Covey Thomas Oliver (April 21, 1913 – February 22, 2007) was a United States diplomat and law professor.

Early life and education

Oliver was born in Laredo, Texas on April 21, 1913. His father, Pheneas Covey, was a rancher, and his mother, Jane Thomas Covey, was a schoolteacher. Oliver was educated at the University of Texas, graduating in 1933. He then attended the University of Texas School of Law, graduating in 1936.

Career

Upon graduating, Oliver began teaching at the University of Texas School of Law, but his job was interrupted in 1939, because of World War II. Because of it, Oliver moved to Washington, D.C. to join the

Board of Economic Warfare The Office of Administrator of Export Control (also referred to as the Export Control Administration) was established in the United States by Presidential Proclamation 2413, July 2, 1940, to administer export licensing provisions of the act of July ...

. In this capacity, he later served in Spain, where he was responsible for buying

raw material A raw material, also known as a feedstock, unprocessed material, or primary commodity, is a basic material that is used to produce goods, finished goods, energy, or intermediate materials that are feedstock for future finished products. As feedst ...

s to keep them out of enemy hands. Oliver left the United States Department of State in 1949, becoming professor of international law at the UC Berkeley School of Law. While teaching at Berkeley, he was also himself a student at Columbia Law School and received an

S.J.D. A Doctor of Juridical Science (SJD; ), or a Doctor of Science of Law (JSD; ), is a research doctorate in law equivalent to the more commonly awarded Doctor of Philosophy degree. Australia The S.J.D. is offered by the Australian National Un ...

in 1953. He taught at Berkeley until 1956 when he joined the faculty of the University of Pennsylvania Law School. In 1962, President of the United States John F. Kennedy appointed Oliver to the Inter-American Juridical Committee of the

Organization of American States The Organization of American States (OAS; es, Organización de los Estados Americanos, pt, Organização dos Estados Americanos, french: Organisation des États américains; ''OEA'') is an international organization that was founded on 30 April ...

. In 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson nominated Oliver as United States Ambassador to Colombia and he subsequently served in this post from August 13, 1964, until August 29, 1966. President Johnson then nominated Oliver as Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs and Oliver held this office from July 1, 1967, until December 31, 1968, serving concurrently as director of the Alliance for Progress. In July 1968, Oliver said that "to speak of fair prices is a medieval concept, for we are in the era of free trade". Oliver left government service in 1969, returning to the University of Pennsylvania Law School. Throughout his career, he advocated U.S. adherence to international law, the United Nations Charter, and the World Court. Oliver taught at the University of Pennsylvania Law School until his retirement in 1978, serving briefly as acting dean of the law school in 1978.

Retirement and death

After his retirement, for three years, Oliver taught at Rice University in Houston, Texas. He then served as visiting professor at the

American University The American University (AU or American) is a private federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C. Its main campus spans 90 acres (36 ha) on Ward Circle, mostly in the Spring Valley neighborhood of Northwest D.C. AU was charte ...

and was an editor of the '' American Journal of International Law''. He was a member of the

Council on Foreign Relations The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is an American think tank A think tank, or policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, mi ...

, the

American Law Institute The American Law Institute (ALI) is a research and advocacy group of judges, lawyers, and legal scholars established in 1923 to promote the clarification and simplification of United States common law and its adaptation to changing social needs. ...

, Phi Beta Kappa and the Order of the Coif. Oliver spent the rest of his life in Inverness, California and

Easton, Maryland Easton is an incorporated town in and the county seat of Talbot County, Maryland, United States. The population was 15,945 at the 2010 census, with an estimated population in 2019 of 16,671. The primary ZIP Code is 21601, and the secondary ...

. He died at his home in Easton on February 22, 2007.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oliver, Covey 1913 births 2007 deaths United States Assistant Secretaries of State People from Laredo, Texas University of Texas School of Law alumni Columbia Law School alumni University of California, Berkeley faculty University of Pennsylvania Law School faculty Rice University faculty American University faculty Ambassadors of the United States to Colombia People from Inverness, California People from Easton, Maryland Presidents of the American Society of International Law