Nancy Bernkopf Tucker (July 12, 1948 – December 1, 2012) was an American diplomat, writer and diplomatic historian of the

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...

, specializing in American-East Asian relations, particularly United States relations with China,

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

and

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...

. She had distinguished meritorious service as the first Assistant Deputy Director of National Intelligence for Analytic Integrity and Standards and Analytic Ombudsman in the

Office of the Director of National Intelligence The director of national intelligence (DNI) is a senior, cabinet-level United States government official, required by the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 to serve as executive head of the United States Intelligence Comm ...

, for which she was awarded the

National Intelligence Medal of Achievement The National Intelligence Medal of Achievement is an award that was presented to members of the United States Intelligence Community, both civilian and military, to recognize significant acts of service to the community as a whole. The National Int ...

in 2007. She also served in the Department of State for several assignments including those in the Office of Chinese Affairs,

Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs In the United States Government, the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs (EAP, originally the Office of Chinese Affairs) is part of the United States Department of State and is charged with advising the Secretary of State and Under Secre ...

and the U.S. Embassy Beijing.

Early life and education

Born in New York City, Tucker earned a

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 year ...

at Hobart and William Smith Colleges in 1970, Certificate of the East Asian Institute 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. Th ...

in Chinese history at

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

in 1973, a

Master of Philosophy The Master of Philosophy (MPhil; Latin ' or ') is a postgraduate degree. In the United States, an MPhil typically includes a taught portion and a significant research portion, during which a thesis project is conducted under supervision. An MPhil ...

in American East Asian relations at Columbia University in 1976, and a

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 ...

in American East Asian relations at Columbia in 1980.

Career

After earning her doctorate, Tucker was on Colgate University's faculty for seven years before she went to Georgetown University. She wrote several books, the first of which changed historians' views of how the Cold War originated in Asia. Additionally, she edited and contributed to other books and wrote articles and essays that appeared in academic journals.

Personal life

Tucker was married to Warren Cohen, a historian. She died of cancer on December 1, 2012, aged 64, at her residence in

Potomac, Maryland Potomac () is a census-designated place (CDP) in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, named after the nearby Potomac River. Potomac is the seventh most educated small town in America, based on percentage of residents with postsecondary deg ...

Legacy

In February 2016,

Columbia University Press Columbia University Press is a university press based in New York City, and affiliated with Columbia University. It is currently directed by Jennifer Crewe (2014–present) and publishes titles in the humanities and sciences, including the fiel ...

announced creation of the Nancy Bernkopf Tucker and Warren I. Cohen Books on American East Asian Relations series in honor of Tucker and her husband. The series is designed "to publish high-quality, rigorously researched works in the academic fields in which Tucker was involved." Tucker donated money toward that goal before her death, and Cohen subsequently completed the plans.

Published works

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tucker, Nancy Bernkopf 1948 births 2012 deaths American women historians People of the United States intelligence agencies 20th-century American women writers 21st-century American women writers American women diplomats American diplomats Columbia Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni Hobart and William Smith Colleges alumni Colgate University faculty Walsh School of Foreign Service faculty Historians from New York (state) Writers from New York City International relations historians