George S. Vest

George S. Vest
Vest in 1982
United States Ambassador to the European Union
In office 1981–1985
President	Ronald Reagan
Preceded by	Thomas O. Enders
Succeeded by	J. William Middendorf
11th Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs
In office June 16, 1977 – April 14, 1981
Preceded by	Arthur A. Hartman
Succeeded by	Lawrence Eagleburger
18th Director General of the Foreign Service
In office June 8, 1984 – May 3, 1989
Preceded by	Alfred Atherton
Succeeded by	Edward Joseph Perkins
3rd Director of the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs
In office April 29, 1974 – March 27, 1977
Preceded by	Seymour Weiss
Succeeded by	Leslie H. Gelb
Personal details
Born	George Southall Vest (1918-12-25)December 25, 1918 Columbia, Virginia, U.S.
Died	August 24, 2021(2021-08-24) (aged 102) Bethesda, Maryland, U.S.
Spouse(s)	Emily Clemons ​ ​ (m. 1947; died 2015)​ [1]
Children	3
Alma mater	University of Virginia
Occupation	diplomat

George Southall Vest (December 25, 1918 – August 24, 2021) was an American diplomat and State Department official who worked during the Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan presidencies.

Personal life

Vest was born in Columbia, Virginia. He studied at the University of Virginia. He married Emily Clemons in 1947. She died in 2015. They had three children. Vest died on August 24, 2021 in Bethesda, Maryland from heart disease at the age of 102.^[2]

Career

In 1954, Vest became the Canadian Desk officer at the United States Department of State in Washington, D.C.; he later was special assistant to the Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs.

An ambassador, he was the United States Ambassador to the European Union. In 1974, President of the United States Richard Nixon nominated Vest as Assistant Secretary of State for Politico-Military Affairs.

On April 7, 1977 President Jimmy Carter nominated Vest as United States Ambassador to Pakistan, but this nomination was withdrawn on May 5, 1977. Carter then nominated Vest as Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs and Vest held this office from June 16, 1977 until April 14, 1981.

In 1981, President Ronald Reagan nominated Vest as United States Ambassador to the European Communities. He held this post until 1985, when Reagan named Vest Director General of the Foreign Service; he held this office from June 8, 1985 until May 3, 1989.^[3]

References

1. International Who's Who, 1983-84. December 1983. ISBN 9780905118864.
2. "George S. Vest, long-serving Foreign Service officer and Cold War Diplomat, Dies at 102". Washington Post. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
3. A Cradle-to-Grave 'Godfather' of Foreign Service: George S. Vest, New York Times, February 10, 1988 WASHINGTON TALK: WORKING PROFILE; A CRADLE-TO-GRAVE 'GODFATHER' OF FOREIGN SERVICE: GEORGE S. VEST - The New York Times

Other websites

• Office of the Historian, Department of State George Southall Vest - People - Department History - Office of the Historian
• Interview with George S. Vest, Library of Congress, Interview with George S. Vest | Library of Congress