Mark Evans Austad | |
|---|---|
 | |
| United States Ambassador toNorway | |
| In office January 5, 1982 – September 15, 1984 | |
| President | Ronald Reagan |
| Preceded by | Sidney Anders Rand |
| Succeeded by | R. Douglas Stuart Jr. |
| United States Ambassador toFinland | |
| In office March 20, 1975 – April 14, 1977 | |
| President | Gerald Ford |
| Preceded by | V. John Krehbiel |
| Succeeded by | Rozanne L. Ridgway |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Marcus Jacob Austad (1917-04-01)April 1, 1917 Ogden, Utah, U.S. |
| Died | October 20, 1988(1988-10-20) (aged 71) Arizona, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Lola Brown Austad |
| Children | 3 |
Mark Evans Austad (April 1, 1917 – October 20, 1988[1][2]) was an American radio and television commentator inWashington D.C. (under the nameMark Evans),[3][4] and served underGerald Ford asUnited States Ambassador to Finland from 1975 to 1977, and asUnited States Ambassador to Norway from 1981 to 1984, underRonald Reagan.[2]
Austad was bornMarcus Jacob Austad[5] inOgden, Utah, toNorwegian immigrant parents,[6] Jacob L. and Signa Anderson Austad.[7] He was a member ofthe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and served a three-year[8]mission toFinland[9] andNorway from 1936 to 1939.[1] From 1939 to 1941, he attendedWeber College in Ogden where he wasstudent body president and active inpublic speaking, in which he won first place in national competitions. Austad married the former Lola Brown in 1942 and they had three daughters.[7]
Throughout his life Austad was active in the LDS Church,[6] and in addition to his missionary service he was also aSunday School teacher in the 1970s in Washington, D.C.,[3] and was ordained as aHigh Priest.[10]
Austad passed up law school for an opportunity to work in radio[6] as an announcer withKSL inSalt Lake City in 1941. He was soon drafted into theU.S. Army Intelligence Corps for service duringWorld War II. To treat a pre-existing knee injury, he was sent toWalter Reed General Hospital inWashington, D.C., where he was also assigned to the hospital'spublic address system referred to asWRGH. Among his duties was hosting a weekly program with prominent Washington personalities, such asFirst LadyEleanor Roosevelt. In late 1942 Austad also worked part-time forWWDC and then full-time upon his military discharge in 1945. After two years, he moved to theCBS stationWTOP where he succeededArthur Godfrey on his own morning show.[4][6][7]
Starting in 1960, Austad became a commentator atWTTG television and in 1961 he became vice president of public affairs at Metropolitan Broadcasting Company, later calledMetromedia, where he stayed until 1981. During this time he continued to host other television shows such as "Panorama Potomac", "Face to Face", "The Mark Evans Show", and "Opinion in the Capitol",[7] which he hosted for 25 years.[4] He was also involved with televisiondocumentaries, including an award-winner on pollution called1985,[1] several on world topics, and one on his visit withAlbert Schweitzer.[7]
Austad participated with various civic and national organizations. He served as a member of the citizens advisory board of thePeace Corps (appointed byPresidentRichard Nixon[8]), a member of the executive board of the Washington, D.C.,American Red Cross, a member of the public affairs committee of theUnited States Chamber of Commerce, a member of the board of theArizona Heart Institute, a member of the board of theDisabled American Veterans,[4] and a trustee of theAmerican Automobile Association.[8] He received theSilver Beaver Award and in 1970 he was named Scouter of the Year by the National Capital Area Council of theBoy Scouts of America, where he participated for over 25 years.[8] He was invited on eight occasions to speak before theNational Geographic Society.[6] For his "deep commitment to freedom and a strong national defense", in 1987 he received the Bronze Minuteman, the highest award of theUtah National Guard.[4]
In 1971, in this period of civic involvement, Austad received anhonorary doctor of humanities degree fromWeber State College, his alma mater.[7][10] The school would also later honor Austad by naming its largest theater in its fine arts center The Mark Evans Austad Auditorium.[11]
Austad served for two years as chairman of Washington D.C.'sNational Cherry Blossom Festival,[8] and in 1973 and 1974 he was chairman of Washington D.C.'sU.S. bicentennial celebration.[3][7]
Austad served on thepresidential inaugural committees both timesRichard Nixon was elected.[7] In 1969 Austad chaired theInauguralBall committee,[3] and in 1972 he was vice chairman of theinauguration committee.[2] Nixon would appoint Austad to serve as one of the three public members of the United States delegation to the 28thGeneral Assembly of the United Nations.[3] After Nixon's presidential resignation, his successor Gerald Ford appointed Austad as Ambassador to Finland. In 1980 Austad would again serve on an inaugural committee, this time forRonald Reagan'sfirst election, after which he was again appointed as an ambassador, this time to Norway.[7]
After his service to the Nixon administration and visibility in the Washington, D.C., community, Austad was appointed Ambassador to Finland in 1975. In this role, he was also a delegate to the HelsinkiConference on Security and Cooperation in Europe which brought about theHelsinki Accords. Austad became the first American diplomat to be knighted[6] by Finland, under theOrder of the White Rose andOrder of the Lion.[7]
In 1981, while living inWolfeboro, New Hampshire[10] andScottsdale, Arizona, Austad was appointed Ambassador to Norway byPresidentRonald Reagan.[1] He served in this position until 1984 and was well received[6][12] and awarded Norway's highest honor given to foreigners, theGrand Cross of St. Olav's Order, for his work in fighting heart disease.[4][6] However, he was known for contending with some Norwegians, including the oppositionLabor Party, a local Norwegian council, student groups, and a newspaper that frequently ran such headlines as "Austad Strikes Again." He also gained notoriety in the Norwegian media for a 1983[13] incident in which police were called to a startled woman's home where Austad was loudly banging on the door at 3 a.m.[14] Austad claimed that after hosting an embassy cocktail party, he was on a late-night visit to a friend's house to plan their salmon fishing trip, but his taxi took him to the wrong address.[14][15] It was alleged that Austad was "apparently under the influence of alcohol" and had spent "half an hour knocking and kicking at her front door Wednesday in an attempt to get in."[16] Police merely dropped Austad back at his hotel,[14] but United StatesHouseDemocrats listed this incident as one of many ethics violations by Reagan Administration officials.[16] Austad viewed the criticism as inaccurate innuendo and media sensationalism, started by the British newspaperPrivate Eye and picked up by other papers andwire services. Austad sued Private Eye for libel and theysettled for a "substantial sum", for damages and legal expenses, and printed an apology stating their "article constituted a most serious and damaging libel upon Ambassador Austad." Austad dismissed the controversy, saying Norway's largest newspaper,Aftenposten, praised him as the best U.S. ambassador they had ever had.[13]
Austad died in 1988 at age 71 in Arizona. His funeral was held in Ogden, Utah, and his body was buried in Lindquist Washington Heights Memorial Park.[4]
| Diplomatic posts | ||
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| Preceded by | United States Ambassador to Finland 1975–1977 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | United States Ambassador to Norway 1981–1984 | Succeeded by |
| Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary |  | |
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| Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | ||
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| International | |
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| National | |
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