Anthony Boyce Akers (October 19, 1914 – April 1, 1976) was an American attorney, diplomat, and political candidate who served as the

United States Ambassador to New Zealand The United States has maintained a consular presence in New Zealand since 1838. The first consul was James Reddy Clendon. Born in England, Clendon was a ship owner and merchant who bought land and settled in the Bay of Islands, New Zealand. In ...

from 1961 to 1963.

Early life and education

Akers was born in Charlotte, Texas, and attended the

University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public university, public research university in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 1883, it is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. With 53,082 stud ...

. He later graduated from

Columbia Law School Columbia Law School (CLS) is the Law school in the United States, law school of Columbia University, a Private university, private Ivy League university in New York City. The school was founded in 1858 as the Columbia College Law School. The un ...

Career

Enlisting in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

in 1940, he served in the

Pacific War The Pacific War, sometimes called the Asia–Pacific War or the Pacific Theatre, was the Theater (warfare), theatre of World War II fought between the Empire of Japan and the Allies of World War II, Allies in East Asia, East and Southeast As ...

as lieutenant commander of a

PT boat A PT boat (short for patrol torpedo boat) was a motor torpedo boat used by the United States Navy in World War II. It was small, fast, and inexpensive to build, and it was valued for its maneuverability and speed. However, PT boats were hampe ...

, and was awarded a

Silver Star The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against a ...

and two Presidential citations. He was one of four officers who became the fictionalized heroes of

William L. White William L. White is a writer on addiction recovery and policy. Biography White was born the eldest son in an Army family, father, William "Billy" White and mother, Alice White. His father was a construction worker and his mother was a nurse. His ...

's 1942 novel ''

They Were Expendable ''They Were Expendable'' is a 1945 American war film directed by John Ford, starring Robert Montgomery and John Wayne, and featuring Donna Reed. The film is based on the 1942 novel of the same name by William Lindsay White, relating the stor ...

'', based on his Squadron 3's evacuation of General

Douglas MacArthur Douglas MacArthur (26 January 18805 April 1964) was an American general who served as a top commander during World War II and the Korean War, achieving the rank of General of the Army (United States), General of the Army. He served with dis ...

and President Manuel Quezon from

Corregidor Corregidor (, , ) is an island located at the entrance of Manila Bay in the southwestern part of Luzon in the Philippines, and is considered part of Cavite City and thus the province of Cavite. It is located west of Manila, the nation's capi ...

to Australia. When

John Ford John Martin Feeney (February 1, 1894 – August 31, 1973), better known as John Ford, was an American film director and producer. He is regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers during the Golden Age of Hollywood, and w ...

filmed the story, Akers served as a technical advisor. During the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

, Akers served as Deputy Assistant Secretary and Deputy

United States Under Secretary of the Air Force The under secretary of the air force (USECAF, or SAF/US), sometimes referred to as the under secretary of the Department of the Air Force, is the second-highest ranking civilian official in the Department of the Air Force of the United States of ...

. He was director of the New York City office of the State Department of Commerce until 1958. He ran unsuccessfully for Congress as a Democrat in the East Side 17th District three times: in 1954, 1956 and 1958. Akers had first met

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), also known as JFK, was the 35th president of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. He was the first Roman Catholic and youngest person elected p ...

in World War II. Akers ran the motor torpedo boat training squadron in Melville, Rhode Island where Kennedy trained. Kennedy campaigned for Akers in the latter's 1956 bid for Congress, and Akers served as executive chairman of the NY Citizens' Committee for Kennedy–Johnson in 1960. After winning the presidency, Kennedy appointed Akers Ambassador to

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

in June 1961, where he represented the United States until August 25, 1963. During his time in New Zealand, he lobbied the

ANZUS The Australia, New Zealand, United States Security Treaty (ANZUS or ANZUS Treaty) is a collective security agreement between Australia, New Zealand, and the United States that was signed in 1951, and from which New Zealand has been partially su ...

to send advisory personnel to Vietnam. Akers returned to the United States, intending to take over the job of Chief of Protocol from

Angier Biddle Duke Angier Biddle Duke (November 30, 1915 – April 29, 1995) was an American diplomat who served as Chief of Protocol of the United States in the 1960s. Before that, at the age of 36, he became the youngest American ambassador in history when he was ...

. After the President's assassination, Akers returned to practicing law. He later worked as an advisor on the

Robert F. Kennedy 1968 presidential campaign The Robert F. Kennedy presidential campaign began on March 16, 1968, when Kennedy, a United States Senator from New York, mounted an unlikely challenge to incumbent Democratic United States President Lyndon B. Johnson. Following a near-upset ...

, and was present at the Ambassador Hotel when Kennedy was assassinated.

Personal life

Akers was married to Jane Pope, the daughter of architect

John Russell Pope John Russell Pope (April 24, 1874 – August 27, 1937) was an American architecture, architect whose firm is widely known for designing major public buildings, including the National Archives and Records Administration building (completed in 193 ...

. Akers and his wife had two daughters:

Andra Akers Andra Akers (September 16, 1943 – March 20, 2002) was an American actress and philanthropist. A character actress, she appeared in films, theater and television, usually in tough or brassy roles. Early life and education Akers was born in Ne ...

, an actress, and Ellery Akers, a poet and naturalist. Akers died of a heart attack on April 1, 1976, in

Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina Wrightsville Beach is a town in New Hanover County, North Carolina, United States. Wrightsville Beach is just east of Wilmington, North Carolina, Wilmington and is part of the Wilmington metropolitan area. The population was 2,477 at the 2010 Uni ...

, aged 61.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Akers, Anthony B. 1914 births 1976 deaths Ambassadors of the United States to New Zealand New York (state) Democrats People from Atascosa County, Texas University of Texas at Austin alumni Columbia Law School alumni Recipients of the Silver Star United States Navy personnel of World War II 20th-century American diplomats