Edward Joseph Perkins (June 8, 1928 – November 7, 2020) was an American career diplomat who served as U.S. Ambassador to

Liberia Liberia (), officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to its north, Ivory Coast to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

the United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

, and

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. He also served as the director of the

United States State Department 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 ...

's Diplomatic Corps.

Early life and education

Perkins was born in

Sterlington, Louisiana Sterlington is a town in northern Ouachita Parish, Louisiana, United States, near the boundary with Union Parish. At the 2010 census, the population was 1,594. In the 2018 census estimates, the population rose to 2,724. In 2014, Sterlington was t ...

. He grew up in

Haynesville, Louisiana Haynesville is a town in northern Claiborne Parish, Louisiana, United States, located just south of the Arkansas border. The population was 2,327 at the 2010 census. Haynesville is known as the "Gateway to North Louisiana" and the "Butterfly Ca ...

, on a farm belonging to his grandparents, Nathan and Sarah Stovall Noble. His grandmother regarded learning and academic success as the key to her grandson’s future, and pushed him away from succeeding his grandfather on the farm and towards higher education and study. As a result, Perkins eventually moved - first to

Pine Bluff, Arkansas Pine Bluff is the eleventh-largest city in the state of Arkansas and the county seat of Jefferson County. It is the principal city of the Pine Bluff Metropolitan Statistical Area and part of the Little Rock-North Little Rock-Pine Bluff Combin ...

, and then to

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

, and graduated there in 1947 from Jefferson High School. It was during this period that he began to consider his dream of becoming a diplomat, after attending a local international relations club meeting at which several consuls general spoke. He earned his B.A. from the

University of Maryland, College Park The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of Mary ...

in 1967, and his M.A. and Doctor of Public Administration from the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in C ...

. He was an active member of

Kappa Alpha Psi Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. () is a historically African American fraternity. Since the fraternity's founding on January 5, 1911 at Indiana University Bloomington, the fraternity has never restricted membership on the basis of color, creed ...

fraternity.

Career

Enthusiastic about seeing the wider world beyond the United States, Perkins enlisted in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

, serving for three years. A return to civilian life would prove temporary; he again enlisted, this time in the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

, and served for four years in

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

, and

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

. This period saw Perkins become interested in the study of

Eastern philosophy Eastern philosophy or Asian philosophy includes the various philosophies that originated in East and South Asia, including Chinese philosophy, Japanese philosophy, Korean philosophy, and Vietnamese philosophy; which are dominant in East Asia, ...

Foreign Service

Perkins passed the

Foreign Service Diplomatic service is the body of diplomats and foreign policy officers maintained by the government of a country to communicate with the governments of other countries. Diplomatic personnel obtains diplomatic immunity when they are accredited to o ...

exam in 1971. Through a satellite campus of the

, he would later earn his master’s degree in 1972 and a doctorate in 1978, both of which were in public administration. Concerned with the lack of support for fellow black members of the Foreign Service, Perkins became a founding member of the Thursday Luncheon Group with John W.H. Gravely, a weekly support and advocacy group for black officers. The organization has since grown to a membership of over 300. Perkins also organized members to visit the

Congressional Black Caucus The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) is a caucus made up of most African-American members of the United States Congress. Representative Karen Bass from California chaired the caucus from 2019 to 2021; she was succeeded by Representative Joyce ...

and advocate for recruitment programs aimed at minorities, a move which resulted in the creation of

Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship The Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship Program is a graduate school fellowship program that provides funding for graduate students as they prepare academically and professionally to enter the United States Foreign Service, U.S. Foreign ...

Ambassador appointments

Perkins was appointed ambassador to

in 1985, less than a year after

Samuel Doe Samuel Kanyon Doe (6 May 1951 – 9 September 1990) was a Liberian politician who served as the 21st president of Liberia from 1980 to 1990. Doe ruled Liberia as Chairman of the People's Redemption Council (PRC) from 1980 to 1984 and then a ...

took control of the country. He described his role as " nsuringthe safety of the numerous Americans in Liberia..." and to "help restore the country to order and rebuild the infrastructure." Perkins was then appointed ambassador to

in 1986 by President

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...

. From the beginning, this position would prove to be a challenge – the naming of the black ambassador to the post was seen as a concession by Reagan to ward off sanctions by the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...

. Several Black civil rights leaders approached Perkins, advising against accepting the appointment, including the

Rev. Jesse Jackson Jesse Louis Jackson (né Burns; born October 8, 1941) is an American political activist, Baptist minister, and politician. He was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984 and 1988 and served as a shadow U.S. senator ...

. Perkins, however, decided to accept the appointment regardless, citing his oath of office to 'go where needed', and believing he "might be able to do something in South Africa." During his appointment tenure, Perkins focused on improving communication between blacks, whites, and other ethnic groups in the country, holding integrated receptions, attending church services, and visiting South African towns and villages. He overcame South African black activists’ initial hostility towards him through “carefully chosen shots” at the South African regime that demonstrated solidarity with the country’s victims of apartheid, including attendance at the

Delmas Treason Trial The Delmas Treason Trial (1985–1988) in South Africa was the prosecution of 22 anti-apartheid activists under security laws, with the intention of suppressing the United Democratic Front (UDF).Gerhard, Gail"Trial by Color" ''New York Times ...

