- Wilhelm Wachtmeister
Count Wilhelm Wachtmeister is a Swedish careerdiplomat who served as the SwedishAmbassador to theUnited States for 15 years from1974 to1989 , eventually becoming theDean of the Diplomatic Corps in 1986, as the longest-serving ambassador in the U.S.diplomatic corps . Wachtmeister is married to Ulla Wachtmeister and has one son and two daughters.Swedish Ambassador to the U.S.
Wachtmeister's predecessor as Dean of the Diplomatic Corps was the
Soviet Union 's ambassador, which led Wachtmeister to famously quip that this was the first time that a Count had succeeded acommunist . Despite being the Swedish Ambassador during a period of turbulent U.S.-Swedish relations engendered by Swedish opposition to theVietnam War and soon-to-bePrime Minister Olof Palme 's declaration that PresidentRichard Nixon was a war criminal for his decision to bombCambodia , Wachtmeister managed to forge good relations with successive U.S. Presidential administrations, and even became the first President Bush's favorite tennis partner. [Elain Sciolino and Linda Greenhouse, Washington Talk, New York Times, November 4, 1988 (http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=940DE1D91E30F937A25752C1A96E948260)]Diplomatic Life
Wachtmeister's first prominent role within the diplomatic community was as
U.N. General Secretary Dag Hammarskjöld 's personal assistant from 1958 to 1961. Wachtmeister continued to serve in both the U.N. and elsewhere as part of the Swedish diplomatic corps.References
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