William B. Edmondson

William B. Edmondson (b. February 6 1927) is a retired career officer in the United States Foreign Service, who served as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States to the Republic of South Africa from 1978-1981.

Biograpy

Edmondson was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, and lived in Peru, Nebraska through his high school years. He served in the U.S. Army from 1944 to 1948. He received an A.B. from the University of Nebraska in 1950 and an M.A. from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University in 1951.

Edmondson joined the United States Department of State as an intern in 1951. From 1952 to 1955, he was Consul and deputy principal officer in Dar es Salaam, Tanganyika. From 1955 to 1957, he was economic officer in Bern, Switzerland. In 1957-58, he pursued African area studies at Northwestern University.

From 1958 to 1960 Edmondson was an intelligence research specialist at the State Department. In 1960 and 1961 he was acting chief of the West Africa Division of the Bureau of Intelligence and Research. He was political officer in Accra, Ghana from 1961 to 1964, and officer in charge of Ghana affairs at the State Department from 1964 to 1965.

Edmondson was deputy chief of mission in Lusaka, Zambia, from 1965 to 1969. He attended the National War College in 1969-70 and served as educational and cultural affairs officer at the State Department in 1970 and 1971. From 1971 to 1974, he was Director of the Office of African Programs in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. From 1974 to 1976, Edmondson was Deputy Chief of Mission in South Africa.

Following the completion of his service as the American Ambassador to South Africa in 1981, he served in the Inspector General’s Office at the U.S. Department of State until his retirement in 1986.

Throughout his career, Edmondson served with the able support of his wife, Donna Kiechel Edmondson, also originally from Nebraska. Their two children are Paul William Edmondson of Washington, D.C., and Barbara Edmondson Schneider of Prescott, Arizona (both born in Dar es Salaam, now Tanzania). Their grandchildren are Aaron and Katy Schneider, and Michael and Masha Edmondson. [ [http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=30662 Jimmy Carter: United States Ambassador to South Africa Nomination of William B. Edmondson ] ] [ [http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/mfdip:@field(DOCID+mfdip2004edm02) Library of Congress Foreign Affairs Oral History Collection] ] [ [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herman_W._Nickel Ambassador Herman W. Nickel] ]

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