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Robert C. Frasure | |
|---|---|
 | |
| United States Ambassador toEstonia | |
| In office March 23, 1992 – July 8, 1994 | |
| President | George H. W. Bush |
| Succeeded by | Lawrence Palmer Taylor |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1942-04-20)April 20, 1942 |
| Died | August 19, 1995(1995-08-19) (aged 53) Igman mountain,Bosnia and Herzegovina |
| Resting place | Arlington National Cemetery |
| Alma mater | West Virginia University; London School of Economics; Duke University. |
| Profession | Diplomat,Career Ambassador |
| Awards | Presidential Citizens Medal |
Robert C. Frasure (April 20, 1942 – August 19, 1995) was an Americandiplomat and the firstUnited States Ambassador to Estonia following Estonia's regained independence from the Soviet Union.[1]
Born inMorgantown, West Virginia, to parents who were educators, he attendedWest Virginia University, theLondon School of Economics and received aPh.D. fromDuke University. He was a member ofPhi Beta Kappa. He taught briefly at Duke and theUniversity of the South and contributed to various professional journals including theAmerican Political Science Review.
He joined theForeign Service in 1974. His overseas posts includedGeneva,Bonn,Lagos, London,Pretoria andAddis Ababa. He received twoState Department Superior Honors for his contributions to diplomacy in Africa that led to the withdrawal ofCuban troops fromAngola in 1989 and the independence ofNamibia in 1991. During 1990–1991, he served as the Africa Director at theNational Security Council.
He initiated the reestablishment of the American diplomatic presence in Estonia asChargé d'affaires in September 1991, following Estonia's reconfirmation of independence from the Soviet Union, and was sworn in as the first "post-Soviet" American Ambassador to Estonia on March 26, 1992.
He left Estonia in 1994 and became Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in the Bureau of European and Canadian Affairs with particular responsibility forBosnia.
Frasure was killed in anautomobile accident on theIgman mountain nearSarajevo,Bosnia and Herzegovina on August 19, 1995, while on a mission to negotiate a U.S. proposal to end theconflict in Bosnia. Joseph Kruzel and Col. Sam Nelson Drew were also killed.[2] The trio had to travel over Igman in order reach thebesieged Bosnian capital. The main roads, which were not as dangerous as the narrow mountain roads, were blocked by theSerbs besieging Sarajevo, forcing the diplomats to take the more dangerous route.
On December 15, 1995, he was awarded thePresidential Citizens Medal, posthumously, by PresidentClinton for Exceptional Service for his role in the downfall of theMengistu regime in Ethiopia and theairlifting of more than 15,000 Ethiopian Jews to Israel.
In 2010, a street inSarajevo was named in his honor. TheUS Embassy in Bosnia and Herzegovina is located in the street.Hillary Clinton opened the new embassy and announced the new street name in October 2010.[3]
TheRobert C. Frasure Award is named after him.
Frasure, as Special Envoy to the President, was buried atArlington National Cemetery.[4]
| Diplomatic posts | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Seat established | United States Ambassador to Estonia 1992–1994 | Succeeded by |