James Bishop (diplomat)

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James Bishop
James Bishop (diplomat) And Ronald Reagan.jpg
right, 1987
Born (1938-07-21) July 21, 1938 (age 83)
NationalityAmerican
OccupationDiplomat
Years active1960-1993[1]:4, 117
Known forU.S. Ambassador to Niger (1979-81), Liberia (1987-90), and Somalia (1990-91)

James Keough Bishop Jr. (born July 21, 1938) is an American Foreign Service Officer, who served as U.S. Ambassador to Niger (1979–81), Liberia (1987-90), and Somalia (1990–91).

Bishop's last ambassadorial posting to Somalia ended in a rescue by the U.S. military in Operation Eastern Exit, when the embassy came under threat as a result of military action in the Somali Civil War.

Biography[]

Early life and education[]

Bishop was born July 21, 1938 in New Rochelle, New York[2] to James Keough Bishop Sr. and Dorothy (née O'Keefe).[3] He graduated from the College of the Holy Cross (B.S., 1960) and Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies (M.I.I.P., 1981).[2][4]

Diplomatic career[]

After graduating from college in 1960, Bishop entered the Foreign Service in 1960, where he held the following diplomatic positions:

  • press officer at the Department of State, 1961–63
  • vice consul in Auckland, New Zealand, 1963–66
  • consul in Beirut, Lebanon, 1966
  • economic officer in Beirut, Lebanon, 1966–68
  • economic officer in Yaoundé, Cameroon, 1968–70
  • desk officer for Chad, Gabon, Mauritius and Madagascar, 1970–72
  • desk officer for Ghana and Togo, 1972–74
  • Deputy Director for West Africa at the Department of State, 1974–76
  • Director of North African Affairs at the Bureau of Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs at the Department of State, 1977–79
  • Ambassador to the Republic of Niger, 1979–81
  • Deputy Assistant Secretary for African Affairs at the Department of State, 1981–87
  • Ambassador to the Republic of Liberia, 1987-90[4]
  • Ambassador to the Somali Democratic Republic, 1990-91[5]
  • Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs, 1991-93[1][6]

Bishop retired from the Foreign Service in 1993.[1]

Personal life[]

Bishop and his wife mechanical engineer Kathleen Marie Kirby (February 14, 1947 – September 29, 2011)[7] have six children and were married from 1977 until Kathleen death.[3][4] Bishop and his first wife, attorney Ann Richardson Heilemann (December 15, 1940 – April 17, 2012), were married from 1970 to 1976 and have three children and two grandchildren.[8] He is Roman Catholic.[1]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Kennedy, Charles (1998). "Ambassador James K. Bishop, Jr" (PDF). The Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training. Retrieved 5 January 2016.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b Reagan, Ronald. "Nomination of James Keough Bishop To Be United States Ambassador to Liberia". Ronald Reagan Presidential Museum & Library.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b James Keough Bishop, Obituary, New York Times, April 9, 2006
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b c Nomination of James Keough Bishop To Be United States Ambassador to Somalia, April 19, 1990, White House press release
  5. ^ James Keough Bishop (1938–), U.S. Dept. of State
  6. ^ U.S. MEMO REVEALS DISPUTE ON BOSNIA, New York Times, June 25, 1993
  7. ^ "Kathleen K. Bishop". Washington Post. October 14, 2011. Retrieved 5 January 2016.
  8. ^ https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/washingtonpost/obituary.aspx?n=ann-b-richardson&pid=157109524
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by
United States Ambassador to Niger
1979-81
Succeeded by
Preceded by
Edward J. Perkins
United States Ambassador to Liberia
1987–90
Succeeded by
Peter Jon de Vos
Preceded by
T. Frank Crigler
United States Ambassador to Somalia
1990–91
Succeeded by
Stephen Schwartz
Retrieved from ""