietnam.[1][5] He managed between 2,500 to 3,000 ex-pat volunteers and staff across the world.[2] On average, IFC helped one million refugees or displaced persons each year, and some 10,000 refugees were permanently resettled.[5][1] IRC operated on private contributions as well as funds from the United Nations.[2] Under his leadership, the IRC won the Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize of $1 million. He retired and became president emeritus in 1997.[1]
He was appointed Adjunct Senior Fellow for Refugeesand the Displaced at theCouncil on Foreign Relations in 1997.[1] He also served on theFilmAid Advisory Council andRefugees International, becoming a director emeriti.[1]
He married Florence L. Sloan, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. George A. Sloan of Greenwich, Connecticut, on January 5, 1957.[4] Her father was an industrialist and former chair of the board of the Metropolitan Opera.[4] Their second daughter, Angela, was born in Paris on November 14, 1963.[3]
He also married Betsy Trippe.[2] She was the daughter of Juan Trippe who founded Pan Am Airways.[2] They lived inManhattan, New York and the East Hamptons.[2]
In 2015, he died at his home inSouthport, Connecticut of natural causes.[1]