Francis Joseph Shakespeare (April 9, 1925 – December 14, 2022) was an American diplomat and media executive. He was the president of

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

before entering public service. He served as the

United States ambassador to Portugal Bilateral diplomatic relations between the United States and Portugal date from the earliest years of the United States. Following the Revolutionary War, Portugal was the first neutral country to recognize the United States. On February 21, 1791 ...

from 1985 to 1986 and the

United States ambassador to the Holy See The ambassador of the United States to the Holy See is the Ambassadors of the United States, official representative of the United States, United States of America to the Holy See, the leadership of the Catholic Church. The official representatio ...

from 1986 to 1989. He later served as an honorary member of the board of trustees for

The Heritage Foundation The Heritage Foundation (abbreviated to Heritage) is an American conservative think tank based in Washington, D.C. that is primarily geared toward public policy. The foundation took a leading role in the conservative movement during the presiden ...

Early life and education

Born in New York City to Francis and Frances () Shakespeare on April 9, 1925, and raised in the

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

faith, Shakespeare graduated from the

College of the Holy Cross The College of the Holy Cross is a private, Jesuit liberal arts college in Worcester, Massachusetts, about 40 miles (64 km) west of Boston. Founded in 1843, Holy Cross is the oldest Catholic college in New England and one of the oldest ...

in 1946 with a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

. He also served in the U.S. Navy from 1945 to 1946.

Career

Frank Shakespeare, Ronald Reagan, John Paul II at Vatican

Shakespeare was vice president of

in New York City from 1963 to 1965, then executive vice president from 1965 to 1967, when he was appointed by President

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...

as director of the

United States Information Agency The United States Information Agency (USIA), which operated from 1953 to 1999, was a United States agency devoted to "public diplomacy". In 1999, prior to the reorganization of intelligence agencies by President George W. Bush, President Bill C ...

. After serving in this capacity from 1969-1973, he returned to the private sector as executive vice president of Westinghouse in New York. In 1975 he became vice chairman of

RKO General RKO General, Inc. (previously General Teleradio, RKO Teleradio Pictures, and RKO Teleradio) was, from 1952 through 1991, the main holding company for the noncore businesses of the General Tire, General Tire and Rubber Company and, after General Ti ...

. In 1981 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 ...

named him chairman of the

Board for International Broadcasting The Board for International Broadcasting (BIB) was a commission established in the United States as a privately incorporated organization in 1973 by the International Broadcasting Act of 1973, Public Law 93-129, on October 19, 1973. This primarily ...

, the entity which oversaw the operations of

Radio Free Europe Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) is a United States government funded organization that broadcasts and reports news, information, and analysis to countries in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, Caucasus, and the Middle East where it says tha ...

. He held this position until 1985, when Reagan appointed him United States Ambassador to Portugal. The following year, in September 1986, Shakespeare was appointed United States Ambassador to the Holy See. From 1979, Shakespeare was an honorary member of the board of trustees for

, a Washington, D.C.–based public policy research institute. He also served as a trustee of the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation of

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...

, Wisconsin.

Awards

Shakespeare was awarded honorary degrees in engineering from the

Colorado School of Mines The Colorado School of Mines, informally called Mines, is a public research university in Golden, Colorado, founded in 1874. The school offers both undergraduate and graduate degrees in engineering, science, and mathematics, with a focus on ener ...

in 1975, in commercial science from

Pace University Pace University is a private university with its main campus in New York City and secondary campuses in Westchester County, New York. It was established in 1906 by the brothers Homer St. Clair Pace and Charles A. Pace as a business school. Pace ...

in 1979, and in law from

Sacred Heart University Sacred Heart University (SHU) is a private, Catholic university in Fairfield, Connecticut. It was founded in 1963 by the Most Reverend Walter W. Curtis, Bishop of the Diocese of Bridgeport, Connecticut. Sacred Heart was the first Catholic un ...

in 1985.

Personal life

Shakespeare was divorced and had one son and two daughters. He served the Catholic Church as a member of the

Sovereign Military Order of Malta The Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM), officially the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta ( it, Sovrano Militare Ordine Ospedaliero di San Giovanni di Gerusalemme, di Rodi e di Malta; ...

. He died on December 14, 2022, at age 97.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Shakespeare, Frank J. 1925 births 2022 deaths Politicians from New York City Businesspeople from New York City Military personnel from New York City Catholics from New York (state) United States Information Agency directors Ambassadors of the United States to Portugal Ambassadors of the United States to the Holy See Nixon administration personnel Reagan administration personnel George H. W. Bush administration personnel New York (state) Republicans Richard Nixon 1968 presidential campaign American media executives CBS executives Westinghouse Electric Company RKO General Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty people The Heritage Foundation College of the Holy Cross alumni Knights of Malta 20th-century American diplomats 20th-century American businesspeople 21st-century American businesspeople