Everett Francis Drumright (September 15, 1906 - April 24, 1993) was an American diplomat who served in a variety of posts, including as U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of China (Taiwan).

Early years

Drumright was born in

Drumright, Oklahoma Drumright is a city in Creek and Payne counties in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. It began as an oil boom town. However, the population has declined as oil production has waned in the area. The population was 2,907 at the 2010 census, a figure al ...

. He graduated from the

University of Oklahoma The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma, United States. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two territories became the ...

with a degree in business administration in 1929. After graduation, Drumright briefly worked for his father's business while studying for the Foreign service exam.

Foreign Service career

On January 2, 1931, Drumright began his diplomatic career as a

Vice-consul A consul is an official representative of a government who resides in a foreign country to assist and protect citizens of the consul's country, and to promote and facilitate commercial and diplomatic relations between the two countries. A consu ...

Ciudad Juárez Ciudad Juárez ( , ; "Juárez City"), commonly referred to as just Juárez (Lipan language, Lipan: ''Tsé Táhú'ayá''), is the most populous city in the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Mexican state of Chihuahua (state), Chihuahua. It was k ...

, Mexico. He held a variety of posts with 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 ...

, including as a language officer in China and

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

. In 1945, he was named as the chief of the U.S. Division of Chinese Affairs. From 1948 to 1951, Drumright was station in

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

, participating the establishment of the U.S. Embassy Seoul. From 1951 until 1953, he worked overseas with posts in Embassy New Delhi, and Consulate General Bombay. In 1953 he was named Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs, and served in that post for several years.

United States Ambassador

In 1958, Drumright was nominated by

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was the 34th president of the United States, serving from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, he was Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionar ...

to serve as U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of China on Taiwan. He was subsequently confirmed by the

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

. Drumright continued to serve in the role throughout the early years of

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 ...

's presidency. In 1960, Drumright worked to establish the fourth Surplus Agricultural Commodities Agreement between the Republic of China and the United States. Under the terms of the agreement, the government of the Republic of China would purchase surplus agricultural commodities and pay the United States in New Taiwan dollars. The United States agreed to then allocate those dollars towards mutual defense projects and educational exchange programs. During his tenure in Taiwan, Drumright worked closely with Secretary of State

John Foster Dulles John Foster Dulles (February 25, 1888 – May 24, 1959) was an American politician, lawyer, and diplomat who served as United States secretary of state under President Dwight D. Eisenhower from 1953 until his resignation in 1959. A member of the ...

and President Chiang Kai-shek during the crisis over Quemoy and Matsu, two islands off the

China coastline China's coastline covers approximately 14,500 km (around 9,010 mi) from the Bohai gulf in the north to the Gulf of Tonkin in the south. Most of the northern half is low lying, although some of the mountains and hills of Northeast China ...

. The islands were the target of takeover attempts and a propaganda campaign by the Communist Government in Beijing. While Ambassador, Drumright resided in the building that is now known as the

Taipei Film House The Embassy of the United States, Taipei () is a former United States diplomatic mission in Zhongshan District, Taipei, Taiwan. The building currently houses the Taipei Film House () as a movie theater. History Empire of Japan At the end of the 1 ...

. Drumright retired from government service in 1962.

Personal

Drumright was married to Florence Teets Drumright in 1953. He served on the board of the

Chinese Historical Society of Southern California Chinese Historical Society of Southern California (CHSSC, zh, first=t, t=南加州華人歷史學會, p=Nán Jiāzhōu Huárén Lìshǐ Xuéhuì) is an historical society and organization based in Los Angeles Chinatown, California. There are ...

. He died in 1993 at the age of 86 at Pomerado Hospital in

Poway, California Poway () is a city in San Diego County, California, United States. Poway's rural roots influenced its motto "The City in the Country". The city had a population of 48,841 as of the 2020 United States census. Poway is part of San Diego's East ...

Legacy

Drumright's public papers now belong to the diplomatic archives collection at the University of Oklahoma. After his death, a scholarship fund was established in Drumright's name to support international students at the

University of Illinois at Chicago The University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) is a public research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its campus is in the Near West Side community area, adjacent to the Chicago Loop. The second campus established under the Universi ...

References