Frederick Ernest Nolting Jr. (August 24, 1911 – December 14, 1989) was a

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

diplomat who served as

United States Ambassador to South Vietnam Following the end of World War II in Asia, French Fourth Republic, France attempted to regain control of Vietnam, as part of French Indochina, which it had lost to Empire of Japan, Japan in 1941. At the conclusion of the First Indochina War, the ...

from 1961 to 1963.

Early life and education

Nolting was born in

Richmond, Virginia Richmond ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. Incorporated in 1742, Richmond has been an independent city (United States), independent city since 1871. ...

to Frederick Ernst Nolting Sr. and his wife, the former Mary Buford. Nolting Jr. graduated from the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson and contains his The Lawn, Academical Village, a World H ...

in 1933, where he was a member of the Virginia Glee Club and the Washington Literary Society and Debating Union, with a BA in history. He then received a master's degree from

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

in 1941 and his Ph.D. from the University of Virginia. He served 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 ...

during

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 ...

Career

Nolting joined the State Department in 1946, where he acted as special assistant to 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 ...

for mutual security affairs. He was appointed as a member of the United States delegation to the

North Atlantic Treaty Organization The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental transnational military alliance of 32 member states—30 European and 2 North American. Established in the aftermat ...

(NATO) in 1955. In 1957 he was appointed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower as alternate permanent representative to NATO, and in 1961 he was appointed by President John F. Kennedy as United States Ambassador to South Vietnam. Following his government service, Nolting went to work for Morgan Guaranty Trust Company, and in 1970 joined the faculty of the University of Virginia and became founding director of the Miller Center of Public Affairs. In 1988 he published his memoir ''From Trust to Tragedy: The Political Memoirs of Frederick Nolting, Kennedy's Ambassador to Diem's Vietnam''. Olson, James Stuart ''Historical Dictionary of 1960s'' (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1999)

Personal life

Nolting married Olivia Lindsay Crumpler in 1940. They had four children – Molly, Jane, Grace and Frances. In 1946, he purchased " Sully", the former estate home of Richard Bland Lee, first Congressman from Northern Virginia, built in 1794. He was the last private owner of that estate.

Death

Nolting died on December 14, 1989, aged 78, in

Charlottesville, Virginia Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville, is an independent city (United States), independent city in Virginia, United States. It is the county seat, seat of government of Albemarle County, Virginia, Albemarle County, which surrounds the ...

. He was buried at St. Paul's Churchyard, Ivy, Albemarle County, Virginia.New York Times, ''Frederick Nolting Jr., U.S. Envoy To Saigon in 60's, Is Dead at 78'' (New York, December 16, 1989)

References

External links

Interview with Frederick Nolting
in 1981 as part of the WGBH serie
Vietnam: A Television HistoryInterview with Fredick Nolting
in 1982 by the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library {{DEFAULTSORT:Nolting, Frederick 1911 births 1989 deaths Ambassadors of the United States to South Vietnam United States Navy personnel of World War II Military personnel from Richmond, Virginia Businesspeople from Richmond, Virginia Writers from Richmond, Virginia University of Virginia faculty University of Virginia alumni Harvard University alumni 20th-century American businesspeople