Joseph Simpson Farland (August 11, 1914 – January 28, 2007) served as United States Ambassador to four countries. Farland was born in

Clarksburg, West Virginia Clarksburg is a city in and the county seat of Harrison County, West Virginia, United States, in the north-central region of the state. The population of the city was 16,039 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Clarksburg micro ...

and raised in that city as well as in

Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania Punxsutawney (; Unami language, Lenape: ' ) is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough in southern Jefferson County, Pennsylvania. Punxsutawney is known globally for its annual Groundhog Day celebration held each February 2, during which thousands of ...

. He received his bachelor's degree and a law degree from

West Virginia University West Virginia University (WVU) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Morgantown, West Virginia. Its other campuses are those of the West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Beckley, Potomac State College ...

and did further studies at

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...

and

Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...

. Farland was a practicing lawyer for several years. During World War II Farland worked with the

FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and its principal Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement age ...

and then was in the Navy. After the war besides continuing his law activities Farland also served as president of coal companies. Farland became United States Ambassador to the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares wit ...

in 1957. He was then appointed Ambassador to Panama in 1960 serving in that post until 1963. In 1963 Farland returned to practicing law 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, ...

Farland later served as United States Ambassador to Pakistan from 1969 to 1972 and then as Ambassador to Iran from 1972 to 1973. During his term as ambassador to Pakistan, Farland arranged for

Henry Kissinger Henry Alfred Kissinger (; ; born Heinz Alfred Kissinger, May 27, 1923) is a German-born American politician, diplomat, and geopolitical consultant who served as United States Secretary of State and National Security Advisor under the presid ...

to visit China via Pakistan in 1971. Kissinger's clandestine meeting with

Zhou Enlai Zhou Enlai (; 5 March 1898 – 8 January 1976) was a Chinese statesman and military officer who served as the first Premier of the People's Republic of China, premier of the People's Republic of China from 1 October 1949 until his death on 8 J ...

paved the way for 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 ...

's own visit to China. Farland was then appointed Ambassador to New Zealand, but did not accept the position and returned to the practice of law. He retired to

Winchester, Virginia Winchester is the most north western independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is the county seat of Frederick County, although the two are separate jurisdictions. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Winchester wit ...

, where he died on January 28, 2007.

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Farland, Joseph S. 1914 births West Virginia University alumni Princeton University alumni Stanford University alumni Ambassadors of the United States to the Dominican Republic Ambassadors of the United States to Panama Ambassadors of the United States to Pakistan Ambassadors of the United States to Iran 2007 deaths Lawyers from Clarksburg, West Virginia People from Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania Lawyers from Washington, D.C. Federal Bureau of Investigation agents People of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century American diplomats