William Lacy Swing (September 11, 1934 – June 12, 2021) was a diplomat and former

United States Ambassador Ambassadors of the United States are persons nominated by the president to serve as the country's diplomatic representatives to foreign nations, international organizations, and as ambassadors-at-large. Under Article II, Section 2 of the U.S ...

, and

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...

Special Representative of the Secretary-General A Special Representative of the Secretary-General is a highly respected expert who has been appointed by the Secretary-General of the United Nations to represent them in meetings with heads of state on critical human rights issues. The representati ...

and Under Secretary General. He was the Director-General of the

International Organization for Migration The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is a United Nations agency that provides services and advice concerning migration to governments and migrants, including internally displaced persons, refugees, and migrant workers. The IOM w ...

until António Vitorino's appointment in 2018.

Early life and education

Swing was born on September 11, 1934, in

Lexington, North Carolina Lexington is the county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term ...

. In 1956 he graduated from

Catawba College Catawba College is a private college in Salisbury, North Carolina. Founded in 1851 by the North Carolina Classis of the Reformed Church in Newton, the college adopted its name from its county of origin, Catawba County, before moving to its cu ...

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...

(

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...

). Four years later he received a Master of Divinity from

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...

. He did post-graduate studies at the

University of Tübingen The University of Tübingen, officially the Eberhard Karl University of Tübingen (german: Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen; la, Universitas Eberhardina Carolina), is a public research university located in the city of Tübingen, Baden-W� ...

in Germany. He was a Fellow at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

from 1976 to 1977. He held an honorary degree from

Geneva School of Diplomacy and International Relations , neighboring_municipalities= Carouge, Chêne-Bougeries, Cologny, Lancy, Grand-Saconnex, Pregny-Chambésy, Vernier, Veyrier , website = https://www.geneve.ch/ Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevr ...

and Hofstra University (

Doctor of Humane Letters The degree of Doctor of Humane Letters (; DHumLitt; DHL; or LHD) is an honorary degree awarded to those who have distinguished themselves through humanitarian and philanthropic contributions to society. The criteria for awarding the degree differ ...

), and was an Honorary Fellow of

Harris Manchester College, Oxford Harris Manchester College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It was founded in Warrington in 1757 as a college for Unitarian students and moved to Oxford in 1893. It became a full college of th ...

. He spoke French, German, Afrikaans, and Creole.

Ambassadorial posts

* United States Ambassador to the People's Republic of the Congo (1979–81) *

United States Ambassador to Liberia This is a record of ambassadors of the United States to Liberia. Liberia, as a nation, had its beginnings in 1821 when groups of free blacks from the United States emigrated from the U.S. and began establishing colonies on the coast under the d ...

(1981–85) * United States Ambassador to South Africa (1989–92) *

United States Ambassador to Nigeria The following is a list of United States ambassadors to Nigeria. Ambassadors Notes See also * Nigeria – United States relations * Foreign relations of Nigeria *Ambassadors of the United States ReferencesUnited States Department of State: ...

(1992–93) *

United States Ambassador to Haiti This is a list of United States ambassadors to Haiti. See also * Haiti – United States relations * Foreign relations of Haiti * Ambassadors of the United States References * External links United States Department of State: Chiefs of ...

(1993–98) *

United States Ambassador to the Democratic Republic of the Congo This is a list of ambassadors of the United States to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. From 1877 until 1960, the republic had been a colony of Belgium, first under the name Congo Free State and then Belgian Congo. The Congo was granted its ...

(1998–2001)

United Nations

Western Sahara

Swing served as UN

Western Sahara Western Sahara ( '; ; ) is a disputed territory on the northwest coast and in the Maghreb region of North and West Africa. About 20% of the territory is controlled by the self-proclaimed Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), while the ...

from 2001 to 2003. He was Chief of Mission for the

United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara The United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara ( ar, بعثة الأمم المتحدة لتنظيم استفتاء في الصحراء الغربية; french: Mission des Nations Unies pour l'Organisation d'un Référendum au ...

(MINURSO).

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Swing then led the

MONUSCO The United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo or MONUSCO, an acronym based on its French name , is a United Nations peacekeeping force in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) which was estab ...

(the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo) (May 2003 - January 2008). He was appointed as Special Representative of the Secretary General to the United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC), with the rank of Under Secretary General. MONUC, now known as MONUSCO, is the UN's largest peace operation. The Mission is engaged in the peace process and providing security support to the country as it seeks to end armed conflict in the war torn eastern part of the Congo.

International Organization for Migration

In June 2008 Swing was elected Director-General of the

(IOM). In early 2017,

UN Secretary-General The secretary-general of the United Nations (UNSG or SG) is the chief administrative officer of the United Nations and head of the United Nations Secretariat, one of the six principal organs of the United Nations. The role of the secretary- ...

António Guterres appointed him to the 9-member High-Level Task Force to Improve the United Nations Approach for Preventing and Addressing Sexual Abuse. Swing's term as Director-General ended in September 2018. He was succeeded by Portuguese politician Antonio Vitorino on October 1.
UN snubs US and picks Portuguese politician Antonio Vitorino to run IOM migration office.
' Deutsche Welle, June 29, 2018, retrieved the same day.

Awards

He was a member of the

American Academy of Diplomacy The American Academy of Diplomacy is a private, nonprofit, non-partisan, elected organization whose active membership is limited to men and women who have held positions of high responsibility in crafting and implementing American foreign policy. ...

. In 2012, he received the

American Foreign Service Association American Foreign Service Association (AFSA), established in 1924, is the professional association of the United States Foreign Service. With over 15,000 dues-paying members, American Foreign Service Association represents 28,000 active and retir ...

's Award for Lifetime Contributions to American Diplomacy. In 2019, he was awarded the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun, by the government of Japan.

References

External links

*
Foreign Service Journal article on his Lifetime Contributions to American Diplomacy Award.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Swing, William Lacy 1934 births 2021 deaths People from Lexington, North Carolina Catawba College alumni Yale Divinity School alumni University of Tübingen alumni American expatriates in Germany American expatriates in Western Sahara Harvard Fellows Politics of Western Sahara United Nations peacekeeping Under-Secretaries-General of the United Nations American officials of the United Nations United States Foreign Service personnel Ambassadors of the United States to Haiti Ambassadors of the United States to Liberia Ambassadors of the United States to Nigeria Ambassadors of the United States to South Africa Ambassadors of the United States to the Democratic Republic of the Congo Ambassadors of the United States to the Republic of the Congo Officers Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Grand Cordons of the Order of the Rising Sun 20th-century American politicians 21st-century American politicians 20th-century American diplomats 21st-century American diplomats 20th-century United States government officials 21st-century United States government officials Special Representatives of the Secretary-General of the United Nations