Frederick Irving (May 2, 1921 – November 13, 2016) was an American

diplomat A diplomat (from ; romanization, romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state (polity), state, International organization, intergovernmental, or Non-governmental organization, nongovernmental institution to conduct diplomacy with one ...

and civil servant. He was United States Ambassador to Iceland from 1972 to 1976,

Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs The Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs is the head of the Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs in the United States Department of State. Their missi ...

from 1976 to 1977, and

United States Ambassador to Jamaica This is a list of United States ambassadors to Jamaica. The U.S. Embassy is located in Jamaica's capital, Kingston, Jamaica, Kingston, and was established there on August 16, 1962. Ambassadors Notes See also *Jamaica – United States relat ...

from 1977 to 1978.

Biography

Frederick Irving was born in

Providence, Rhode Island Providence () is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Rhode Island, most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. The county seat of Providence County, Rhode Island, Providence County, it is o ...

, on May 2, 1921.Gardner N. Hatch and John S. Edwards, ''American Ex-POW'' (Turner Publishing Company, 2001), p. 117
/ref> He studied at Classical High School, where he met his future wife, Dorothy.Bio from Classical High School website
He was educated at

Brown University Brown University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. It is the List of colonial colleges, seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the US, founded in 1764 as the ' ...

, receiving an A.B. in

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...

in 1943. After graduating from Brown, Irving served in the

United States Army Air Corps The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army between 1926 and 1941. After World War I, as early aviation became an increasingly important part of modern warfare, a philosophical ri ...

for the remainder of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

as a navigator. On his 37th bombing mission, his

B-24 Liberator The Consolidated B-24 Liberator is an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and some initial production aircraft were laid down as export models desi ...

heavy bomber was shot down over

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

as he was returning from bombing the Blechhammer

oil refinery An oil refinery or petroleum refinery is an industrial processes, industrial process Factory, plant where petroleum (crude oil) is transformed and refining, refined into products such as gasoline (petrol), diesel fuel, Bitumen, asphalt base, ...

.Gardner N. Hatch and John S. Edwards, ''American Ex-POW'' (Turner Publishing Company, 2001), p. 117
/ref> He spent the remainder of the war as a

prisoner of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...

Stalag Luft III Stalag Luft III (; literally "Main Camp, Air, III"; SL III) was a ''Luftwaffe''-run prisoner-of-war (POW) camp during the Second World War, which held captured Western Allied air force personnel. The camp was established in March 1942 near th ...

. After the war, he attended

Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy is the graduate school of international affairs of Tufts University, in Medford, Massachusetts. Fletcher is one of America's oldest graduate schools of international relations. As of 2017, the student bo ...

Tufts University Tufts University is a private research university in Medford and Somerville, Massachusetts, United States, with additional facilities in Boston and Grafton, as well as Talloires, France. Tufts also has several Doctor of Physical Therapy p ...

and received an M.A. in

international relations International relations (IR, and also referred to as international studies, international politics, or international affairs) is an academic discipline. In a broader sense, the study of IR, in addition to multilateral relations, concerns al ...

. He then studied at the

National War College In the United States, the National War College (NWC) is a school within the National Defense University. It is housed in Roosevelt Hall on Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C., the third-oldest Army post still active. History The National ...

. Irving then joined 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 worked there for 32 years. In September 1972,

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 until Resignation of Richard Nixon, his resignation in 1974. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican ...

nominated Irving to be United States Ambassador to Iceland. He served there until 1976. In 1976, President

Gerald Ford Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr. (born Leslie Lynch King Jr.; July 14, 1913December 26, 2006) was the 38th president of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, Ford assumed the p ...

nominated Irving as

and he held this position until 1977. President

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (October 1, 1924December 29, 2024) was an American politician and humanitarian who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party ...

then named him

. Irving retired in 1978, and died on November 13, 2016.

Bibliography

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Irving, Frederick 1921 births 2016 deaths 20th-century American diplomats 20th-century Unitarians 21st-century American male writers Ambassadors of the United States to Iceland Ambassadors of the United States to Jamaica American autobiographers American expatriates in Austria American expatriates in Iceland American expatriates in Jamaica American expatriates in New Zealand Jewish American military personnel American people of Moldovan-Jewish descent American people of Russian-Jewish descent American prisoners of war in World War II American Unitarians American Unitarian Universalists Brown University alumni Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Carter administration personnel Converts to Unitarianism from Judaism Deaths from cancer in Massachusetts Ford administration personnel Harvard Kennedy School faculty National War College alumni Nixon administration personnel People from Amherst, Massachusetts People from Providence, Rhode Island World War II prisoners of war held by Germany The Fletcher School at Tufts University alumni United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II United States assistant secretaries of state United States Foreign Service personnel Economists from Massachusetts Economists from Rhode Island United States Army Air Forces officers Classical High School alumni Stalag Luft III prisoners of World War II