Edward J. Perkins
Army and Marine Corps veteran who served as ambassador to South Africa during apartheid, became the first African American Director General of the Foreign Service, and helped bring about the Pickering Fellowship.
Service Record
| Born | June 8, 1928, Sterlington, Louisiana |
|---|---|
| Education | Jefferson High School, Portland, Oregon, 1947; B.A., University of Maryland, 1967; M.P.A., University of Southern California, 1972; Doctor of Public Administration, USC, 1978 |
| Military | U.S. Army, three years; U.S. Marine Corps, four years (Japan, Hawaii, South Korea) |
| Passed Foreign Service exam | 1971 |
| Ambassador to Liberia | 1985 – 1986 |
| Ambassador to South Africa | 1986 – 1989 |
| Director General of the Foreign Service | 1989 – 1992 |
| Ambassador to the United Nations | 1992 – 1993 |
| Ambassador to Australia | 1993 – 1996 |
| Memoir | Mr. Ambassador: Warrior for Peace (2006) |
| Died | November 7, 2020, Washington, D.C. |
| Interment | Arlington National Cemetery |
Overview
Edward Perkins served seven years in uniform, came to diplomacy in mid-career, and rose to the top of the Foreign Service. He spent much of his career opening the Service to those who came after him.
Early Life and Education
He was born in Sterlington, Louisiana, and raised largely on his grandparents' farm in Haynesville, where his grandmother pressed him toward education. He later lived in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and Portland, Oregon, graduating from Jefferson High School in 1947. He completed his bachelor's degree in 1967 and later earned a master's and a doctorate in public administration from the University of Southern California.
Military Service
He served three years in the United States Army and four in the Marine Corps, with service in Japan, Hawaii, and South Korea.
Career
He passed the Foreign Service examination in 1971. Within the Department he co-founded the Thursday Luncheon Group, a support and advocacy group for Black officers, and organized visits to the Congressional Black Caucus that helped lead to the creation of the Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship. He became ambassador to Liberia in 1985. In 1986 President Reagan sent him to South Africa, where he attended the Delmas Treason Trial to show solidarity with the victims of apartheid.
Director General and Beyond
In 1989 he became the first African American Director General of the Foreign Service, instituting recruitment policies to diversify its ranks. He then served as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and to Australia, retiring in 1996. He later taught at the University of Oklahoma and published his memoir, Mr. Ambassador: Warrior for Peace, in 2006.
Legacy
He died in 2020 and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery. Generations of Pickering and Rangel fellows owe their path into the Service in part to the doors he pushed open.
Recognition
Envoys of Record recognizes Edward J. Perkins as a Pioneer of the Foreign Service, whose career opened doors for every officer who followed.