Edward Joseph Perkins (born June 8, 1928, in Sterlington, Louisiana), U.S. diplomat. He served as U.S. Ambassador to Liberia, South Africa, and the United Nations 1992-1993. He was later Director of the US State Department's Diplomatic Corps. He earned his B.A. from the University of Maryland and his M.A. and Doctor of Public Administration from the University of Southern California. He is an active member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Incorporated and holds the highest honor the fraternity bestows on its members, the Laurel Wreath award. After serving in the U.S. Army and Marine Corps, he served numerous positions in the Department of State and Foreign Service. He was appointed ambassador to Liberia in 1985, and in 1986 was appointed ambassador to South Africa, where he would serve until 1989. He returned home to serve in the State Department until 1992, when he was appointed ambassador to the United Nations and U.S. Representative to the U.N. Security Council. In 1993 he was appointed representative to the Commonwealth of Australia, where he served until 1996 before retiring at the rank of Career Minister in the United States Foreign Service. Currently he teaches at the University of Oklahoma where he serves as Senior Vice Provost of International Programs at the International Program Center. His memoirs, entitled Mr. Ambassador, Warrior for Peace were published by The University of Oklahoma Press in 2006.
| Diplomatic posts | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Thomas R. Pickering |
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations 1992 – 1993 |
Succeeded by Madeleine Albright |
| Preceded by Melvin F. Sembler |
U.S. Ambassador to Australia 1993 – 1996 |
Succeeded by Genta H. Holmes |
| Preceded by Herman W. Nickel |
U.S. Ambassador to South Africa 1986 – 1989 |
Succeeded by William L. Swing |
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References
Member of the American Academy of Diplomacy www.academyofdiplomacy.org
