Fraser Wilkins (August 30, 1908 – January 21, 1989) was appointed the first United States ambassador to

Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is ...

after the country gained independence from the UK.

Personal life

Fraser Wilkins was born in

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County, Nebraska, Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. List of ...

, to Harry F. Wilkins and his wife. He graduated 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 married Anne Bryan, and they had one son, Fraser Bryan Wilkins.

Career

Wilkins served in various positions as a US

Foreign Service Officer A Foreign Service Officer (FSO) is a commissioned member of the United States Foreign Service. Foreign Service Officers formulate and implement the foreign policy of the United States. FSOs spend most of their careers overseas as members of U ...

. He was director of the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs in the Department of State from 1955–1957, and during these years, he was stationed in

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria ...

India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...

, and

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkm ...

. He then served as a minister-counselor in the US embassy in Tehran, Iran, from 1957–1960. Wilkins was appointed the first ambassador to Cyprus in 1960. He served in this position until 1964. During his time as the US ambassador to Cyprus, there were tensions in the country between the Greek and Turkish Cypriots. The US embassy in Nicosia was bombed in February 1964. Following the two-bomb explosions, Wilkins went to the Presidential Palace to protest what happened, and he also oversaw the evacuation of American civilians from the country. He told the President of Cyprus, Archbishop

Makarios III Makarios III ( el, Μακάριος Γ΄; born Michael Christodoulou Mouskos) (Greek: Μιχαήλ Χριστοδούλου Μούσκος) (13 August 1913 – 3 August 1977) was a Cypriot politician, archbishop and primate who served as ...

, that he was not confident Cypriot police could adequately protect the American civilians. After he resigned as the US ambassador to Cyprus in 1964, the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest, Washington, D.C., NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. preside ...

announced that Wilkins would be returning to Washington, D.C., to await appointment to another position. That same year, Wilkins was named inspector-general of the

United States Foreign Service The United States Foreign Service is the primary personnel system used by the diplomatic service of the United States federal government, under the aegis of the United States Department of State. It consists of over 13,000 professionals carr ...

, and he served in this position until 1971.

Death

Wilkins died of a stroke in Sibley Memorial Hospital in Washington, D.C., on January 21, 1989, at the age of 80.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilkins, Fraser 1908 births 1989 deaths Ambassadors of the United States to Cyprus People from Omaha, Nebraska United States Foreign Service personnel Yale University alumni