John Campbell (born 1944) was the acting director of the
Office of the Historian
The Office of the Historian is an office of the United States Department of State within the Foreign Service Institute. It is legally responsible for the preparation and publication of the official historical documentary record of U.S. foreign po ...
within the
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 nati ...
. He was appointed to the position in June 2009 and was succeeded as acting director by
Edward P. Brynn the same year.
Early life
Born in
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, ...
, Campbell earned his
Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...
and
Master of Arts
A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...
from the
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United S ...
and
Ph.D.
A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is a ...
from the
University of Wisconsin
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...
in 1970.
Consular career
Campbell joined 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 ...
in 1975.
He first served as Deputy Assistant Secretary in the
Bureau of Human Resources
The Bureau of Global Talent Management (GTM), previously Bureau of Human Resources, is an agency in the United States Department of State. The bureau is under the purview of the Under Secretary of State for Management. The bureau handles recruitm ...
at the
State Department
The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government responsible for the country's fore ...
. His numerous overseas postings include service as a political counselor in
Nigeria
Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
in the late 1980s, in
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 ...
in the mid-1990s during the transition from
apartheid
Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...
to majority rule and also assignments in
Lyon
Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of t ...
,
Geneva
Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...
and
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
.
Campbell also served as
United States Ambassador to Nigeria
The following is a list of United States ambassadors to Nigeria.
Ambassadors
Notes
See also
* Nigeria – United States relations
*Foreign relations of Nigeria
*Ambassadors of the United States
ReferencesUnited States Department of State: B ...
. He was appointed by President
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...
and served from May 12, 2004, to July 19, 2007. He presented his credentials on June 25, 2004, and was succeeded by
Robin R. Sanders
Robin Renee Sanders (born 1954) is the former U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of the Congo (Congo-Brazzaville) from 2003 to 2005, and to Nigeria from 2007 to 2010. She is a 2010 D.Sc. graduate of Robert Morris University and served as Deputy Comma ...
.
In 2008, Campbell led an
Office of the Inspector General's investigation into the U.S. mission in
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
.
Post-consular career
In July 2009 Campbell was given the post of acting director at the
Office of the Historian
The Office of the Historian is an office of the United States Department of State within the Foreign Service Institute. It is legally responsible for the preparation and publication of the official historical documentary record of U.S. foreign po ...
after the removal of
Marc Susser from the post. He left in September, after just two months, to work with the think tank
Council on Foreign Relations
The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is an American think tank
A think tank, or policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, mi ...
, where he is the
Ralph Bunche Senior Fellow for Africa policy studies.
In 2010, Campbell published his first book, titled ''Nigeria: Dancing on the Brink''.
The second edition of the book was published in June 2013. Campbell has also written ''Morning in South Africa'', published in May 2016 and ''Nigeria: What Everyone Needs to Know'', co-authored with Matthew Page and published in July 2018.
See also
*
Nigeria - United States relations
*
Ambassadors of the United States
Ambassadors of the United States are persons nominated by the president to serve as the country's diplomatic representatives to foreign nations, international organizations, and as ambassadors-at-large. Under Article II, Section 2 of the U.S. ...
References
Sources
United States Department of State: Biography of John Campbell
External links
– "Nigeria: 'Richer' Relationship the Result of Nigeria's Democratic Transformation, Despite Flaws, Says U.S. Ambassador"
*
*
Living people
1944 births
University of Virginia alumni
University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni
Ambassadors of the United States to Nigeria
United States Department of State
United States Foreign Service personnel
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