Joseph Palmer II (June 16, 1914 – August 15, 1994) 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

State Department The United States Department of State (DOS), or simply the State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs o ...

official whose career focused on U.S. relations with

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

. Palmer entered 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 ...

in 1939."Joseph Palmer II Dies; Former U.S. Ambassador To Libya and Nigeria," ''The Washington Post'', Aug. 17, 1994. In 1941, he began a four-year tour of duty as consular officer in

Nairobi Nairobi is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Kenya. The city lies in the south-central part of Kenya, at an elevation of . The name is derived from the Maasai language, Maasai phrase , which translates to 'place of cool waters', a ...

. He then served as assistant chief of the African division of the

in Washington, 1945–49. He held various diplomatic positions in Africa throughout the 1950s. In 1960, following agitation by Nigerian nationalists, the

British Empire The British Empire comprised the dominions, Crown colony, colonies, protectorates, League of Nations mandate, mandates, and other Dependent territory, territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It bega ...

relinquished its control over

Colonial Nigeria Colonial Nigeria was ruled by the British Empire from the mid-nineteenth century until 1st of October 1960 when Nigeria achieved independence. Britain Lagos Treaty of Cession, annexed Lagos Colony, Lagos in 1861 and established the Oil River ...

and

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

entered the

Commonwealth of Nations The Commonwealth of Nations, often referred to as the British Commonwealth or simply the Commonwealth, is an International organization, international association of member states of the Commonwealth of Nations, 56 member states, the vast majo ...

as an independent nation on October 1, 1960. In preparation for Nigerian independence, on September 23, 1960, President Dwight D. Eisenhower appointed Palmer as the United States' first Ambassador to Nigeria. Palmer established the American embassy in

Lagos Lagos ( ; ), or Lagos City, is a large metropolitan city in southwestern Nigeria. With an upper population estimated above 21 million dwellers, it is the largest city in Nigeria, the most populous urban area on the African continent, and on ...

on October 1, 1960, and presented his credentials to the

Government of Nigeria The federal government of Nigeria is composed of three distinct branches: Federal Ministries of Nigeria, the executive, the National Assembly (Nigeria), legislative, and the Supreme Court of Nigeria, judicial, whose powers are vested and bestow ...

three days later. The official Declaration of Independence was signed in the main boardroom of the Federal Palace Hotel in Lagos. When the Nigerian First Republic was proclaimed in October 1963, Palmer was re-accredited, presenting his new credentials to the government on December 12, 1963. Palmer's tenure as Ambassador to Nigeria ended on January 16, 1964. President Lyndon B. Johnson appointed Palmer as Director General of the Foreign Service on February 16, 1964, and Palmer served in this capacity until April 10, 1966. On April 1, 1966, President Lyndon B. Johnson appointed Palmer as the third U.S.

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 ...

. He served in this post until July 7, 1969. The next day, he took up his position as the U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of Libya, having been appointed by President

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 ...

. Palmer was present in

Libya Libya, officially the State of Libya, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya border, the east, Sudan to Libya–Sudan border, the southeast, Chad to Chad–L ...

on September 1, 1969, when a group of military officers led by

Muammar al-Gaddafi Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar al-Gaddafi (20 October 2011) was a Libyan military officer, revolutionary, politician and political theorist who ruled Libya from 1969 until his assassination by Libyan rebel forces in 2011. He came to power ...

staged a coup d’état against King Idris while he was in

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

for medical treatment. After the 1969 coup, Gaddafi closed American and British bases and partially nationalized foreign oil and commercial interests in Libya. Gaddafi's anti-American attitude and his support of international

terrorism Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of violence against non-combatants to achieve political or ideological aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violence during peacetime or in the context of war aga ...

led the United States to recall Ambassador Palmer on November 7, 1972.James Morrison, "Embassy Row", ''The Washington Times'', May 14, 2009.

References

External links

Investment Guarantee Agreement Between the United States and Nigeria, signed by Ambassador Palmer in 1962

Photo in the Jan. 1965 issue of ''The Rotarian'' shows Palmer being presented with a medal from the Rotary Club of Lagos

Photo in the Sept. 1965 issue of ''Negro World'' show Palmer congratulating Howard Thurman on his retirement

Spread in Oct. 1968 ''Ebony'' magazine contains photo of Ambassador Palmer speaking with Zambian diplomats
{{DEFAULTSORT:Palmer, Joseph 1914 births 1994 deaths Ambassadors of the United States to Libya Assistant secretaries of state for African affairs Ambassadors of the United States to Nigeria American expatriates in Kenya Directors general of the United States Foreign Service Harvard College alumni Georgetown University alumni 20th-century American diplomats