| Walter Curley | |
|---|---|
 Curley in 1973 | |
| 57th United States Ambassador to France | |
| In office July 6, 1989 – February 11, 1993 | |
| President | George H. W. Bush |
| Preceded by | Joe M. Rodgers |
| Succeeded by | Pamela Harriman |
| United States Ambassador to Ireland | |
| In office September 18, 1975 – May 2, 1977 | |
| President | Gerald Ford |
| Preceded by | John D. J. Moore |
| Succeeded by | William V. Shannon |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1922-09-17)September 17, 1922 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | June 2, 2016(2016-06-02) (aged 93) New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Spouse | Mary Taylor Walton |
| Children | Margaret C. Wiles Patrick Curley John Walton Curley James Curley |
| Residence(s) | New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Yale University Harvard University |
| Occupation | Diplomat, Businessman |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  United States Marine Corps |
| Rank |  Captain |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
Walter Joseph Patrick Curley Jr. (September 17, 1922 – June 2, 2016) was the 57th United States Ambassador to France from 1989 to 1993, and the United States Ambassador to Ireland from 1975 to 1977. Curley was New York City's Commissioner of Public Events and Chief of Protocol from 1973 to 1974, during the administrations of John Lindsay and Abraham Beame.
Career
He wrote two books on royalty, Vanishing Kingdoms, and Monarchs in Waiting, as well as two memoirs, Letters from the Pacific: 1943–1946, and Almost a Century: An American Life East and West of Suez. Curley was a graduate of Phillips Academy, Yale University and Harvard Business School. Curley was in the Marine Corps during World War II, serving from 1943 to 1946, seeing combat on Iwo Jima and Okinawa. He was a captain and was decorated with a Bronze star. Curley died in New York City.
His nomination as United States Ambassador to France was controversial as he was one of several made by Bush of long-time financial backers and financial supporters including Peter F. Secchia (Ambassador of Italy), Joseph Zappala (Ambassador of Spain), Mel Sembler (Ambassador of Australia), Frederic Bush Morris (Ambassador of Luxembourg), and Joy Silverman (Ambassador of Barbados).
Works
- Curley, Walter J. P. (1959). Letters from the Pacific: 1943–1946. privately printed. ASIN B00NZK2AXM.
- Curley, Walter J. P. (1973). Monarchs-in-waiting. Dodd, Mead and Company. ISBN 978-0396068402.
- Curley, Walter J. P. (2004). Vanishing Kingdoms: The Irish Chiefs and Their Families. The Lilliput Press. ISBN 978-1843510550.
- Curley, Walter J. P. (2017). Almost a Century: An American Life East and West of Suez. Small Batch Books. ISBN 978-1937650674.
References
- "Walter Joseph Patrick Curley Jr. (1922–2016)". history.state.gov. Retrieved April 22, 2017.
- "The Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training Foreign Affairs Oral History Project AMBASSADOR WALTER J. P. CURLEY" (PDF). Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training. 30 November 1998. Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 June 2024. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
- "Walter J. P. Curley". NNDB. Retrieved 2009-02-21.
- Roberts, Sam (June 8, 2016). "Walter Curley, Venture Capitalist and U.S. Ambassador, Dies at 93". The New York Times. Retrieved April 22, 2017.
- "WALTER CURLEY (1922 – 2016)". legacy.com. June 5, 2016.
- "True to tradition. President Bush is rewarding his long-time financial backers and political supporters with desirable ambassadorships, mostly in Western Europe". The Financial Times. April 2, 1990.
External links
- Appearances on C-SPAN
- Walter J. P. Curley Papers (MS 2009). Manuscripts and Archives. Yale University Library.
| Diplomatic posts | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded byJoe M. Rodgers | U.S. Ambassador to France 1989–1993 |
Succeeded byPamela Harriman |
| Preceded byJohn D. J. Moore | U.S. Ambassador to Ireland 1975–1977 |
Succeeded byWilliam V. Shannon |
 United States ambassadors to France  | ||
|---|---|---|
| Envoys to France (1776–1779) |  | |
| Ministers Plenipotentiary to France (1778–1815) | ||
| Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to France (1816–1893) | ||
| Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to France (1893–present) | ||
United States ambassadors to Ireland  | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary (1927–50) |
| | ||||
| Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary (1950–present) | ||||||
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- 1922 births
- 2016 deaths
- Writers from Pittsburgh
- Writers from New York City
- Yale University alumni
- Ambassadors of the United States to France
- Ambassadors of the United States to Ireland
- American male writers
- Harvard Business School alumni
- Phillips Academy alumni
- United States Marine Corps officers
- United States Marine Corps personnel of World War II
- American diplomat stubs