George Edward Moose (born June 23, 1944) is an American diplomat who served as the chair of the board of directors of the

United States Institute of Peace The United States Institute of Peace (USIP) is an American independent, nonprofit, national institute funded by the U.S. Congress and tasked with promoting conflict resolution and prevention worldwide. See alsPDF on USIP website. It provides rese ...

from 2021-2025. He formerly served as

Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs The assistant secretary of state for African affairs is the head of the Bureau of African Affairs, within the United States Department of State, who guides operation of the U.S. diplomatic establishment in the countries of sub-Saharan Africa and ...

from 1993 to 1997, Representative to the United Nations in Geneva from 1997 to 2001, and as Ambassador to the Republics of

Benin Benin, officially the Republic of Benin, is a country in West Africa. It was formerly known as Dahomey. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the north-west, and Niger to the north-east. The majority of its po ...

and

Senegal Senegal, officially the Republic of Senegal, is the westernmost country in West Africa, situated on the Atlantic Ocean coastline. It borders Mauritania to Mauritania–Senegal border, the north, Mali to Mali–Senegal border, the east, Guinea t ...

in the 1980s and 1990s. He is primarily known for serving as Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs in the

Clinton Administration Bill Clinton's tenure as the 42nd president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 1993, and ended on January 20, 2001. Clinton, a Democrat from Arkansas, took office following his victory over Republican in ...

during the

Rwandan genocide 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 ...

. Moose was fired as CEO and removed from the USIP board on by the

Trump administration Presidency of Donald Trump may refer to: * First presidency of Donald Trump, the United States presidential administration from 2017 to 2021 * Second presidency of Donald Trump, the United States presidential administration since 2025 See also * ...

. The reason cited was noncompliance with a recent

executive order In the United States, an executive order is a directive by the president of the United States that manages operations of the federal government. The legal or constitutional basis for executive orders has multiple sources. Article Two of the ...

on repurposing federally-supported foreign assistance.

Biography

George Moose was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

in 1944 and was raised in

Denver, Colorado Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

. He earned a degree from

Grinnell College Grinnell College ( ) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Grinnell, Iowa, United States. It was founded in 1846 when a group of Congregationalism in the United States, Congregationalis ...

and attended the Maxwell School of

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York, United States. It was established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church but has been nonsectarian since 1920 ...

before entering the

Foreign Service Foreign Service may refer to: * Diplomatic service, the body of diplomats and foreign policy officers maintained by the government of a country * United States Foreign Service, the diplomatic service of the United States government **Foreign Service ...

in 1967. Ambassador Moose had early assignments in Washington D.C.,

Barbados Barbados, officially the Republic of Barbados, is an island country in the Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies and the easternmost island of the Caribbean region. It lies on the boundary of the South American ...

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

, and the U.N. in New York. He speaks Vietnamese and French. Secretary Moose headed the American delegation which participated in the first

Tokyo International Conference on African Development is a conference held regularly with the objective "to promote high-level policy dialogue between African leaders and development partners." Japan is a co-host of these conferences. Other co-organizers of TICAD are the United Nations Office of t ...

in October 1993. In 2002 he was promoted to the rank of

Career Ambassador Career ambassador is a personal rank of Foreign Service officers within the United States Department of State Senior Foreign Service. The rank of career ambassador is awarded by nomination of the president and confirmation by the United States Sen ...

. Moose is currently teaching a course at the

George Washington University The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally-chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Originally named Columbian College, it was chartered in 1821 by ...

Elliott School of International Affairs The Elliott School of International Affairs (known as the Elliott School or ESIA) is the professional school of international relations, foreign policy, and international development of the George Washington University, in Washington, D.C. It is ...

entitled "Reinventing the United Nations" and is currently a fellow at the

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 ...

Institute of Politics, where he leads a study group on Africa in the multilateral system. He has served on the Board of Directors of Search for Common Ground since 2003. Moose was fired as CEO and removed as president of the US Institute of Peace (USIP) board on as part of efforts by the

to redirect or terminate federally‑supported foreign assistance programs. White House spokesperson Anna Kelly cited USIP's "noncompliance" with a recent

from president

Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

as the reason for his dismissal. Kelly said "Rogue bureaucrats will not be allowed to hold agencies hostage. The Trump administration will enforce the president's executive authority and ensure his agencies remain accountable to the American people." Moose vowed legal action, saying that "What has happened here today is an illegal takeover by elements of the executive branch of a private non-profit". On May 19, 2025 the action was declared illegal and null and void.Klasfeld, Adam,
Trump's "gross usurpation of power," blocked
', ''All Rise News'',

Substack Substack is an American online platform that provides publishing, payment, analytics, and design infrastructure to support subscription-based content, including newsletters, podcasts, and video. It allows writers to send digital content directl ...

, May 19, 2025

References

External links

Legacy
Ambassador George E.Moose donated high-definition audiovisual life story interviews to Legacy.
United States Department of State: Career of George Edward Moose
* , - , - , - 1944 births 20th-century American diplomats African-American diplomats Ambassadors of the United States to Benin Ambassadors of the United States to Senegal Assistant secretaries of state for African affairs Atlantic Council George Washington University faculty Grinnell College alumni Harvard Fellows Living people People from Denver Permanent representatives of the United States to the United Nations Office at Geneva Syracuse University alumni United States career ambassadors United States Foreign Service personnel {{US-diplomat-stub