Morton Isaac Abramowitz (January 20, 1933 – November 29, 2024) was an American diplomat and U.S.

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. Starting his overseas career in

Taipei , nickname = The City of Azaleas , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Taiwan#Asia#Pacific Ocean#Earth , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Country ...

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

, after joining the foreign service, he served as U.S. Ambassador to Thailand and Turkey and as the

Assistant Secretary of State for Intelligence and Research The assistant secretary of state for intelligence and research is the head of the Bureau of Intelligence and Research (INR) within the United States Department of State. Before 1986, the head of INR was the director of the Bureau of Intelligenc ...

. He retired from the State Department with the rank of Career Ambassador. In his later life, he acted as president of the

Carnegie Endowment for International Peace The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (CEIP) is a nonpartisan international affairs think tank headquartered in Washington, D.C., with operations in Europe, South Asia, East Asia, and the Middle East, as well as the United States. Foun ...

, served as co-chair of the

Bipartisan Policy Center The Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) is a Washington, D.C.–based think tank that promotes bipartisanship. The organization aims to combine ideas from both the Republican and Democratic parties to address U.S. policy challenges. History BPC w ...

's Turkey Initiative, and founded the

International Crisis Group The International Crisis Group (ICG; also known as the Crisis Group) is a global non-profit, non-governmental organisation founded in 1995. It is a think tank, used by policymakers and academics, conducting research and analysis on global crises. ...

Early life

Morton Isaac Abramowitz was born in

Lakewood Township, New Jersey Lakewood Township is the most populous township in Ocean County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. A rapidly growing community, as of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 135,158, its highest decennial count ever and a ...

, on January 20, 1933, the son of Mendel and Dora (Smith) Abramowitz. His parents were Jewish immigrants from Lithuania. He received his B.A. from

Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...

(in history and economics) in 1953. He then attended

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 ...

, earning an M.A. in 1955. Abramowitz served in the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...

and U.S. Army Reserves from 1958 to 1961. In 1956, Abramowitz joined the

United States Department of Labor The United States Department of Labor (DOL) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government. It is responsible for the administration of federal laws governing occupational safety and health, wage and hour standards, unemp ...

as a management intern and, then, as a labor economist from 1957–58, while waiting for an appointment at the Department of State.

Career in the Foreign Service

In 1959, he joined 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 ...

. His first two assignments were as a consular-economic officer in

Taipei , nickname = The City of Azaleas , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Taiwan#Asia#Pacific Ocean#Earth , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Country ...

(1960–1962) and an economic officer in

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

(1963–1966). He was known as ''Ai Mo-huei'' (), his Mandarin name during his tour in

. Abramowitz returned to Washington D.C. in 1966, spending the next seven years there in various capacities, including serving as special assistant to Under Secretary

Elliot Richardson Elliot Lee Richardson (July 20, 1920December 31, 1999) was an American lawyer and Republican politician. As a member of the cabinets of Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford between 1970 and 1977, Richardson is one of two men in United States history ...

. From 1973 to 1978, Abramowitz was political adviser to the Commander-in-Chief of the Pacific Command (1973–1974) and then deputy assistant secretary of Defense for international affairs (1974–1978). In 1978,

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 ...

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 ...

named Abramowitz United States Ambassador to Thailand, and he held this post from August 9, 1978, until July 31, 1981. In 1983, President

Ronald 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 (United States), Republican Party a ...

named Abramowitz as the U.S. representative to the Mutual and Balanced Force Reduction Negotiations in

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

, with ambassadorial rank. In 1985, President Reagan nominated Abramowitz as Director of the Bureau of Intelligence and Research, and Abramowitz held this office from February 1, 1985, through May 19, 1989 (with the name of the office changing to

in 1986). In 1989, 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 ...

named Abramowitz United States Ambassador to Turkey, a post he held until 1991. In 1990, Abramowitz was awarded 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 ...

