Morton Isaac Abramowitz (born January 20, 1933) is an American

diplomat A diplomat (from grc, δίπλωμα; romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state or an intergovernmental institution such as the United Nations or the European Union to conduct diplomacy with one or more other states or interna ...

and former U.S.

State Department The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other na ...

official. Starting his overseas career in

Taipei Taipei (), officially Taipei City, is the capital and a special municipality of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Located in Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City that sits about southwest of the ...

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 no ...

after joining the foreign service, he served as U.S. Ambassador to Thailand and Turkey and as the

Assistant Secretary of State for Intelligence and Research The Assistant Secretary of State for Intelligence and Research is the head of the Bureau of Intelligence and Research (INR) within the United States Department of State. Before 1986, the head of INR was the Director of the Bureau of Intelligenc ...

. He retired from the State Department with the rank of Career Ambassador. He then became president of the

Carnegie Endowment for International Peace The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (CEIP) is a nonpartisan international affairs think tank headquartered in Washington D.C. with operations in Europe, South and East Asia, and the Middle East as well as the United States. Founded i ...

and founded the

International Crisis Group The International Crisis Group (ICG; also known as the Crisis Group) is a transnational non-profit, non-governmental organisation founded in 1995. It is a think tank, used by policymakers and academics, performing research and analysis on global ...

. Abramowitz currently serves as co-chair for the

Bipartisan Policy Center The Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) is a Washington, D.C.–based think tank that promotes bipartisanship. The organization aims to combine ideas from both the Republican and Democratic parties to address challenges in the U.S. BPC focuses on is ...

's Turkey Initiative.

Early life

Morton Abramowitz was born in

Lakewood Township, New Jersey Lakewood Township is the most populous township in Ocean County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. A rapidly growing community as of the 2020 U.S. census, the township had a total population of 135,158 representing an increase of 41,415 (+45.5 ...

, on January 20, 1933, the son of Mendel and Dora (Smith) Abramowitz. He received his B.A. from

Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is conside ...

(in history and economics) in 1953. He then attended

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of highe ...

, earning an

M.A. 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. Tho ...

in 1955. He also served in the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...

and U.S. Army Reserves from 1958 to 1961. In 1956, Abramowitz joined the

United States Department of Labor The United States Department of Labor (DOL) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government. It is responsible for the administration of federal laws governing occupational safety and health, wage and hour standards, unemploy ...

as a management intern and, then, as a labor economist from 1957–58, while waiting for an appointment at the Department of State.

Career in the Foreign Service

In 1959, he joined the

United States Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other na ...

. His first two assignments were as a consular-economic officer in

(1960-1962) and an economic officer in

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 List of cities in China, city and Special administrative regions of China, special ...

(1963-1966). He was known as ''Ai Mo-huei'' (), his Mandarin name during his tour in

. He returned to Washington in 1966, spending the next seven years there in various capacities, including serving as special assistant to Under Secretary Elliot Richardson. From 1973 to 1978, he was political adviser to the Commander-in-Chief of the Pacific Command (1973-1974) and then deputy assistant secretary of Defense for international affairs (1974-1978). In 1978,

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal gove ...

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he previously served as th ...

named Abramowitz United States Ambassador to Thailand, and he held this post from August 9, 1978 until July 31, 1981. In 1983, President

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...

named Abramowitz as the U.S. representative to the Mutual and Balanced Force Reduction Negotiations in Vienna, with ambassadorial rank. In 1985, President Reagan nominated Abramowitz as Director of the Bureau of Intelligence and Research, and Abramowitz held this office from February 1, 1985 through May 19, 1989 (with the name of the office changing to

in 1986). In 1989, President George H. W. Bush named Abramowitz

United States Ambassador to Turkey The United States has maintained many high level contacts with Turkey since the 19th century. Ottoman Empire Chargé d'Affaires * George W. Erving (before 1831) * David Porter (September 13, 1831 – May 23, 1840) Minister Resident * David Por ...

, a post he held until 1991. In 1990, he was awarded the rank of

Career Ambassador Career ambassador is a personal rank of Foreign Service Officers within the United States Department of State Senior Foreign Service. The rank of career ambassador is awarded by nomination of the President and confirmation by the United States Sen ...

