Edward J. Perkins | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Perkins in 2007 | |
| 19thUnited States Ambassador to Australia | |
| In office November 24, 1993 – July 19, 1996 | |
| President | Bill Clinton |
| Preceded by | Mel Sembler |
| Succeeded by | Genta H. Holmes |
| 19thUnited States Ambassador to the United Nations | |
| In office May 12, 1992 – January 27, 1993 | |
| President | George H. W. Bush Bill Clinton |
| Preceded by | Thomas R. Pickering |
| Succeeded by | Madeleine Albright |
| 19thDirector General of the Foreign Service | |
| In office September 22, 1989 – May 7, 1992 | |
| President | George H. W. Bush |
| Preceded by | George S. Vest |
| Succeeded by | Genta H. Holmes |
| United States Ambassador to South Africa | |
| In office November 27, 1986 – May 22, 1989 | |
| President | Ronald Reagan George H. W. Bush |
| Preceded by | Herman W. Nickel |
| Succeeded by | William L. Swing |
| United States Ambassador to Liberia | |
| In office August 28, 1985 – October 22, 1986 | |
| President | Ronald Reagan |
| Preceded by | William L. Swing |
| Succeeded by | James Bishop |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Edward Joseph Perkins (1928-06-08)June 8, 1928 Sterlington,Louisiana, U.S. |
| Died | November 7, 2020(2020-11-07) (aged 92) Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Lucy Chen-mei Liu |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | University of Maryland, University College (BA) University of Southern California (MPA,DPA) |
Edward Joseph Perkins (June 8, 1928 – November 7, 2020) was an American career diplomat who served as U.S. Ambassador toLiberia,South Africa,the United Nations, andAustralia. He also served as the Director General of the U.S. Department of State's Diplomatic Corps.
Perkins was born inSterlington, Louisiana.[1] He grew up inHaynesville, Louisiana, on a farm belonging to his grandparents, Nathan and Sarah Stovall Noble. His grandmother regarded learning and academic success as the key to her grandson’s future, and pushed him away from succeeding his grandfather on the farm and towards higher education and study.[2] As a result, Perkins eventually moved - first toPine Bluff, Arkansas, and then toPortland,Oregon, and graduated there in 1947 fromJefferson High School. It was during this period that he began to consider his dream of becoming a diplomat, after attending a local international relations club meeting at which several consuls general spoke.[1] He earned his B.A. from theUniversity of Maryland, University College in 1967, and his M.A. and Doctor of Public Administration from theUniversity of Southern California. He was an active member ofKappa Alpha Psi fraternity.[3]
Enthusiastic about seeing the wider world beyond the United States, Perkins enlisted in theUnited States Army, serving for three years. A return to civilian life would prove temporary; he again enlisted, this time in theUnited States Marine Corps, and served for four years inJapan,Hawaii, andSouth Korea. This period saw Perkins become interested in the study ofEastern philosophy.[3]
Perkins passed theForeign Service exam in 1971. Through a satellite campus of theUniversity of Southern California, he would later earn his master’s degree in 1972 and a doctorate in 1978, both of which were in public administration.[4]
Concerned with the lack of support for fellow black members of the Foreign Service, Perkins became a founding member of the Thursday Luncheon Group with John W.H. Gravely, a weekly support and advocacy group for black officers.[3] The organization has since grown to a membership of over 300. Perkins also organized members to visit theCongressional Black Caucus and advocate for recruitment programs aimed at minorities, a move which resulted in the creation ofThomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship.[3]
Perkins was appointed ambassador toLiberia in 1985, less than a year afterSamuel Doe took control of the country. He described his role as "[insuring] the safety of the numerous Americans in Liberia..." and to "help restore the country to order and rebuild the infrastructure."[5]
Perkins was then appointed ambassador toSouth Africa in 1986 by PresidentRonald Reagan. From the beginning, this position would prove to be a challenge – the naming of the black ambassador to the post was seen as a concession by Reagan to ward off sanctions by theUnited States Congress. Several Black civil rights leaders approached Perkins, advising against accepting the appointment, including theRev. Jesse Jackson.[1] Perkins, however, decided to accept the appointment regardless, citing his oath of office to 'go where needed', and believing he "might be able to do something in South Africa."[6] During his appointment tenure, Perkins focused on improving communication between blacks, whites, and other ethnic groups in the country, holding integrated receptions, attending church services, and visiting South African towns and villages.[1][7] He overcame South African black activists’ initial hostility towards him through “carefully chosen shots” at the South African regime that demonstrated solidarity with the country’s victims of apartheid, including attendance at theDelmas Treason Trial.[7][3]
Perkins left the post in 1989, to accept the position ofDirector General of the Foreign Service. During his tenure as the firstAfrican-American director general, Perkins instituted policies of recruitment aimed at diversifying the ranks of its officers. Perkins described the ranks of the organization at the time of his hiring as “an exclusive club: overwhelmingly white, male and Ivy-League-educated…”.[1] Efforts at hiring people of color, women, and people fromAppalachia were intensified, and it was during this time that the organization recruited its first blind officer, Avraham Rabby.[1]
He continued to serve in the State Department until 1992, when he was appointedUnited States Ambassador to the United Nations and U.S. Representative to theUnited Nations Security Council.[8][9] In 1993, he was appointed representative to theCommonwealth of Australia, where he served until 1996 before retiring at the rank of Career Minister in the United States Foreign Service.
He taught at theUniversity of Oklahoma where he served as Senior Vice Provost Emeritus of International Programs at the International Program Center, and Professor Emeritus of the School of International and Area Studies. He was a member of theAmerican Academy of Diplomacy.[10]
In 2006, Perkins’ memoir,Mr. Ambassador, Warrior for Peace, was published by the University of Oklahoma Press.
In 2007, Perkins moved toWashington, D.C. On September 3, 2009, his wife, Lucy Cheng-Mei Liu, died.
Perkins died on November 7, 2020, after a stroke.[1][11]
After he was discharged from the Marine Corps, Perkins took a civilian job with the Army and Air Forces Exchange Services inTaiwan. It was during this time that he met his future wife, Lucy Ching-mei Liu. Liu’s traditional Taiwanese family did not want her to marry a black American, necessitating an elopement between the two in Taipei in 1962. They had two children, Katherine and Sarah Perkins, and four grandchildren.[12]
| Diplomatic posts | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | United States Ambassador to Liberia 1985–1986 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | United States Ambassador to South Africa 1986–1989 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Director General of the Foreign Service 1989–1992 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | United States Ambassador to the United Nations 1992–1993 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | United States Ambassador to Australia 1993–1996 | Succeeded by |
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| Commissioner and Consul General | |
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| Minister Resident/Consul General | |
| Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary | |
| Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
