James Bishop
Bishop (right) with Ronald Reagan, 1987
Born (1938-07-21) July 21, 1938
New Rochelle, New York, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
EducationCollege of the Holy Cross (BS)
Johns Hopkins University (MIIP)
OccupationDiplomat
Years active1960-1993[1]: 4, 117 
Known forU.S. Ambassador to Niger (1979-81), Liberia (1987-90), and Somalia (1990-91)

James Keough Bishop Jr. (born July 21, 1938) is an American Foreign Service Officer, who served as U.S. Ambassador to Niger (1979–81), Liberia (1987-90), and Somalia (1990–91).

Bishop's last ambassadorial posting to Somalia ended in a rescue by the U.S. military in Operation Eastern Exit, when the embassy came under threat as a result of military action in the Somali Civil War.

Biography

Early life and education

Bishop was born July 21, 1938, in New Rochelle, New York[2] to James Keough Bishop Sr. and Dorothy (née O'Keefe).[3] He graduated from the College of the Holy Cross (B.S., 1960) and Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies (M.I.I.P., 1981).[2][4]

Diplomatic career

After graduating from college in 1960, Bishop entered the Foreign Service in 1960, where he held the following diplomatic positions:

  • press officer at the Department of State, 1961–63
  • vice consul in Auckland, New Zealand, 1963–66
  • consul in Beirut, Lebanon, 1966
  • economic officer in Beirut, Lebanon, 1966–68
  • economic officer in Yaoundé, Cameroon, 1968–70
  • desk officer for Chad, Gabon, Mauritius and Madagascar, 1970–72
  • desk officer for Ghana and Togo, 1972–74
  • Deputy Director for West Africa at the Department of State, 1974–76
  • Director of North African Affairs at the Bureau of Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs at the Department of State, 1977–79
  • Ambassador to the Republic of Niger, 1979–81
  • Deputy Assistant Secretary for African Affairs at the Department of State, 1981–87
  • Ambassador to the Republic of Liberia, 1987-90[4]
  • Ambassador to the Somali Democratic Republic, 1990-91[5]
  • Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs, 1991-93[1][6]

Bishop retired from the Foreign Service in 1993.[1]

Personal life

Bishop and his wife mechanical engineer Kathleen Marie Kirby (February 14, 1947 – September 29, 2011)[7] have six children and were married from 1977 until Kathleen death.[3][4] Bishop and his first wife, attorney Ann Bishop Richardson(December 15, 1940 – April 17, 2012), were married from 1970 to 1976 and have three children and two grandchildren.[8] He is Roman Catholic.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Kennedy, Charles (1998). "Ambassador James K. Bishop, Jr" (PDF). The Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training. Retrieved 5 January 2016.
  2. 1 2 Reagan, Ronald. "Nomination of James Keough Bishop To Be United States Ambassador to Liberia". Ronald Reagan Presidential Museum & Library. Archived from the original on 2015-09-10. Retrieved 2016-01-05.
  3. 1 2 James Keough Bishop, Obituary, New York Times, April 9, 2006
  4. 1 2 3 Nomination of James Keough Bishop To Be United States Ambassador to Somalia, April 19, 1990, White House press release
  5. ↑ James Keough Bishop (1938–), U.S. Dept. of State
  6. ↑ U.S. MEMO REVEALS DISPUTE ON BOSNIA, New York Times, June 25, 1993
  7. ↑ "Kathleen K. Bishop". Washington Post. October 14, 2011. Retrieved 5 January 2016.
  8. ↑ "ANN B. RICHARDSON Obituary (2012) the Washington Post". Legacy.com.
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