Larry Miles Dinger

Larry Miles Dinger
United States Ambassador to Burma
In office September 9, 2008 – August 2011 (Chargé d'Affaires)
Preceded by	Shari Villarosa
Succeeded by	Michael Thurston
United States Ambassador to Fiji
In office June 27, 2005 – July 5, 2008
President	George W. Bush
Preceded by	David L. Lyon
Succeeded by	C. Steven McGann
United States Ambassador to Kiribati
In office June 27, 2005 – July 5, 2008
President	George W. Bush
Preceded by	David L. Lyon
Succeeded by	C. Steven McGann
United States Ambassador to Nauru
In office June 27, 2005 – July 5, 2008
President	George W. Bush
Preceded by	David L. Lyon
Succeeded by	C. Steven McGann
United States Ambassador to Tonga
In office June 27, 2005 – July 5, 2008
President	George W. Bush
Preceded by	David L. Lyon
Succeeded by	C. Steven McGann
United States Ambassador to Tuvalu
In office June 27, 2005 – July 5, 2008
President	George W. Bush
Preceded by	David L. Lyon
Succeeded by	C. Steven McGann
United States Ambassador to Micronesia
In office November 26, 2001 – August 2, 2004
President	George W. Bush
Preceded by	Diane Edith Watson
Succeeded by	Suzanne K. Hale
Personal details
Born	1946
Alma mater	Macalester College (B.A., 1968) Harvard Law School (J.D., 1975)

Larry Miles Dinger (born 1946) was the U.S. chargé d'affaires to Burma since his appointment on September 9, 2008. Since there has not been a United States Ambassador to Burma since 1990, the chargé d'affaires is the chief of mission and the most senior official in the embassy.

Early life

Larry Dinger grew up in Riceville, Iowa^[1]

Dinger is a graduate of Macalester College (BA 1968), Harvard Law School (JD 1975), and the National War College (MA 2000).

After graduating from Macalester College in 1968, Dinger entered the Naval Officer Candidate School, Newport, Rhode Island, and was commissioned as a Navy "line" officer in April 1969. He first served in Nha Be, Vietnam. His then served in the Fleet Operations Control Center Europe in London, England, from 1970 to 1972.

After the Navy and law school, Dinger worked in politics from 1975–1980, including on the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee staff, ran for office in his home state of Iowa, and practiced law in 1981-82 as a sole practitioner in Riceville, Iowa before entering the Foreign Service in 1983.

Political career

In his early career, Dinger served as Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs (1995–96), political officer at Embassy Canberra (1992–95), Indonesia Desk Officer (1990–92), political officer at Embassy Jakarta (1987–1990), Staff Assistant in the EAP Bureau (1985–86), and consular/narcotics affairs officer at Embassy Mexico City (1983–85). The Department selected him to be a student at the National War College in Washington, D.C., entering in August 1999 and graduating in June 2000.

From August 2004 to June 2005, he was the State Department's Senior Advisor to the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island. His duties included mentoring the Foreign Service officers studying at the Naval War College, teaching a course on "strategy," and serving as liaison on political/military issues between Naval War College personnel and the State Department.

Dinger was U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of the Fiji Islands, the Republic of Kiribati, the Republic of Nauru, the Kingdom of Tonga, and Tuvalu from July 2005 to June 2008.^[2]

Previously, he was U.S. Ambassador to the Federated States of Micronesia (2002–2004), Deputy Chief of Mission at U.S. Embassy Kathmandu (2001–2002), and Deputy Chief of Mission at U.S. Embassy Suva (1996–1999).

Larry Dinger and his brother John R. Dinger are the first career Foreign Service Officer brothers to become ambassadors. Larry was sworn in as ambassador to the Federated States of Micronesia in December 2001 while his younger brother John was already ambassador to Mongolia.^[3]

References

1. Mitchell County Press News: U.S. Ambassador makes a difference around the world Retrieved 2014-11-26.
2. Original public domain text copied from U.S. Department of State biography. Retrieved on 2009-06-13.
3. Koscak, Paul (July–August 2003). "Brother Ambassadors are a Rare Combination." (PDF). State Magazine. U.S. Department of State. pp. 16–17. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 13, 2009. Retrieved 2009-06-13.