John Marshall Evans

For other people named John Evans, see John Evans (disambiguation).
John Marshall Evans
United States Ambassador to Armenia
In office
June 30, 2004 – September 10, 2006
President George W. Bush
Preceded by John Malcolm Ordway
Succeeded by Marie L. Yovanovitch
Personal details
Alma mater Yale University
Columbia University

John Marshall Evans served as United States ambassador to the Republic of Armenia. He was confirmed to this position by the U.S. Senate on June 25, 2004. Evans began his service on August 8, 2004, but, as confirmed by President George W. Bush on May 24, 2006,[1] was terminated for undisclosed reasons.[2]

Life

Born in Virginia, Evans studied Russian history at Yale University, earning an undergraduate degree. He pursued doctoral studies at Columbia University but does not hold a Ph.D. He served for the US foreign service in various capacities in Iran, Czechoslovakia, the former Soviet Union, and with NATO. He studied languages and became fluent in Russian and several other foreign languages.

Dismissal from Armenian ambassadorship

Armenian sources have suggested that the sudden dismissal of Evans was due to his strong support for the cause of the recognition of the Armenian Genocide. Evans said as much in an oral history interview, in which he asserted that State Department Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs Daniel Fried had accused him of “jamming the President” on the Armenian Genocide issue and because of that, Fried said “You’re going to have to leave.”[3] It has been suggested that pressure from Turkey, an important U.S. ally in the Middle East, pressured the Department of State to remove Evans for his personal beliefs and statements.[4][5][6]

After Evans's dismissal, the Armenian Assembly of America and the Armenian National Committee of America put pressure on the U.S. Senate to postpone the appointment of Richard E. Hoagland, the new nominee for the ambassadorship to Armenia, until the Bush administration clarified the reason for Evans' dismissal and on the suspicion that Hoagland does not sympathize with Armenian causes. Hoagland was nominated by President Bush during the 109th Congress, during which his nomination did not come up for a vote. The Bush Administration re-nominated Hoagland when the 110th session of the United States Congress convened, but the nomination, ultimately, was not confirmed. A new nominee, Marie Yovanovitch, came up for the post in 2008 and served till 2011. Currently John A. Heffern serves in the position as ambassador to Armenia.[7]

References

  1. ↑ armenialiberty.org – “U.S. Envoy to Armenia Recalled,” May 24, 2006
  2. ↑ U.S. State Department biography – Dead link
  3. ↑ Evans, John. "Rebel With a Cause — Struggling with the Armenian Genocide". ADST.org. Retrieved May 2015.
  4. ↑ Armenian Assembly of America – Press Release July14, 2006: “State Department Responds to Inquiries From Congress Regarding Ambassador Evans' Premature Departure”
  5. ↑ Armenian National Committee of America – Press Release June 20, 2006: “Armenian American Community Looks to Senate Confirmation Hearing for Answers to Amb. Evans Firing”
  6. ↑ Armenian National Committee of America – Press Release March 1, 2005: “Rep. Pallone Welcomes Amb. Evans’ Remarks Recognizing the Armenian Genocide”
  7. ↑ Armenian Assembly of America – Press Release December 6, 2011: “U.S. Ambassador to Armenia John Heffern Meets with Armenian Assembly Chairman & Country Director”

External links

Diplomatic posts
Preceded by
John Malcolm Ordway		 United States Ambassador to Armenia
2004–2006 		Succeeded by
Marie L. Yovanovitch
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