David Paul Rawson (September 10, 1941 – September 16, 2020) was an American diplomat who served as the United States

ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or so ...

Rwanda Rwanda, officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of East Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a few degrees south of the Equator, Rwanda is bordered by ...

and

Mali Mali, officially the Republic of Mali, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is the List of African countries by area, eighth-largest country in Africa, with an area of over . The country is bordered to the north by Algeria, to the east b ...

, and as chargé d'affaires in

Somalia Somalia, officially the Federal Republic of Somalia, is the easternmost country in continental Africa. The country is located in the Horn of Africa and is bordered by Ethiopia to the west, Djibouti to the northwest, Kenya to the southwest, th ...

. His service in Rwanda occurred during the

Genocide against the Tutsi The Rwandan genocide, also known as the genocide against the Tutsi, occurred from 7 April to 19 July 1994 during the Rwandan Civil War. Over a span of around 100 days, members of the Tutsi ethnic group, as well as some moderate Hutu and Gre ...

in 1994.

Early life and education

Rawson was born in

Addison, Michigan Addison is a village in Lenawee County, Michigan, Lenawee County of the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 573 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The village is located on the boundary between Rollin Township, Michigan, Roll ...

as the son of missionaries. In 1947 he moved to

Burundi Burundi, officially the Republic of Burundi, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is located in the Great Rift Valley at the junction between the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa, with a population of over 14 million peop ...

with his parents, where his father ran a medical clinic. In 1958, Rawson returned to the United States and attended Malone College (B.A.) and

American University The American University (AU or American) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Its main campus spans 90-acres (36 ha) on Ward Circle, in the Spri ...

(M.A. and Ph.D.). After completing his Ph.D., he returned to Malone College and taught for six years before joining the

United States Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or simply the State Department, is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy of the United State ...

. Rawson also received a postdoctoral grant to investigate the relationship between the political situation and religious culture in the countries of Rwanda and Burundi.

Career

From 1986 to 1988, Rawson was a deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Somalia, and from 1989-1991, he was director of the Office of West African Affairs within the State Department's

Bureau of African Affairs The Bureau of African Affairs (AF) is part of the United States Department of State and is charged with advising the Secretary of State on matters of Sub-Saharan Africa. The bureau was established in 1958. It is headed by the Assistant Secretar ...

. From 1993 to 1996, Rawson served as U.S. ambassador to Rwanda, a nation then experiencing ethnic tensions between the

Hutu The Hutu (), also known as the Abahutu, are a Bantu ethnic group native to the African Great Lakes region. They mainly live in Rwanda, Burundi, and Uganda where they form one of the principal ethnic groups alongside the Tutsi and the Great L ...

s and

Tutsi The Tutsi ( ), also called Watusi, Watutsi or Abatutsi (), are an ethnic group of the African Great Lakes region. They are a Bantu languages, Bantu-speaking ethnic group and the second largest of three main ethnic groups in Rwanda and Burundi ( ...

s. When the plane of Rwandan president

Juvénal Habyarimana Juvénal Habyarimana (; ; 8 March 19376 April 1994) was a Rwandan politician and military officer who was the second president of Rwanda, from 1973 until Assassination of Juvénal Habyarimana and Cyprien Ntaryamira, his assassination in 1994. H ...

, a Hutu, was shot down, the Hutus blamed it on the Tutsis, leading to a genocide between April and July 1994. The United States government ordered American officials, including Rawson, to leave the country. After the

Rwandan Patriotic Front The Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF–Inkotanyi; , FPR) is the ruling political party in Rwanda. The RPF was founded in December 1987 by Rwandan Tutsi in exile in Uganda because of the ethnic violence that had occurred during the Rwandan Hutu Revo ...

took control of the government in July 1994, Rawson returned to his post in Kigali. Rawson later stated, however, that he believed he failed in his role as a peacemaker during his tenure as ambassador. From 1996 to 1999, Rawson served as U.S. ambassador to Mali.

Post-diplomatic career

After retiring from the State Department in 1999, Rawson moved to Michigan and taught at

Spring Arbor University Spring Arbor University (SAU) is a private Free Methodist university in Spring Arbor, Michigan. Developing from an earlier academy and junior college, in 1963 it began offering bachelor's degrees. Attaining university status in 1994, it is t ...

and

Hillsdale College Hillsdale College is a Private university, private, Conservatism in the United States, conservative, Christian liberal arts college in Hillsdale, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1844 by members of the Free Will Baptists. Women were admi ...

. After 2018, Rawson lived in Oregon and taught at

George Fox University George may refer to: Names * George (given name) * George (surname) People * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Papagheorghe, also known as Jorge / GEØRGE * George, stage name of Gior ...

. He donated his personal archives to the university, including declassified documents used in the research of his book ''Prelude to Genocide: Arusha, Rwanda, and the Failure of Diplomacy.''

Personal life

Rawson's first wife Viola Mosher died in an automobile accident in 1977. He was in the vehicle at the time of the crash and stated that this incident was the "most trying circumstance" of his life". Rawson was a

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

. Rawson lived in

Newberg, Oregon Newberg is a city in Yamhill County, Oregon, Yamhill County, Oregon, United States. Located in the Portland metropolitan area, the city is home to George Fox University. As of 2023 the city population was 26,095 making it the second most populous ...

until his death on September 16, 2020.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rawson, David 1941 births 2020 deaths People from Lenawee County, Michigan Malone University alumni American University alumni United States Foreign Service personnel Ambassadors of the United States to Rwanda Ambassadors of the United States to Mali George Fox University faculty People from Newberg, Oregon

Early life and education

Career

Post-diplomatic career

Personal life

See also

References