Darryl Norman Johnson (1938 – 24 June 2018) was an American politician and career Foreign Service Officer who held many positions in
American government around the world. Most recently and importantly he was the
United States Ambassador to Thailand
This is a list of ambassadors of the United States to Thailand.
Thailand has had continuous bilateral relations with the United States since 1882. Relations were interrupted during World War II when Bangkok was occupied by Japanese forces. Normal ...
from 2001–2004. Additionally, he was acting US Ambassador to the Philippines for several months in 2005. He used to live near
Seattle, WA. In retirement he was a lecturer at his undergraduate alma mater, the
University of Washington
The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington.
Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattle a ...
, where he taught in its
Jackson School of International Studies
The Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies (also known as the Jackson School and abbreviated as "JSIS") is a school within the University of Washington's College of Arts and Sciences that specializes in research and instruction in area s ...
.
Early life
Johnson was born in Chicago, Illinois, but he grew up in suburban Seattle, Washington. He attended public schools in Seattle, graduating from high school in 1956. He then attended the
University of Puget Sound
The University of Puget Sound (UPS or Puget Sound) is a private university in Tacoma, Washington. The university draws approximately 2,600 students from 44 states and 16 countries. It offers 1,200 courses each year in more than 50 traditional an ...
for two years before transferring to the
University of Washington
The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington.
Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattle a ...
, where he received his BA
Cum Laude
Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sou ...
in English Literature in 1960.
While at the University of Washington he was a member of the academic honor societies for Military Science, Music and Literature, and was admitted to the
Phi Beta Kappa Society
The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal ar ...
in 1960. He next attended the
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Tw ...
and
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...
, working several months at the
Boeing Company in Seattle during and after his university studies. He served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Thailand between1962 and 1965, joining the Foreign Service after he returned home.
Foreign service career
Johnson had a long and distinguished career as a United States Foreign Service officer, with extensive experience in East European and Asian affairs. Among other assignments, he served on the Bosnia Task Force in Washington and as Charge of the U.S. Embassy in Sarajevo in April 1996. Before that, he was Senior Advisor to
Madeleine Albright
Madeleine Jana Korbel Albright (born Marie Jana Korbelová; May 15, 1937 – March 23, 2022) was an American diplomat and political scientist who served as the 64th United States secretary of state from 1997 to 2001. A member of the Democratic ...
, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, and before that, was Deputy Coordinator for Assistance to the New Independent States of the Former Soviet Union.
Johnson served as the first American Ambassador to the Republic of Lithuania, having arrived in Vilnius in September, 1991, to open the first post-World War II U.S. Mission in that country. Prior to that, he served as Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Warsaw, Poland (1988–1991), and before that in Beijing (1984–1987), Moscow (1974–1977), Hong Kong (1969–1973), and Bombay (1966–1967). In addition, he served in the Department of State in Washington, D.C., as Officer-in-Charge of Yugoslav Affairs (1977–1979), Officer-in-Charge of People's Republic of China Affairs (1979–1981), as a Pearson Fellow in the Office of Senator
Claiborne Pell (D-RI) (1981–82), and as Special Assistant to the Under Secretary for Political Affairs (1982–84). In the latter position, his responsibilities included East European, Soviet, and East Asian/Pacific Affairs during the tenure of the then Under Secretary,
Lawrence Eagleburger.
Lecturing
In his capacity as lecturer at the University of Washington, Ambassador Johnson teaches a class called "Practicing American Foreign Policy", and also advises undergraduate students on their Qualifying Papers, an extended writing assignment of approximately 25 pages that is required by the Jackson School for graduation. This teaching position at the University of Washington has previously been held by former U.S. diplomats Ronald Woods and
Charles T. Cross
Charles Tenney "Chuck" Cross (May 4, 1922 – November 3, 2008) was an American career diplomat and ambassador who held many positions in American government around the world. He served as the United States Consulate General Hong Kong, U.S. Consul ...
. Ambassador Johnson also participates at various speaking engagements in the Seattle area, many of which relate to the
Peace Corps
The Peace Corps is an independent agency and program of the United States government that trains and deploys volunteers to provide international development assistance. It was established in March 1961 by an executive order of President John F. ...
and to the United States Foreign Service. He has published op-eds in several major newspapers regarding politics in Thailand, including the ''
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...
'' and the ''
Seattle Times
''The Seattle Times'' is a daily newspaper serving Seattle, Washington, United States. It was founded in 1891 and has been owned by the Blethen family since 1896. ''The Seattle Times'' has the largest circulation of any newspaper in Washington st ...
''.
Personal life
Johnson is the father of one daughter and two sons. He is married to the former Kathleen Desa Forance. In addition to English he speaks Chinese (Mandarin), Polish, Russian, Thai and Lithuanian. Johnson died in Seattle on 24 June 2018.
References
External links
Interview with Darryl Johnson at the Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training, Foreign Affairs Oral History Project(Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training, March 26, 2006)
Discussion with Ambassador Johnson on events in Thailand and implications for U.S. policy toward Southeast Asia(The National Bureau of Asian Research, May 14, 2010)
A Life Abroad: For Foreign Service Officers, the World is their Office(University of Washington Arts and Sciences Newsletter, Summer 2007)
An unclassified State Department diplomatic cable written by Ambassador Johnson from Thailand(U.S. Department of State)
* (video)
Text of a security agreement between Thailand and the United States that was agreed to during Ambassador Johnson's tenure(U.S. Department of State)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Darryl N.
1938 births
2018 deaths
People from Chicago
Ambassadors of the United States to Thailand
Ambassadors of the United States to Lithuania
Directors of the American Institute in Taiwan
University of Washington College of Arts and Sciences alumni
University of Minnesota alumni
United States Foreign Service personnel
20th-century American diplomats
21st-century American diplomats