Walter North is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

diplomat. He served as the United States Ambassador to Papua New Guinea,

Solomon Islands Solomon Islands is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 900 smaller islands in Oceania, to the east of Papua New Guinea and north-west of Vanuatu. It has a land area of , and a population of approx. 700,000. Its capita ...

and

Vanuatu Vanuatu ( or ; ), officially the Republic of Vanuatu (french: link=no, République de Vanuatu; bi, Ripablik blong Vanuatu), is an island country located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is east of no ...

between 2012 and 2016. He began his service as ambassador on December 4, 2012.

Early life and education

North grew up in Mount Hermon,

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

. In 1972 he received a BA in Theatre-Drama at

Lawrence University Lawrence University is a private liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Appleton, Wisconsin. Founded in 1847, its first classes were held on November 12, 1849. Lawrence was the second college in the U.S. to be founded as a coeducation ...

in Appleton,

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

. He graduated from the

George Washington University Law School The George Washington University Law School (GW Law) is the law school of George Washington University, in Washington, D.C. Established in 1865, GW Law is the oldest top law school in the national capital. GW Law offers the largest range of cou ...

with a J.D. In 1990 he earned an MPA at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government.Ambassador to Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu: Who Is Walter North?
AllGov, September 15, 2012

Career

North joined the

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. ...

after college graduation and served as a volunteer in Ethiopia for two years. He worked in Bonga and Addis Ababa. He also served as a project manager in India and Bangladesh for CARE International, a humanitarian non-profit. North joined USAID in 1980 and held a variety of roles in that organization before becoming confirmed as a U.S. ambassador. Between 1992 and 2004, he held several assignments outside the U.S., including ones in

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 Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...

Lusaka Lusaka (; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Zambia. It is one of the fastest-developing cities in southern Africa. Lusaka is in the southern part of the central plateau at an elevation of about . , the city's population was ab ...

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

and in New Delhi, India.

Personal

North is married to Dr. Judy Ryon, and they have two children.

References

External links

* , - , - 1950 births Ambassadors of the United States to Papua New Guinea Ambassadors of the United States to the Solomon Islands Ambassadors of the United States to Vanuatu Harvard Kennedy School alumni Living people United States Department of State officials George Washington University Law School alumni Lawrence University alumni 21st-century American diplomats {{US-diplomat-stub