James Bishop (diplomat)
| James Bishop | |
|---|---|
_And_Ronald_Reagan.jpg) right, 1987 | |
| Born |
July 21, 1938 New Rochelle, New York |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Diplomat |
| Years active | 1960-1993[1]:4, 117 |
| Known for | U.S. Ambassador to Niger (1979-81), Liberia (1987-90), and Somalia (1990-91) |
| Religion | Roman Catholicism[1]:2-3 |
James Keough Bishop, Jr. (b. 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 (nee 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).[4][2]
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[6][1]
Bishop retired from the Foregin Service in 1993.[1]
Personal life
Bishop and his wife Kathleen (d. 2011)[7] have six children.[3][4] He is Roman Catholic.[1]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 Kennedy, Charles (1998). "Ambassador James K. Bishop, Jr." (PDF). The Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training. Retrieved 5 January 2016.
- 1 2 Reagan, Ronald. "Nomination of James Keough Bishop To Be United States Ambassador to Liberia". Ronald Reagan Presidential Museum & Library.
- 1 2 James Keough Bishop, Obituary, New York Times, April 9, 2006
- 1 2 3 Nomination of James Keough Bishop To Be United States Ambassador to Somalia, April 19, 1990, White House press release
- ↑ James Keough Bishop (1938–), U.S. Dept. of State
- ↑ U.S. MEMO REVEALS DISPUTE ON BOSNIA, New York Times, June 25, 1993
- ↑ "Kathleen K. Bishop". Washington Post. October 14, 2011. Retrieved 5 January 2016.
| Diplomatic posts | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Charles A. James |
United States Ambassador to Niger 1979-81 |
Succeeded by William Robert Casey, Jr. |
| 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 vacant |