Max Kampelman (born Max Kampelmacher; November 7, 1920 – January 25, 2013) was an American diplomat.

Biography

Kampelman was born in New York, New York to Jewish Austrian immigrant parents on 7 November 1920. He grew up in the Bronx, New York, attending Jewish parochial schools and the Talmudical Academy High School.. He received his B.A. from New York University in 1940 and LL.B., also from New York University, in 1947, and an honorary LL.D. from

Bates College Bates College () is a private liberal arts college in Lewiston, Maine. Anchored by the Historic Quad, the campus of Bates totals with a small urban campus which includes 33 Victorian Houses as some of the dormitories. It maintains of nature p ...

in 1986. At the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public land-grant research university in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. ...

, he earned an M.A. in political science in 1946, an M.A. in public administration in 1947, and a Ph.D. in political science in 1952. His career started during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

as a conscientious objector. To fulfill his draft obligation, he volunteered for the

Minnesota Starvation Experiment The Minnesota Starvation Experiment, also known as the Minnesota Semi-Starvation Experiment, the Minnesota Starvation-Recovery Experiment and the Starvation Study, was a clinical study performed at the University of Minnesota between November 19, 1 ...

at the

undertaken by nutritionist

Ancel Keys Ancel Benjamin Keys (January 26, 1904 – November 20, 2004) was an American physiologist who studied the influence of diet on health. In particular, he hypothesized that replacing dietary saturated fat with polyunsaturated fat reduces card ...

. Upon completing the one-year experiment, he renounced pacifism and went on to become a lawyer, diplomat and educator. He served from 1949 to 1955 as Legislative Counsel to Minnesota Senator

Hubert H. Humphrey Hubert Horatio Humphrey Jr. (May 27, 1911 – January 13, 1978) was an American pharmacist and politician who served as the 38th vice president of the United States from 1965 to 1969. He twice served in the United States Senate, representing Mi ...

. Kampelman was chairman of the Washington public broadcasting radio and television stations from 1963 to 1970; and he hosted the

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

series ''

Washington Week ''Washington Week''—previously ''Washington Week in Review''—is an American public affairs television program, which has aired on PBS and its predecessor, National Educational Television, since 1967. Unlike other panel discussion shows whic ...

'' from 1969 to 1971. He served as Ambassador to the

Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe The Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) was a key element of the détente process during the Cold War. Although it did not have the force of a treaty, it recognized the boundaries of postwar Europe and established a mechanism f ...

from 1980 to 1983; Ambassador and Head of the United States Delegation to the Negotiations with the Soviet Union on Nuclear and Space Arms in

Geneva , neighboring_municipalities= Carouge, Chêne-Bougeries, Cologny, Lancy, Grand-Saconnex, Pregny-Chambésy, Vernier, Veyrier , website = https://www.geneve.ch/ Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevr ...

from 1985 to 1989; and as Counselor to the

United States Department of State 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 ...

from 1987 to 1989. He then rejoined the law firm of Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver, & Jacobson LLP, where he was of counsel. Kampelman was a member of the Board of Advisors for the think-tank

Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs The Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA), formerly named the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs, is a Washington, D.C.-based, non-profit and pro-Israeli lobby and think tank. It was founded in 1976 focusing on ...

(JINSA). From 1958 to 1985 he served on the board of trustees of the Institute for American Universities, a non-profit study abroad organization for U.S. undergraduates in Aix-en-Provence, France. He was vice chairman of the board of directors of the

United States Institute of Peace The United States Institute of Peace (USIP) is an American federal institution tasked with promoting conflict resolution and prevention worldwide. It provides research, analysis, and training to individuals in diplomacy, mediation, and other pea ...

from 1992 to 2001. At the time of his death, he was co-chair of the American Committee for Peace in Chechnya and a member of the Committee on the Present Danger, a policy institute that favors larger defense budgets and arms build-ups. In 1984, he received the Golden Plate Award of the

American Academy of Achievement The American Academy of Achievement, colloquially known as the Academy of Achievement, is a non-profit educational organization that recognizes some of the highest achieving individuals in diverse fields and gives them the opportunity to meet ...

presented by Awards Council member Ambasssador

Sol Linowitz Sol Myron Linowitz (December 7, 1913 – March 18, 2005) was an American diplomat, lawyer, and businessman. Early life Linowitz was born to a Jewish family in Trenton, New Jersey. He was a graduate of Trenton Central High School, Hamilton Colleg ...

. On January 18, 1989, President

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 ...

awarded Kampelman the Presidential Citizens Medal. On August 11, 1999, President Clinton awarded him the

Presidential Medal of Freedom The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest civilian award of the United States, along with the Congressional Gold Medal. It is an award bestowed by the president of the United States to recognize people who have made "an especially merit ...

. On May 22, 2008, at a ceremony held at the US State Department in Washington, D.C., Kampelman was presented by the

National Endowment for Democracy The National Endowment for Democracy (NED) is an organization in the United States that was founded in 1983 for promoting democracy in other countries by promoting political and economic institutions such as political groups, trade unions, ...

with its Democracy Service Medal in recognition of his lifetime achievement in advancing the principles of freedom, human rights, and democracy. In May and June 1990, Ambassador Kampelman returned to the negotiation table of the CSCE for the successful Copenhagen Declaration. He was personally commended by President George H. W. Bush for his delegation's "major role in that historic achievement". Kampelman served as a motivating force behind the op-ed "A World Free of Nuclear Weapons", published on January 4, 2007, in ''

The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...

'' by

George P. Shultz George Pratt Shultz (; December 13, 1920February 6, 2021) was an American economist, businessman, diplomat and statesman. He served in various positions under two different Republican presidents and is one of the only two persons to have held fou ...

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 ...

Sam Nunn Samuel Augustus Nunn Jr. (born September 8, 1938) is an American politician who served as a United States Senator from Georgia (1972–1997) as a member of the Democratic Party. After leaving Congress, Nunn co-founded the Nuclear Threat Initia ...

and

William Perry William Perry may refer to: Business * William Perry (Queensland businessman) (1835–1891), businessman and politician in Queensland, Australia * William H. Perry (businessman) (1832–1906), American businessman and entrepreneur Politics and ...

Legacy

Kampelman received thirteen honorary Doctorate degrees, as well as the

Knight Commander's Cross A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...

of the

Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (german: Verdienstorden der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, or , BVO) is the only federal decoration of Germany. It is awarded for special achievements in political, economic, cultural, intellect ...

. * ''The Communist Party vs. The C.I.O: A Study in Power Politics'' (Praeger, 1957) * Autobiography: ''Entering New Worlds: The Memoirs of a Private Man in Public Life'' (HarperCollins, 1991)

Citations

References

Legends in the Law: Max Kampelman

International Who's Who. accessed September 4, 2006.
A World Free of Nuclear Weapons.
''The Wall Street Journal''. accessed August 26, 2008.

Additional resources

* Th
Papers of Max M. Kampelman
are available for research use at th
Minnesota Historical Society

External links