Concise Encyclopedia of Tufts History
Sauer, Anne
Branco, Jessica
Bennett, John
Crowley, Zachary
2000
Eliot, Jr., Theodore L., 1928
Theodore L. Eliot, Jr. (b.1928), former United States Ambassador to Afghanistan and executive secretary of the Department of State, was the fourth dean of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. | |
A member of a prominent Boston family and descendent of one of Harvard University's best-known presidents, Eliot was born on January 24, 1928 in New York City. He received both his B.A. (1948) and M.P.A. (1956) from Harvard. Regarded as a career diplomat, he served as an embassy officer for the United States in various countries, including the former USSR, Ceylon, West Germany, and Iran. From 1969-1973, Eliot held the position of Executive Secretary of the Department of State. In conjunction with his Department of State duties, Eliot also served two years as president of the American Foreign Service Association, ending his term in 1971.In 1973, he was appointed Ambassador to Afghanistan. He became the youngest member of the foreign service at the time to be named a career minister in 1975. | |
From 1979-1985, Eliot served as the fourth dean and professor of diplomacy at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. He left the position in 1985, becoming the first executive director of The Asia Foundation's Center for Asian Pacific Affairs, of which he was made a trustee in 1990.Eliot was a senior research fellow at the Hoover Institute from 1987-1990.He has also been a vice-chairman of the World Affairs Council of Northern California and president of the Point Reyes Bird Observatory. Eliot has the distinction of being the first winner of the State Department's Repolgle Award for Management Improvement in 1973. | |
Source: VF; TC, October 1978 | |
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