James Bishop
Bishop (right) with Ronald Reagan, 1987
Born (1938-07-21) July 21, 1938 (age 85)
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:

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. ^ a b c d Kennedy, Charles (1998). "Ambassador James K. Bishop, Jr" (PDF). The Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training. Retrieved 5 January 2016.
  2. ^ a b 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. ^ a b James Keough Bishop, Obituary, New York Times, April 9, 2006
  4. ^ a b c 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.
Diplomatic posts Preceded byCharles A. James United States Ambassador to Niger 1979-81 Succeeded byWilliam Robert Casey Jr. Preceded byEdward J. Perkins United States Ambassador to Liberia 1987–90 Succeeded byPeter Jon de Vos Preceded byT. Frank Crigler United States Ambassador to Somalia 1990–91 Succeeded byStephen Schwartz
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