Max Kampelman (born Max Kampelmacher; November 7, 1920 – January 25, 2013) was an American diplomat.

Biography

Kampelman was born in

New York, New York New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on New York Harbor, one of the world's largest natural harb ...

to Jewish Romanian immigrant parents on 7 November 1920. He grew up in the Bronx, New York, attending Jewish parochial schools and the Talmudical Academy High School.. He received his B.A. from New York University in 1940 and LL.B., also from New York University, in 1947, and an honorary LL.D. from

Bates College Bates College () is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Lewiston, Maine. Anchored by the Historic Quad, the campus of Bates totals with a small urban campus which includes 33 Victorian ...

in 1986. At the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota Twin Cities (historically known as University of Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint ...

, he earned an M.A. in political science in 1946, an M.A. in public administration in 1947, and a Ph.D. in political science in 1952. His career started during the

Second World War 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

conscientious objector A conscientious objector is an "individual who has claimed the right to refuse to perform military service" on the grounds of freedom of conscience or religion. The term has also been extended to objecting to working for the military–indu ...

. To fulfill his draft obligation, he volunteered for the

Minnesota Starvation Experiment The Minnesota Starvation Experiment, also known as the Minnesota Semi-Starvation Experiment, the Minnesota Starvation-Recovery Experiment and the Starvation Study, was a clinical study performed at the University of Minnesota between November 19, 1 ...

at the

undertaken by nutritionist

Ancel Keys Ancel Benjamin Keys (January 26, 1904 – November 20, 2004) was an American physiologist who studied the influence of diet on health. In particular, he hypothesized that replacing dietary saturated fat with polyunsaturated fat reduced c ...

. Upon completing the one-year experiment, he renounced pacifism and went on to become a lawyer, diplomat and educator. He served from 1949 to 1955 as Legislative Counsel to Minnesota Senator Hubert H. Humphrey. Kampelman was chairman of the Washington public broadcasting radio and television stations from 1963 to 1970; and he hosted the

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series ''

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'' from 1969 to 1971. He served as Ambassador to the

Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe The Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) was a key element of the détente process during the Cold War. Although it did not have the force of a treaty, it recognized the boundaries of postwar Europe and established a mechanism ...

from 1980 to 1983; Ambassador and Head of the United States Delegation to the Negotiations with the Soviet Union on Nuclear and Space Arms in

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from 1985 to 1989; and as Counselor to the

United States Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or simply the State Department, is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy of the United State ...

from 1987 to 1989. He then rejoined the law firm of Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver, & Jacobson LLP, where he was

of counsel Of counsel is the title of an attorney in the legal profession of the United States who often has a relationship with a law firm or an organization but is neither an associate nor partner. Some firms use titles such as "counsel", "special couns ...

. Kampelman was a member of the Board of Advisors for the think-tank

Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs The Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA), formerly named the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs, is a Washington, D.C.–based, non-profit and think tank. History JINSA was founded in 1976, three years after ...

(JINSA). From 1958 to 1985 he served on the board of trustees of the Institute for American Universities, a non-profit study abroad organization for U.S. undergraduates in Aix-en-Provence, France. He was vice chairman 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 1992 to 2001. At the time of his death, he was co-chair of the American Committee for Peace in Chechnya and a member of the Committee on the Present Danger, a policy institute that favors larger defense budgets and arms build-ups. In 1984, he received the Golden Plate Award of the

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presented by Awards Council member Ambassador

Sol Linowitz Sol Myron Linowitz (December 7, 1913 – March 18, 2005) was an American diplomat, lawyer, and businessman. Early life Linowitz was born to a Jewish family in Trenton, New Jersey. He was a graduate of Trenton Central High School, Hamilton Co ...

. On January 18, 1989, President

Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party and became an important figure in ...

awarded Kampelman the

Presidential Citizens Medal The Presidential Citizens Medal is an award bestowed by the president of the United States. It is the second-highest civilian award in the United States and is second only to the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Established by executive order on N ...

. On August 11, 1999, President Clinton awarded him the

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. On May 22, 2008, at a ceremony held at the US State Department in Washington, D.C., Kampelman was presented by the

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with its Democracy Service Medal in recognition of his lifetime achievement in advancing the principles of freedom, human rights, and democracy. In May and June 1990, Ambassador Kampelman returned to the negotiation table of the CSCE for the successful Copenhagen Declaration. He was personally commended by President

George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushBefore the outcome of the 2000 United States presidential election, he was usually referred to simply as "George Bush" but became more commonly known as "George H. W. Bush", "Bush Senior," "Bush 41," and even "Bush th ...

for his delegation's "major role in that historic achievement". Kampelman served as a motivating force behind the op-ed "A World Free of Nuclear Weapons", published on January 4, 2007, in ''

The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...

'' by George P. Shultz,

Henry Kissinger Henry Alfred Kissinger (May 27, 1923 – November 29, 2023) was an American diplomat and political scientist who served as the 56th United States secretary of state from 1973 to 1977 and the 7th National Security Advisor (United States), natio ...

Sam Nunn Samuel Augustus Nunn Jr. (born September 8, 1938) is an American politician who served as a United States Senator from Georgia (1972–1997) as a member of the Democratic Party. After leaving Congress, Nunn co-founded the Nuclear Threat Initi ...

and

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Legacy

Kampelman received thirteen honorary Doctorate degrees, as well as the Knight Commander's Cross of the

Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (, or , BVO) is the highest state decoration, federal decoration of the Federal Republic of Germany. It may be awarded for any field of endeavor. It was created by the first List of president ...

. * ''The Communist Party vs. The C.I.O: A Study in Power Politics'' (Praeger, 1957) * Autobiography: ''Entering New Worlds: The Memoirs of a Private Man in Public Life'' (HarperCollins, 1991)

Citations

References

Legends in the Law: Max Kampelman

International Who's Who. accessed September 4, 2006.
A World Free of Nuclear Weapons.
''The Wall Street Journal''. accessed August 26, 2008.

Additional resources

* Th
Papers of Max M. Kampelman
are available for research use at th
Minnesota Historical Society

External links