Jump to content

Samuel B. Thomsen

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Samuel B. Thomsen
1st United States Ambassador to the Marshall Islands
In office
June 15, 1987 – July 11, 1990
PresidentRonald Reagan
George H. W. Bush
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byWilliam Bodde, Jr.
Personal details
BornJuly 10, 1931
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Nationality United States
SpouseJudith Thomsen
ChildrenKaty Pistole, Samuel P. Thomsen, Robert Thomsen
ProfessionDiplomat
Military service
Branch/serviceUnited States Army
Years of service1951–54

Samuel B. Thomsen (born July 10, 1931, in Saint Paul, Minnesota)[1] is a former career diplomat who was the first United States Ambassador to the Marshall Islands, serving there from 1987 to 1990.[1] Thomsen entered the United States Foreign Service in 1960 and served in various positions in the United States Department of State, and in diplomatic assignments to Vietnam, Laos, Botswana and Nigeria.[2] While serving as Consul at Hue, Thomsen served as a political advisor to the commanding general of the U.S. Marines in Vietnam, Lt. Gen. Lewis Walt, from July 1965 to July 1966.[1] During Thomsen's service in the Marshall Islands, the office of the U.S. Representative was upgraded to Embassy status.

Background

[edit]

Thomsen served in the United States Army from 1951 to 1954. He graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1957 with a BA degree in political science. He was executive director of the University Religious Conference of Santa Barbara, California, from 1957 to 1960. He retired from the Foreign Service in September 1990.[2] Since retiring, Thomsen has served as Vice President of DACOR (Diplomatic and Consular Officers, Retired) and as President of Thomsen International Associates.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c "Nomination of Samuel B. Thomsen To Be United States Representative to the Marshall Islands", retrieved 2011-10-29.
  2. ^ a b "The Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training Foreign Affairs Oral History Project AMBASSADOR SAMUEL B. THOMSEN" (PDF). Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training. 26 August 1996. Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 July 2024. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by
post created
United States Ambassador to the Marshall Islands
1987–1990
Succeeded by