Tom Gallagher (September 11, 1940 – July 8, 2018) was an American diplomat. In 1976, he became the first officer of the

United States Foreign Service The United States Foreign Service is the primary personnel system used by the diplomatic service of the United States federal government, under the aegis of the United States Department of State. It consists of over 13,000 professionals carryi ...

to come out as gay.

Early life and education

Gallagher was born on September 11, 1940, in Manhattan, New York City. His father was a chauffeur and his mother, an Irish-born maid. He grew up in the servant's quarters of a home in

Deal, New Jersey Deal is a borough in Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, settled by Europeans in the mid-1660s and named after an English carpenter from Deal, Kent. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 900, an increas ...

and attended

Red Bank Catholic High School Red Bank Catholic High School is a four-year private coeducational Roman Catholic Church, Roman Catholic secondary education in the United States, high school, located in Red Bank, New Jersey, Red Bank in Monmouth County, New Jersey, Monmouth Co ...

."Pride Network honors six New Jersey leaders this Saturday in Asbury Park"
Pride Network, November 3, 2016. Accessed July 26, 2018. "Tom Gallagher grew up in the servant's quarters in Deal where he and his family worked for the family that founded MGM and Random House. He graduated from Holy Spirit grammar school here in Asbury Park and Red Bank Catholic High School." Gallagher graduated from

Monmouth University Monmouth University is a private university in West Long Branch, New Jersey. Founded in 1933 as Monmouth Junior College, it became Monmouth College in 1956 and Monmouth University in 1995 after receiving its charter. There are about 4,400 full- ...

, where he earned a bachelor's degree in Political Science in 1962. He later earned a master's degree from the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in C ...

Career

Gallagher served in the

United States Peace Corps The Peace Corps is an independent agency and program of the United States government that trains and deploys volunteers to provide international development assistance. It was established in March 1961 by an executive order of President John F. ...

Addis Ababa Addis Ababa (; am, አዲስ አበባ, , new flower ; also known as , lit. "natural spring" in Oromo), is the capital and largest city of Ethiopia. It is also served as major administrative center of the Oromia Region. In the 2007 census, t ...

, Ethiopia from 1962 to 1965. Gallagher became a

officer in 1965. He served in Saudi Arabia and Nigeria, until he was appointed as consul general in

Guayaquil , motto = Por Guayaquil Independiente en, For Independent Guayaquil , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Ecuador#South America , pushpin_re ...

, Ecuador. He returned to the United States, where he served in California and Washington, D.C. Gallagher quit the Foreign Service after he came out as gay in 1976. He was the first Foreign Service officer to come out as gay, and he would have been unable to obtain a

security clearance A security clearance is a status granted to individuals allowing them access to classified information (state or organizational secrets) or to restricted areas, after completion of a thorough background check. The term "security clearance" is ...

. Instead, he returned to civilian life and worked as a social worker for HIV/AIDS patients in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

from the late 1970s to the mid-1990s. Gallagher served in the Foreign Service again from 1994 to 2005. He was stationed in Eritrea, Sudan and Europe. At a 2012 event for the

Gays and Lesbians in Foreign Affairs Agencies GLIFAA (Gays and Lesbians in Foreign Affairs Agencies) is the officially recognized organization representing lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender etc. (LGBT+) personnel and their families in the United States Department of State, U.S. Agency ...

, then-Secretary of State

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...

honored his legacy as the first openly gay Foreign Service officer.

Personal life

Gallagher was married twice. He first married Carolyn Worrell in 1966, and they divorced in 1972. In 2017, he married Amin Dulkumoni, a

Goldman Sachs Goldman Sachs () is an American multinational investment bank and financial services company. Founded in 1869, Goldman Sachs is headquartered at 200 West Street in Lower Manhattan, with regional headquarters in London, Warsaw, Bangalore, H ...

employee. A resident of

Tinton Falls Tinton Falls is a Borough (New Jersey), borough in Monmouth County, New Jersey, Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 17,892,Wall Township, New Jersey Wall Township is a township in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. It is located in the New York Metropolitan Area and is a bedroom community of New York. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township's population was 26,164, refle ...

References

1940 births 2018 deaths American people of Irish descent People from Manhattan People from Deal, New Jersey People from Tinton Falls, New Jersey Red Bank Catholic High School alumni Monmouth University alumni University of Southern California alumni United States Foreign Service personnel 20th-century American diplomats Gay diplomats {{US-diplomat-stub