Pierre Robert Graham | |
|---|---|
| 6thUnited States Ambassador toBurkina Faso | |
| In office July 30, 1974 – June 13, 1978 | |
| President | Richard Nixon |
| Preceded by | Donald B. Easum |
| Succeeded by | Thomas D. Boyatt |
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 10, 1922 St. Nazaire, France |
| Died | April 24, 1988(1988-04-24) (aged 65) |
| Resting place | Arlington National Cemetery |
| Nationality | American |
| Profession | Diplomat |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service | United States Navy |
| Years of service | 1943–46 |
| Rank | Lieutenant |
| Battles/wars | Pacific War,World War II |
Pierre Robert Graham (August 10, 1922 – April 24, 1988) was an American diplomat. He was theUnited States Ambassador to Upper Volta (nowBurkina Faso) from 1974 to 1978.
Graham was born on August 10, 1922, at St. Nazaire, Brittany, France. His father, William H. Graham, who died in 1940, met and married his wife Jeanne Marie Augereau while serving in the US military duringWorld War I in St. Nazaire. At the age of 19, Pierre left France for the United States enrolled in the Merchant Marine Academy inKingsport, New York; after graduating, he continued to serve in the US Navy from 1943 through 1946 as a lieutenant in the Pacific. After the war, he married Lorraine Shurman, and received his master's degree from theUniversity of Chicago.
Graham joined the U.S. Foreign Service in 1949. He saw overseas posts as an economic officer inMorocco from 1951 to 1954, political officer inLebanon from 1954 to 1957, as well asFrance from 1957 to 1958, and deputy principal officer inSenegal from 1958 to 1961. He became a personnel officer to the U.S. State Department, inWashington, D.C., from 1962 to 1964. From 1964 to 1966, he was deputy chief of mission inGuinea. In 1966, he was detailed to the National War College. He was the U.S. representative toUNESCO inParis from 1969 to 1979. He later became chargé d'Affaires inJordan from 1973 to 1974. He was nominated as United States Ambassador to Upper Volta by President Nixon in 1974 and remained in that post until he retired in 1978.
Graham retired in theMaureillas-las-Illas nearCéret, France, in thePyrenees Mountains close to the border between France and Spain. He lived there with his second wife, Dr. Helgard Planken Graham (1928–2016) until he died on April 24, 1988. Graham left behind his sister and three daughters, Diane Lyn Cooper, Katherine Joan Graham, and Patricia Ann Reed, as well as five grandchildren in theUnited States, two nephews and their 3 daughters in France.
He is interred atArlington National Cemetery.[1]
| Diplomatic posts | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | United States Ambassador to Burkina Faso 1974–1978 | Succeeded by |
This article incorporatespublic domain material fromU.S. Bilateral Relations Fact Sheets.United States Department of State.
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