Director General of the Foreign Service

Perkins left the post in 1989, to accept the position of

Director General of the Foreign Service The Director General of the Foreign Service is the designated manager of the United States Foreign Service. The Director General is a current or former Foreign Service Officer, appointed by the President, with the advice and consent of the Uni ...

. During his tenure as the first

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

director general, Perkins instituted policies of recruitment aimed at diversifying the ranks of its officers. Perkins described the ranks of the organization at the time of his hiring as “an exclusive club: overwhelmingly white, male and Ivy-League-educated…”. Efforts at hiring people of color, women, and people from

Appalachia Appalachia () is a cultural region in the Eastern United States that stretches from the Southern Tier of New York State to northern Alabama and Georgia. While the Appalachian Mountains stretch from Belle Isle in Newfoundland and Labrador, Ca ...

were intensified, and it was during this time that the organization recruited its first blind officer, Avraham Rabby.

Subsequent appointments

He continued to serve in the State Department until 1992, when he was appointed

United States Ambassador to the United Nations The United States ambassador to the United Nations is the leader of the U.S. delegation, the U.S. Mission to the United Nations. The position is formally known as the permanent representative of the United States of America to the United Nations ...

and U.S. Representative to the

United Nations Security Council The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the Organs of the United Nations, six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international security, international peace and security, recommending the admi ...

. In 1993, he was appointed representative to the

Commonwealth of Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

, where he served until 1996 before retiring at the rank of Career Minister in the United States Foreign Service. He taught at the

University of Oklahoma The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two Territories became the state of Oklahom ...

where he served as Senior Vice Provost Emeritus of International Programs at the International Program Center, and Professor Emeritus of the School of International and Area Studies. He was a member of the

American Academy of Diplomacy The American Academy of Diplomacy is a private, nonprofit, non-partisan, elected organization whose active membership is limited to men and women who have held positions of high responsibility in crafting and implementing American foreign policy. ...

. In 2006, Perkins’ memoir, ''Mr. Ambassador, Warrior for Peace,'' was published by the University of Oklahoma Press. In 2007, Perkins moved to

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

On September 3, 2009, his wife, Lucy Cheng-Mei Liu, died. Perkins died on November 7, 2020, after a stroke.

Personal life

After he was discharged from the Marine Corps, Perkins took a civilian job with the Army and Air Forces Exchange Services in

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

. It was during this time that he met his future wife, Lucy Ching-mei Liu. Liu’s traditional Taiwanese family did not want her to marry a black American, necessitating an elopement between the two in Taipei in 1962. They had two children, Katherine and Sarah Perkins, and four grandchildren.

Writings

* ''Mr. Ambassador, Warrior for Peace'' (memoirs,) published by The University of Oklahoma Press in 2006. * ''The Palestinian Refugees: Old Problems - New Solutions (Studies in peace politics in the Middle East)'' - co-editor with Joseph Ginat, Sussex Academic Press, 2002. * ''The Middle East Peace Process: Vision Versus Reality (Studies in peace politics in the Middle East)'' - co-editor with Joseph Ginat, Sussex Academic Press, 2002. * ''Palestinian Refugees: Traditional Positions and New Solutions'' = co-editor with Joseph Ginat, University of Oklahoma Press, 2001. * ''The seedlings of hope: U.S. policy in Africa'', U.S. Department of State, 1989.

References

Directors General of the Foreign Service/Directors of the Bureau of Human Resources

Edward J. Perkins

biography and citationsUniversity of Maryland University College / Achiever Summer 2007 article
*

Norma M. Riccucci Norma Margherita Riccucci is Board of Governors Distinguished Professor of Public Administration at the School of Public Affairs and Administration at Rutgers University in Newark. She is a scholar in the field of Public Administration. An authorit ...

(1995). Unsung Heroes: Federal Execucrats Making a Difference. Georgetown University Press.]

External links

*
The Legacy of Ambassador Edward J. Perkins: Reflections on Families in the Diplomatic Service

National Museum of American Diplomacy The National Museum of American Diplomacy (NMAD) is the first museum in the United States dedicated to telling the stories of American diplomacy. Its mission is to inspire discovery of how American diplomacy shapes the nation's prosperity and ...

, - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Perkins, Edward J. 1928 births 2020 deaths 20th-century African-American people 20th-century American diplomats 21st-century African-American people African-American diplomats African-American history of Oregon African Americans in Oregon American expatriates in Japan American expatriates in South Korea Ambassadors of the United States to Australia Ambassadors of the United States to Liberia Ambassadors of the United States to South Africa Directors General of the United States Foreign Service Florida State University faculty Jefferson High School (Portland, Oregon) alumni Military personnel from Louisiana People from Ouachita Parish, Louisiana Permanent Representatives of the United States to the United Nations University of Maryland Global Campus alumni University of Oklahoma faculty USC Sol Price School of Public Policy alumni Writers from Louisiana Writers from Oklahoma Writers from Portland, Oregon