Post Government career

Abramowitz retired from government service in 1991 and took over as president of the

. He was elected a Fellow of the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, a ...

in 1995. He retired from that position in 1997. Since then, he has been a Senior Fellow of

The Century Foundation The Century Foundation (established first as The Cooperative League and then the Twentieth Century Fund) is a progressive think tank headquartered in New York City with an office in Washington, D.C. It was founded as a nonprofit public polic ...

and a director of the

National Endowment for Democracy The National Endowment for Democracy (NED) is an organization in the United States that was founded in 1983 for promoting democracy in other countries by promoting political and economic institutions such as political groups, trade unions, ...

. He is a long-time board member of the

International Rescue Committee The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is a global humanitarian aid, relief, and development nongovernmental organization. Founded in 1933 as the International Relief Association, at the request of Albert Einstein, and changing its name in ...

. Abramowitz played a leading role in the foundation of the

, and has been a board member since its inception in 1995. Abramowitz served for nine years on the board of the

, and on retirement in 2007 was awarded its Democracy Service Medal.

, June 18, 2007
2007 Democracy Service Medal
/ref>

Family

Abramowitz is married to Sheppie Glass Abramowitz, the sister of composer

Philip Glass Philip Glass (born January 31, 1937) is an American composer and pianist. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential composers of the late 20th century. Glass's work has been associated with minimalism, being built up from repetitive ...

. Sheppie Abramowitz spent her career advocating on behalf of refugees and asylum seekers for the International Rescue Committee and KIND (Kids in Need of Defense). The couple have two adult children. Michael Abramowitz, the president of

Freedom House Freedom House is a non-profit, majority U.S. government funded organization in Washington, D.C., that conducts research and advocacy on democracy, political freedom, and human rights. Freedom House was founded in October 1941, and Wendell Wi ...

, is a former reporter and editor at the

Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large na ...

and headed the Committee on Conscience of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. He is married to Susan Baer, a former reporter at the

Baltimore Sun ''The Baltimore Sun'' is the largest general-circulation daily newspaper based in the U.S. state of Maryland and provides coverage of local and regional news, events, issues, people, and industries. Founded in 1837, it is currently owned by Tr ...

. Daughter Rachel Abramowitz had a successful career as an entertainment reporter for the

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the ...

before embarking on a second career writing scripts for cable television pilots with her husband, screenwriter ( Wonderful World) and director Joshua Goldin.

Awards

* Lifetime Contributions to American Diplomacy (2006), awarded by the

American Foreign Service Association American Foreign Service Association (AFSA), established in 1924, is the professional association of the United States Foreign Service. With over 15,000 dues-paying members, American Foreign Service Association represents 28,000 active and ret ...

* Democracy Service Medal (2007), awarded by the

* Joseph C. Wilson Award for International Service from the University of Rochester *

(1990) * National Intelligence Medal (1989) * President's Award for Distinguished Federal Civilian Service (1981, 1985, 1988) in 1980, and the President’s Award for Distinguished Federal Service in 1981, 1985, and 1988. He also was awarded the National Intelligence Medal in 1989, the Director General’s Cup of the Foreign Service in 1995, and the Award for Lifetime Contributions to American Diplomacy of the American Foreign Service Association.

Writing

Americans Are Ignoring Syria's Humanitarian Crisis, Washington Post, December 5, 2013
* With Richard Harris Moorsteen, * ''Moving the Glacier: The Two Koreas and the Powers'' International Institute for Strategic Studies, 1971 * ''East Asian Actors and Issues'' (1991) * ''China: Can We Have A Policy?'' Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 1997, * ed. ''Turkey's Transformation and American Policy'', Century Foundation Press, 2000, * with James T. Laney, * ed. ''The United States and Turkey: allies in need'', Century Foundation Press, 2003, * with Stephen W. Bosworth, ''Chasing the Sun: Rethinking East Asian Policy Since 1992'' Century Foundation, 2006,

References

External links

*
Foreign Service Journal article on his Lifetime Contributions to American Diplomacy Award.
*
from History Commons

Profile from the Century Foundation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Abramowitz, Morton I. 1933 births United States Assistant Secretaries of State Living people Stanford University School of Humanities and Sciences alumni Harvard University alumni 20th-century American Jews United States Department of Labor officials Ambassadors of the United States to Thailand Ambassadors of the United States to Turkey United States Career Ambassadors People from Lakewood Township, New Jersey Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Assistant Secretaries of State for Intelligence and Research Carnegie Endowment for International Peace Recipients of the President's Award for Distinguished Federal Civilian Service 21st-century American Jews 20th-century American diplomats