Everett Francis Drumright (September 15, 1906 - April 24, 1993) was an American diplomat who served in a variety of posts, including as U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of China (Taiwan).

Early years

Drumright was born in Drumright, Oklahoma. He graduated from 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 ...

with a degree in business administration in 1929. After graduation, Drumright briefly worked for his father's business while studying for the

Foreign service exam The United States Foreign Service is the primary personnel system used by the diplomatic service of the United States federal government, under the aegis of the United States Department of State. It consists of over 13,000 professionals carryi ...

Foreign Service career

On January 2, 1931, Drumright began his diplomatic career as a Vice-consul in

Ciudad Juárez Ciudad Juárez ( ; ''Juarez City''. ) is the most populous city in the Mexican state of Chihuahua. It is commonly referred to as Juárez and was known as El Paso del Norte (''The Pass of the North'') until 1888. Juárez is the seat of the Ju� ...

, Mexico. He held a variety of posts with 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 ...

, including as a language officer in China and

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

. In 1945, he was named as the chief of the U.S. Division of Chinese Affairs. From 1948 to 1951, Drumright was station in

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 ...

, participating the establishment of the U.S. Embassy Seoul. From 1951 until 1953, he worked overseas with posts in Embassy New Delhi, and Consulate General Bombay. In 1953 he was named Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs, and served in that post for several years.

United States Ambassador

In 1958, Drumright was nominated by

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...

to serve as U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of China on Taiwan. He was subsequently confirmed by the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

. Drumright continued to serve in the role throughout the early years of

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination i ...

's presidency. In 1960, Drumright worked to establish the fourth Surplus Agricultural Commodities Agreement between the Republic of China and the United States. Under the terms of the agreement, the government of the Republic of China would purchase surplus

agricultural commodities Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...

and pay the United States in New Taiwan dollars. The United States agreed to then allocate those dollars towards mutual defense projects and educational exchange programs. During his tenure in Taiwan, Drumright worked closely with Secretary of State

John Foster Dulles John Foster Dulles (, ; February 25, 1888 – May 24, 1959) was an American diplomat, lawyer, and Republican Party politician. He served as United States Secretary of State under President Dwight D. Eisenhower from 1953 to 1959 and was briefly ...

and President

Chiang Kai-shek Chiang Kai-shek (31 October 1887 – 5 April 1975), also known as Chiang Chung-cheng and Jiang Jieshi, was a Chinese Nationalist politician, revolutionary, and military leader who served as the leader of the Republic of China (ROC) from 1928 ...

during the crisis over Quemoy and Matsu, two islands off the

China coastline China’s coastline covers approximately 14,500 km (around 9,010 mi) from the Bohai gulf in the north to the Gulf of Tonkin in the south. Most of the northern half is low lying, although some of the mountains and hills of Northeast China ...

. The islands were the target of takeover attempts and a propaganda campaign by the Communist Government in Beijing. While Ambassador, Drumright resided in the building that is now known as the

Taipei Film House The Embassy of the United States, Taipei () is a former United States diplomatic mission in Zhongshan District, Taipei, Zhongshan District, Taipei, Taiwan. The building current houses the Taipei Film House () as a movie theater. History Empire of ...

. Drumright retired from government service in 1962.

Personal

Drumright was married to Florence Teets Drumright in 1953. He served on the board of the

Chinese Historical Society of Southern California Chinese Historical Society of Southern California (CHSSC, ) is an organization based in Los Angeles Chinatown, California. History On November 1, 1975, the society held its founding meeting at Cathay Bank in Los Angeles, California. Its key at ...

. He died in 1993 at the age of 86 at

Pomerado Hospital Palomar Medical Center Poway is a hospital in Poway, California, operated by Palomar Health. It opened in 1977. Name The hospital takes its name, like other entities in the area, from a portmanteau of surrounding placenames: Poway, Merton (former ...

Poway, California Poway () is a city in San Diego County, California, United States. The unincorporated community became a city on December 1, 1980. Poway's rural roots influenced its motto "The City in the Country". The city has a population of 49,701 as of 2 ...

Legacy

Drumright's public papers now belong to the diplomatic archives collection at the University of Oklahoma. After his death, a scholarship fund was established in Drumright's name to support international students at the

University of Illinois at Chicago The University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) is a Public university, public research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its campus is in the Near West Side, Chicago, Near West Side community area, adjacent to the Chicago Loop. The second campus esta ...

References