David Paul Rawson (September 10, 1941 – September 16, 2020) was an American diplomat who served as the United States

Ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or sov ...

Extraordinary and

Plenipotentiary A ''plenipotentiary'' (from the Latin ''plenus'' "full" and ''potens'' "powerful") is a diplomat who has full powers—authorization to sign a treaty or convention on behalf of his or her sovereign. When used as a noun more generally, the word ...

Rwanda Rwanda (; rw, u Rwanda ), officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of Central Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a few degrees south of the Equator ...

and

Mali Mali (; ), officially the Republic of Mali,, , ff, 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞥆𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 𞤃𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭, Renndaandi Maali, italics=no, ar, جمهورية مالي, Jumhūriyyāt Mālī is a landlocked country in West Africa. Mali ...

. His service in Rwanda occurred during the

Rwandan genocide The Rwandan genocide occurred between 7 April and 15 July 1994 during the Rwandan Civil War. During this period of around 100 days, members of the Tutsi minority ethnic group, as well as some moderate Hutu and Twa, were killed by armed Hutu ...

of 1994.

Early life and education

Rawson was born in

Addison, Michigan Addison is a village in Lenawee County, Michigan, Lenawee County of the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 605 at the 2010 United States census, 2010 census. The village is located on the boundary between Rollin Township, Michigan, Rollin ...

as the son of missionaries. In 1947 he moved to

Burundi Burundi (, ), officially the Republic of Burundi ( rn, Repuburika y’Uburundi ; Swahili language, Swahili: ''Jamuhuri ya Burundi''; French language, French: ''République du Burundi'' ), is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley at the ...

with his parents, where his father ran a medical clinic. In 1958, Rawson returned to the United States and attended Malone College (B.A.) and

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 ...

(M.A. and PhD). After completing his PhD, he returned to Malone College and taught for six years before joining the

United States Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other n ...

. Rawson also received a postdoctoral grant to investigate the relationship between the political situation and religious culture in the countries of Rwanda and Burundi.

Career

From 1986 to 1988, Rawson was a deputy chief of mission for the American Embassy in Somalia, and from 1989-1991, he was director of the Office of West African Affairs within the State Department's

Bureau of African Affairs In the United States government, the Bureau of African Affairs (AF) is part of the U.S. Department of State and is charged with advising the Secretary of State on matters of Sub-Saharan Africa. The bureau was established in 1958. It is headed b ...

. From 1993 to 1996, Rawson served as an ambassador to Rwanda, a nation then experiencing ethnic tensions between the

Hutu The Hutu (), also known as the Abahutu, are a Bantu ethnic or social group which is native to the African Great Lakes region. They mainly live in Rwanda, Burundi and the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, where they form one of the prin ...

s and

Tutsi The Tutsi (), or Abatutsi (), are an ethnic group of the African Great Lakes region. They are a Bantu-speaking ethnic group and the second largest of three main ethnic groups in Rwanda and Burundi (the other two being the largest Bantu ethnic grou ...

s. When the plane of Rwandan president

Juvénal Habyarimana Juvénal Habyarimana (, ; 8 March 19376 April 1994) was a Rwandan politician and military officer who served as the second president of Rwanda, from 1973 until 1994. He was nicknamed ''Kinani'', a Kinyarwanda word meaning "invincible". An ethn ...

, a Hutu, was shot down, the Hutus blamed it on the Tutsis, leading to a genocide between April and July 1994. The United States government ordered American officials, including Rawson, to leave the country. After the

Rwandan Patriotic Front The Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF–Inkotanyi, french: Front patriotique rwandais, FPR) is the ruling political party in Rwanda. Led by President Paul Kagame, the party has governed the country since its armed wing defeated government forces, winn ...

took control of the government in July 1994, Rawson returned to Rwanda to provide emergency relief and to negotiate peace agreements. Rawson later stated, however, that he believed he failed in his role as a peacekeeper during his tenure as ambassador. From 1996 to 1999, Rawson served as the U.S. ambassador to the Republic of Mali.

Post-diplomatic career

After retiring from foreign affairs in 1999, Rawson moved to Michigan and taught at

Spring Arbor University Spring Arbor University (SAU) is a private Free Methodist university in Spring Arbor, Michigan. Developing from an earlier academy and junior college, in 1963 it began offering bachelor's degrees. Attaining university status in 1994, it is the ...

and

Hillsdale College Hillsdale College is a Private university, private Conservatism in the United States, conservative Christian liberal arts college in Hillsdale, Michigan. It was founded in 1844 by Abolitionism, abolitionists known as Free Will Baptists. Its missio ...

. After 2018 Rawson lived in Oregon and taught at

George Fox University George Fox University is a private Christian university in Newberg, Oregon. Founded as a school for Quakers in 1891, it is now the largest private university in Oregon with more than 4,000 students combined between its main campus in Newberg, ...

. He donated his personal archives to the university, including declassified documents used in the research of his book ''Prelude to Genocide: Arusha, Rwanda, and the Failure of Diplomacy.''

Personal life

Rawson's first wife Viola Mosher died in an automobile accident in 1977. He was in the vehicle at the time of the crash and stated that this incident was the "most trying circumstance" of his life. Rawson was a

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

. Rawson lived in

Newberg, Oregon Newberg is a city in Yamhill County, Oregon, United States. Located in the Portland metropolitan area, the city is home to George Fox University. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 25,138 making it the second most populous city in the ...

until his death on September 16, 2020.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rawson, David 1941 births 2020 deaths People from Lenawee County, Michigan Malone University alumni American University alumni United States Foreign Service personnel Ambassadors of the United States to Rwanda Ambassadors of the United States to Mali George Fox University faculty People from Newberg, Oregon

Early life and education

Career

Post-diplomatic career

Personal life

See also

References