Alvin P. Adams Jr.

Alvin Philip Adams Jr. (August 29, 1942 – October 10, 2015) was an American diplomat.

Alvin P. Adams Jr.
United States Ambassador to Djibouti
In office July 16, 1983 – August 20, 1985
President	Ronald Reagan
Preceded by	Jerrold M. North
Succeeded by	John Pierce Ferriter
United States Ambassador to Haiti
In office October 10, 1989 – August 1, 1992
President	George H. W. Bush
Preceded by	Brunson McKinley
Succeeded by	Leslie M. Alexander
United States Ambassador to Peru
In office December 15, 1993 – August 16, 1996
President	Bill Clinton
Preceded by	Charles H. Brayshaw
Succeeded by	Dennis C. Jett
Personal details
Born	(1942-08-29)August 29, 1942 New York City
Died	October 10, 2015(2015-10-10) (aged 73) Portland, Oregon
Alma mater	Yale University, Vanderbilt University Law School

Biography

Born in New York City, he was one of three children born to Elizabeth Miller, daughter of Nathan L. Miller, and Alvin P. Adams Sr. His father was a Western Airlines executive.[1] His mother owned a bookstore. The younger Adams attended Yale, like his father, and received a J.D. from Vanderbilt University Law School.[2][3]

Adams joined the Foreign Service in 1967 and was appointed as the United States Ambassador to Djibouti in 1983 where he served until 1985. His next ambassadorship was to Haiti, where he convinced Prosper Avril to relinquish power in a late night conversation held in March 1990.[4] In 1992, Adams was named ambassador to Peru, serving in that post until his retirement from the Foreign Service in 1996.[2][3]

Adams also worked in Washington, D.C., for what became the Bureau of Counterterrorism before his Haiti stint and was posted in Vietnam prior to all ambassadorial assignments.[5] There, he met his wife, Mai-Anh Nguyen.[6] Before their divorce, they had two sons, Lex and Tung Thanh, who died in the 1989 USS Iowa turret explosion.[3][7] Adams lived in Buenos Aires and Honolulu,[6] then moved to Portland, Oregon in 2011,[8] where he died on October 10, 2015, aged 73.[3]

References

1. Thomas, Robert McG. (October 13, 1996). "Alvin P. Adams, Flashy Aviation Executive, Dies at 90". New York Times. Retrieved October 18, 2015.
2. Langer, Emily (October 16, 2015). "Alvin P. Adams Jr., U.S. ambassador to three countries, dies at 73". Washington Post. Retrieved October 18, 2015.
3. Roberts, Sam (October 17, 2015). "Alvin P. Adams Jr., Ambassador Who Helped Haiti Pursue Democracy, Dies at 73". New York Times. Archived from the original on October 18, 2015. Retrieved October 18, 2015. Alt URL
4. Treaster, Joseph B. (March 13, 1990). "Military leader agrees to leave Haiti for the U.S." New York Times. Retrieved October 18, 2015.
5. "Nomination of Alvin P. Adams Jr. to be United States Ambassador to Haiti". American Presidency Project. September 15, 1989. Retrieved October 18, 2015.
6. Chawkins, Steve (October 23, 2015). "Alvin P. Adams dies at 73; U.S. ambassador cleared way for Haiti election". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 24, 2015.
7. Trainor, Bernard E. (April 20, 1989). "Explosion and fire kill at least 47 on Navy warship". New York Times. Retrieved October 18, 2015.
8. Hernandez, Tony (October 16, 2015). "Alvin Adams, Portland resident and former ambassador, dies after long career in foreign service". The Oregonian. Retrieved October 18, 2015.

External links

• "Alvin P. Adams (1942–2015)". Office of the Historian. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
• Appearances on C-SPAN

Diplomatic posts
Preceded by Jerrold M. North	United States Ambassador to Djibouti 1983–1985	Succeeded by John Pierce Ferriter
Preceded by Brunson McKinley	United States Ambassador to Haiti 1989–1992	Succeeded by Leslie M. Alexander