American diplomat (1899-1990)
Clifton Reginald Wharton Sr. (May 11, 1899 – April 25, 1990) was an American diplomat , and the first African American diplomat to become an ambassador by rising through the ranks of the Foreign Service rather than by political appointment such as Frederick Douglass .[1] He also became the first black Foreign Service Officer to become chief of a diplomatic mission.[2]
Life
Clifton R. Wharton Sr. being sworn in as Ambassador to Romania, February 1958
Born in Baltimore , Wharton received his law degree in 1920 and an advanced law degree in 1923 from Boston University School of Law . He practiced in Boston before joining the United States State Department as a law clerk in the Career United States Foreign Service . Wharton went on to be Vice Consul in Monrovia (1927–1929), Consul in Las Palmas (1932–1938), Minister to Romania (1958–1961) and Ambassador to Norway (1961–1964).[3] [4]
Wharton died in Phoenix, Arizona .
Wharton was a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity.
In 1978, the State Department had a day honoring him and diplomat Lucile Atcherson Curtis , who was the first woman in what became the U.S. Foreign Service .[5] [6]
On May 30, 2006, the United States Postal Service issued a stamp depicting Wharton in its Distinguished American Diplomats commemorative series.[7]
Family
He married Harriet Banks; they had three children.[8]
His son Clifton Reginald Wharton Jr. is a noted economist and executive who also served in the State Department as Deputy Secretary of State during the Clinton administration , and before that as president of Michigan State University .
See also
References
^ U.S. Department of State: "Clifton R. Wharton: U.S. Postage Stamps Commemorate Distinguished American Diplomats"
^ "Office of the Historian" . Retrieved 26 December 2015 .
^ Navraez, Alfonso A. (April 25, 1990). Clifton R. Wharton, 90, Is Dead; Pioneering Black U.S. Diplomat. The New York Times
^ "Clifton Reginald Wharton – People – Department History – Office of the Historian" . Retrieved 26 December 2015 .
^ "Curtis, Lucile Atcherson, 1894–1986. Papers of Lucile Atcherson Curtis, 1863–1986 (inclusive), 1917–1927 (bulk): A Finding Aid" . harvard.edu . Archived from the original on 3 April 2015. Retrieved 19 March 2015 .
^ Special to The New York Times (1986-05-09). "Lucile A. Curtis Dead – Foreign Service Pioneer" . The New York Times . Retrieved 2015-03-19 .
^ Stump, Brice (5 July 2006). "Wharton family is honored by stamp issuance" . DelmarvaNow. Archived from the original on 5 July 2006. Retrieved 3 March 2014 .
^ "Wharton Sr., Clifton Reginald (1899–1990) – The Black Past: Remembered and Reclaimed" . 12 March 2012. Retrieved 26 December 2015 .
External links
Diplomatic Agent (1880–81) Chargé d'Affaires (1881–1882) Minister Resident (1882–1892) Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary (1892–1965) Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary (1965–present)
International National Other