Charles Harry Price II (April 1, 1931 – January 12, 2012) was a prominent American businessman and ambassador of the United States.

Early life

Price was born to a prominent family in Kansas City, Missouri which owned a local candy manufacturing firm, the Price Candy Company. He attended

Wentworth Military Academy Wentworth Military Academy and College was a private two-year military college and high school in Lexington, Missouri. Wentworth was one of six total military junior colleges in the United States. The institution was founded in 1880 and closed in ...

in Lexington, Missouri, and then the Pembroke-Country Day School in Kansas City, where he graduated in 1948. He obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree from the

University of Missouri The University of Missouri (Mizzou, MU, or Missouri) is a public land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus University of Missouri System. MU was founded in ...

in 1953. After college, between 1953 and 1955, he served in the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Aerial warfare, air military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part ...

. After his discharge from the Air Force, Price returned to Kansas City to begin a prominent career in the local banking industry. He served as chairman and President of American Bancorporation, Inc., Chairman and CEO of the American Bank and Trust Company, and chairman and President of Linwood Securities Company. He also ran his family's candy company, serving as chairman and CEO from 1969 to 1981.

Public life

In the spring of 1981, President Ronald Reagan appointed Price to be

United States Ambassador to Belgium In 1832, shortly after the creation of the Kingdom of Belgium, the United States established diplomatic relations. Since that time, a long line of distinguished envoys have represented American interests in Belgium. These diplomats included men ...

. He was quickly and unanimously confirmed by the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

. In 1983, President Reagan recalled Price from his post in

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

and appointed him Ambassador to the United Kingdom. The Senate again confirmed him unanimously, and he held the post until the end of the

Reagan Administration Ronald Reagan's tenure as the 40th president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 1981, and ended on January 20, 1989. Reagan, a Republican from California, took office following a landslide victory over ...

in 1989. As Ambassador to the United Kingdom, he was instrumental in handling the aftermath of the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 in 1988 and was the first U.S. government official on the scene in Lockerbie, Scotland on the night of the bombing. He gave the first indication that it was the worst terrorist attack against the U.S. when he told reporters that 70% of those on board were Americans. Upon returning from his ambassadorial post in April 1989, Price was appointed chairman of the board of Ameribanc, Inc., and then became President and CEO in 1990. Ameribanc merged with Mercantile Bancorporation in May 1992, and Price became chairman of the board of Mercantile Bank of Kansas City and Mercantile Bank of Kansas. He held this position until retiring in 1996. Price also served as a Director of

British Airways British Airways (BA) is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom. It is headquartered in London, England, near its main hub at Heathrow Airport. The airline is the second largest UK-based carrier, based on fleet size and passengers ...

(1989–1996),

Hanson plc Hanson UK, formerly Hanson Trust plc, is a British-based building materials company, headquartered in Maidenhead. The company has been a subsidiary of the German company HeidelbergCement since August 2007, and was formerly listed on the London ...

(1989–1995), US Industries, Inc. (1995–2004),

The New York Times Company The New York Times Company is an American mass media company that publishes ''The New York Times''. Its headquarters are in Manhattan, New York City. History The company was founded by Henry Jarvis Raymond and George Jones in New York City. ...

(1989–2002),

Texaco Texaco, Inc. ("The Texas Company") is an American oil brand owned and operated by Chevron Corporation. Its flagship product is its fuel "Texaco with Techron". It also owned the Havoline motor oil brand. Texaco was an independent company unt ...

(1989–2001), and Sprint (1989–1995). In Kansas City, he served on numerous philanthropic boards. He also received numerous awards and honorary degrees for his public service. Price lived in

Indian Wells, California Indian Wells is a city in Riverside County, California, in the Coachella Valley. Incorporated in 1967, it lies in between the cities of Palm Desert and La Quinta. As of the 2010 Census, the city population was 4,958. The city hosts the sixt ...

with his wife, Carol Swanson Price, after his retirement. He died on January 12, 2012, in Indian Wells and was buried at Forest Hill Calvary Cemetery in Kansas City, Missouri.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Price, Charles H. II 1931 births 2012 deaths Ambassadors of the United States to Belgium Ambassadors of the United States to the United Kingdom American bankers Businesspeople in confectionery Businesspeople from Kansas City, Missouri University of Missouri alumni Wentworth Military Academy and College alumni United States Air Force airmen Military personnel from Missouri People from Indian Wells, California 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American philanthropists 20th-century American diplomats