President Bill Clinton President Ronald Reagan Preceded by Melvin F. Sembler Preceded by Herman W. Nickel | President George H.W. Bush Name Edward Perkins Preceded by Thomas R. Pickering Succeeded by Genta H. Holmes | |
 | ||
Role United States Ambassador to South Africa Education University of Southern California | ||
WW Pickering Program Interviews: Amb. Edward J. Perkins
Edward Joseph Perkins (born June 8, 1928) is a former American diplomat who served as U.S. Ambassador to Liberia, South Africa, and the United Nations. He was later the director of the United States State Department's Diplomatic Corps.
Contents
Life
Perkins was born in Sterlington in Ouachita Parish in north Louisiana, the son of Edward Joseph Perkins, Sr., and Tiny Estella Noble Holmes. He grew up in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and graduated in 1947 from Jefferson High School in Portland, Oregon. He earned his B.A. from the University of Maryland University College in 1967, and his M.A. and Doctor of Public Administration from the University of Southern California. He is an active member of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity and holds the highest honor the fraternity bestows on its members, the Laurel Wreath award.
Career
After serving in the U.S. Army and Marine Corps, including stints in Tokyo and South Korea, he held numerous positions in the Department of State and Foreign Service. He was appointed ambassador to Liberia in 1985, and in 1986 was appointed ambassador to South Africa, where he would serve until 1989. He returned home to serve in the State Department until 1992, when he was appointed ambassador to the United Nations and U.S. Representative to the U.N. Security Council. In 1993, he was appointed representative to the Commonwealth of Australia, where he served until 1996 before retiring at the rank of Career Minister in the United States Foreign Service.
He taught at the University of Oklahoma where he served as Senior Vice Provost Emeritus of International Programs at the International Program Center, and Professor Emeritus of the School of International and Area Studies. He is a member of the American Academy of Diplomacy.