Charles Graves "Chase" Untermeyer (born March 7, 1946), is a former United States ambassador to Qatar. He was given a recess appointment by U.S. President
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...
and assumed the position on August 2, 2004. After three years, he was succeeded by Joseph LeBaron.
A native of
Long Branch,
New Jersey
New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...
, Untermeyer graduated in 1964 from Memorial High School in Houston, Texas and, later (1968), from
Harvard University
Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...
in Cambridge, Massachusetts. While at Harvard, he worked in the 1966 congressional campaign of future U.S. President
George Herbert Walker Bush
George Herbert Walker BushBefore the outcome of the 2000 United States presidential election, he was usually referred to simply as "George Bush" but became more commonly known as "George H. W. Bush", "Bush Senior," "Bush 41," and even "Bush th ...
of Houston.
He entered the
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...
after Harvard under the
Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps
The Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps (NROTC) program is a college-based, commissioned officer training program of the United States Navy and the United States Marine Corps.
Origins
A pilot Naval Reserve unit was established in September 1924 ...
program. He served during the
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
as an officer aboard the Pacific Fleet destroyer
USS Benner (DD-807) and as aide and flag lieutenant to the late Rear Admiral Draper L. Kauffman, Commander of U.S. Naval Forces in the Philippines.
Returning to Houston, Untermeyer was a reporter for the ''Houston Chronicle'' and executive assistant to the county judge of Harris County, Texas. In 1976, he was elected as a Republican to the Texas House of Representatives from Houston, serving until 1981, when he went to Washington.
There he served as executive assistant to then-Vice President George H.W. Bush, 1981-1983; Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Installations and Facilities, 1983-1984; Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Manpower and Reserve Affairs, 1984-1988; assistant to the President and Director of the Office of Presidential Personnel, 1989-1991; and Director of the
Voice of America
Voice of America (VOA or VoA) is an international broadcasting network funded by the federal government of the United States that by law has editorial independence from the government. It is the largest and oldest of the American internation ...
, 1991-1993.
Returning once more to Houston, Untermeyer was Director of Public Affairs for
Compaq
Compaq Computer Corporation was an American information technology, information technology company founded in 1982 that developed, sold, and supported computers and related products and services. Compaq produced some of the first IBM PC compati ...
from 1993 to 2002, and Vice President for Government Affairs and professor of public policy at the
University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth Houston) is a public academic health science center in Houston, Texas, United States. It was created in 1972 by The University of Texas System Board of Regents. It is located ...
from 2002 to 2004.
His part-time public positions include: member and chairman of the United States Naval Academy Board of Visitors, 1993-1996; member of the Houston Port Commission, 1995-1998; member of the board of directors of National Public Radio (NPR), 1996-1998; member of the Texas State Board of Education, 1999-2003, serving as chairman from 1999-2001; member of the board of the Conservation Trust of Puerto Rico (Fideicomiso de Conservación de Puerto Rico), 2002-2004; member of the Defense Health Board, 2008-2009; founding board member of the Episcopal Health Foundation, 2013-2016; and founding chairman of the Qatar-America Institute, 2017-2019. He is currently a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and chairman of the board of Humanities Texas, the state humanities council.
He married the former Diana Cumming Kendrick of Sheridan, Wyoming, in 1990. They have a daughter, Ellyson Chase Untermeyer (born in 1993).
Works
* ''When Things Went Right: The Dawn of the Reagan-Bush Administration''; Chase Untermeyer;
Texas A&M University Press
Texas A&M University Press (also known informally as TAMU Press) is a scholarly publishing house associated with Texas A&M University. It was founded in 1974 and is located in College Station, Texas, in the United States.
Overview
The Texas A&M ...
(August 8, 2013);
* ''How Important People Act: Behaving Yourself in Public''; Chase Untermeyer; Bright Sky Press (February 1, 2015);
* ''Inside Reagan's Navy: The Pentagon Journals''; Chase Untermeyer; Texas A&M University Press (April 7, 2015);
* ''Zenith: In the White House with George H. W. Bush''; Chase Untermeyer; Texas A&M University Press (August 24, 2016);
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Untermeyer, Chase
1946 births
21st-century American diplomats
Ambassadors of the United States to Qatar
Harvard University alumni
Living people
Military personnel from Houston
Military personnel from Monmouth County, New Jersey
People from Long Branch, New Jersey
Republican Party members of the Texas House of Representatives
United States Assistant Secretaries of the Navy
United States Navy officers
United States Navy personnel of the Vietnam War
University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston faculty
Voice of America people
20th-century members of the Texas Legislature