Richard Salisbury Williamson (May 9, 1949 – December 8, 2013) was an American
lawyer,
diplomat and political advisor. He previously served as Special Envoy to
Sudan under
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 ...
. Williamson was a partner at
Winston & Strawn
Winston & Strawn LLP is an international law firm. Headquartered in Chicago, it has nearly 800 attorneys in ten offices in the United States and six offices in Europe and Asia. Founded in 1853, it is one of the largest and oldest law firms in Chic ...
and was also ''Thomas J. Sharkey Distinguished Visiting Scholar'' at
Seton Hall's Whitehead School of Diplomacy.
Early life
Williamson was born in Evanston, Illinois. He received an A.B., ''cum laude'', in 1971 from
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...
. He received a J.D. in 1974 from the
University of Virginia School of Law, where he was executive editor of the
Virginia Journal of International Law
The ''Virginia Journal of International Law'' is a law review that was established in 1960 at the University of Virginia School of Law. It is among the world's most influential international law journals. Pieces published in the ''Journal'' have b ...
.
Career
Williamson was a practicing partner in the law office of
Winston and Strawn. Earlier in the
George W. Bush Administration
George W. Bush's tenure as the 43rd president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 2001, and ended on January 20, 2009. Bush, a Republican from Texas, took office following a narrow victory over Democratic ...
, Williamson, who has broad foreign policy and negotiating experience, served as Ambassador to the United Nations for Special Political Affairs
and in 2004 as
.
Williamson played a role in the slow resolution of the conflict in the
Darfur region of Sudan.
Previously, he served in senior foreign policy positions under Presidents
Ronald Reagan and
George H. W. Bush, including as
at the
Department of State, and an
Assistant to the President for Intergovernmental Affairs in the White House. In 1992, he was nominated by the
Republican Party for
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and pow ...
, but
lost
Lost may refer to getting lost, or to:
Geography
*Lost, Aberdeenshire, a hamlet in Scotland
* Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, or LOST, a hiking and cycling trail in Florida, US
History
*Abbreviation of lost work, any work which is known to have bee ...
to Democrat
Carol Moseley-Braun
Carol Elizabeth Moseley Braun, also sometimes Moseley-Braun (born August 16, 1947), is a former U.S. Senator, an American diplomat, politician, and lawyer who represented Illinois in the United States Senate from 1993 to 1999. Prior to her Senate ...
, the first black woman to be elected to the U.S. Senate. In 1999, he was selected to serve as the Chairman of the
Illinois Republican Party
The Illinois Republican Party is the affiliate of the Republican Party in the U.S. state of Illinois founded in May 29, 1856. It is run by the Illinois Republican State Central Committee, which consists of 18 members, one representing each of ...
.
Williamson was active in a wide variety of civic organizations, serving on the board of directors of the
International Republican Institute
The International Republican Institute (IRI) is an American nonprofit organization. Most of its board is drawn from the Republican Party. It is committed to advancing freedom and democracy worldwide by helping political parties to become more iss ...
; the board of the Committee in Support of Russian Civil Society; a member of the advisory committee for the International Human Rights Center at
DePaul University
DePaul University is a private, Catholic research university in Chicago, Illinois. Founded by the Vincentians in 1898, the university takes its name from the 17th-century French priest Saint Vincent de Paul. In 1998, it became the largest Ca ...
, and a member of the
Council on Foreign Relations. Williamson also was the Roberta Buffett Visiting Professor of International Studies at
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world.
Charte ...
in Evanston, Illinois.
Williamson authored seven books and edited three. He wrote more than 175 articles in professional and popular periodicals.
Death
Williamson died of a cerebral hemorrhage at a Chicago hospital in 2013, aged 64.
References
External links
Williamson participated in panel discussion, ''Iran: The Next Military Frontier?''in 2007 at the
Pritzker Military Museum & Library
*
, -
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Williamson, Richard S.
1949 births
2013 deaths
Assistants to the President of the United States
DePaul University people
George W. Bush administration personnel
Illinois Republican Party chairs
Illinois Republicans
International Republican Institute
New Trier High School alumni
Northwestern University staff
Princeton University alumni
Reagan administration personnel
Representatives of the United States to the United Nations Human Rights Council
Representatives of the United States to the United Nations International Organizations in Vienna
Seton Hall University people
United States Assistant Secretaries of State
United States Special Envoys
University of Virginia School of Law alumni
Writers from Chicago
Writers from Virginia
People associated with Winston & Strawn