Stephen Low (December 2, 1927, Cincinnati – November 15, 2010) was an American diplomat. He was a graduate of

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...

and

Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy is the graduate school of international affairs of Tufts University, in Medford, Massachusetts. The School is one of America's oldest graduate schools of international relations and is well-ranked in it ...

Tufts University Tufts University is a private research university on the border of Medford and Somerville, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1852 as Tufts College by Christian universalists who sought to provide a nonsectarian institution of higher learning. ...

. He was a

United States Ambassador 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 ...

Zambia Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as being in Southern Africa at its most central point. Its neighbours are t ...

(1976–1979) and

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 ...

(1979–1981) as well as Director of the Foreign Service Institute.United States. U.S. Department of State. Bureau of Public Affairs, Office of the Historian. Stephen Low. Department History. Web. 7 Nov. 2010. .

Diplomatic career

Stephen Low was a Foreign Service officer. He was a senior member of the National Security Council Staff from 1974 to 1976. He was appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Zambia on August 5, 1976. He presented his credentials on August 31, 1976, and left the post on July 5, 1979. While serving in Lusaka he played a key role in the negotiations seeking a solution to the conflict in Rhodesia (now

Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and ...

), working along with British diplomat Johnny Graham as the U.S. member of the Anglo-American Consultative Team for Rhodesia. Low's solid work in Zambia was an important component of the U.S. contribution to the international efforts to facilitate a settlement for Rhodesia, helping to bring about the

Lancaster House Agreement The Lancaster House Agreement, signed on 21 December 1979, declared a ceasefire, ending the Rhodesian Bush War; and directly led to Rhodesia achieving internationally recognised independence as Zimbabwe. It required the full resumption of di ...

in December 1979 which led to the formation of independent Zimbabwe.Andy DeRoche, ''Kenneth Kaunda, the United States and Southern Africa'' (London: Bloomsbury, 2016), pp. 120-121 and 143-144. He was appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Nigeria on September 20, 1979. He presented his credentials on November 29, 1979, and left the post on July 4, 1981. He was appointed Director of the Foreign Service Institute on May 4, 1982. His appointment was terminated on April 3, 1987.

References

1927 births Ambassadors of the United States to Nigeria Ambassadors of the United States to Zambia People from Cincinnati 2010 deaths United States National Security Council staffers United States Foreign Service personnel {{US-diplomat-stub