James Bishop (diplomat)
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).
James Bishop
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[edit]
Early life and education[edit]
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[edit]
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[edit]
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]