Post-Government career

Abramowitz retired from government service in 1991 and took over as president of the

. He was elected a Fellow of the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (The Academy) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and other ...

in 1995. He retired from that position in 1997. Subsequently, he was a Senior Fellow of

The Century Foundation The Century Foundation (established first as The Cooperative League and then the Twentieth Century Fund) is a progressive think tank headquartered in New York City with an office in Washington, D.C. It was founded as a nonprofit public policy r ...

and a director of the

National Endowment for Democracy The National Endowment for Democracy (NED) is a quasi-autonomous non-governmental organization in the United States founded in 1983 with the stated aim of advancing democracy worldwide and counter communism, communist influence abroad, by prom ...

. Abramowitz was a long-time board member of the

International Rescue Committee The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is a global humanitarian aid, relief, and development nongovernmental organization. Founded in 1933 as the International Relief Association, at the request of Albert Einstein, and changing its name in 1 ...

. Abramowitz played a leading role in the foundation of the

, and was a board member from its inception in 1995. Abramowitz served for nine years on the board of the

, and upon his retirement in 2007 was awarded its Democracy Service Medal.

, June 18, 2007
2007 Democracy Service Medal
/ref>

Personal life and death

In 1959, Abramowitz married Sheppie Glass, the older sister of composer

Philip Glass Philip Glass (born January 31, 1937) is an American composer and pianist. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential composers of the late 20th century. Glass's work has been associated with minimal music, minimalism, being built up fr ...

. Sheppie Abramowitz spent her career advocating on behalf of refugees and asylum seekers for the International Rescue Committee and KIND (Kids in Need of Defense). The couple were married until her death in April 2024, and had two children. Their son, Michael, worked as a journalist at ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'' before becoming president of

Freedom House Freedom House is a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C. It is best known for political advocacy surrounding issues of democracy, Freedom (political), political freedom, and human rights. Freedom House was founded in October 1941, wi ...

in 2017, and has headed the Committee on Conscience of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum; their daughter, Rachel, had a successful career as an entertainment reporter for the

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

before embarking on a second career in screenwriting with her husband, Joshua Goldin ('' Wonderful World''). Abramowitz died at his home in Washington, D.C., on November 29, 2024, at the age of 91.

Awards

* Lifetime Contributions to American Diplomacy (2006), awarded by the

American Foreign Service Association The American Foreign Service Association (AFSA), established in 1924, is the professional association of the United States Foreign Service. With over 15,000 due-paying members, AFSA represents 28,000 active and retired Foreign Service employees ...

* Democracy Service Medal (2007), awarded by the

* Joseph C. Wilson Award for International Service from the University of Rochester * Director General’s Cup of the Foreign Service (1995) *

(1990) * National Intelligence Medal (1989) *

President's Award for Distinguished Federal Civilian Service Established by President Dwight D. Eisenhower on 27 June 1957 by , the President's Award for Distinguished Federal Civilian Service was created to allow the President to recognize civilian officers or employees of the federal government who have ...

(1981, 1985, 1988)

Writing

Americans Are Ignoring Syria's Humanitarian Crisis, Washington Post, December 5, 2013
* With Richard Harris Moorsteen, * ''Moving the Glacier: The Two Koreas and the Powers'' International Institute for Strategic Studies, 1971 * ''East Asian Actors and Issues'' (1991) * ''China: Can We Have A Policy?'' Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 1997, * ed. ''Turkey's Transformation and American Policy'', Century Foundation Press, 2000, * with James T. Laney, * ed. ''The United States and Turkey: allies in need'', Century Foundation Press, 2003, * with Stephen W. Bosworth, ''Chasing the Sun: Rethinking East Asian Policy Since 1992'' Century Foundation, 2006,

References

External links

*
Foreign Service Journal article on his Lifetime Contributions to American Diplomacy Award.
*
from History Commons

Profile from the Century Foundation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Abramowitz, Morton I. 1933 births 2024 deaths 20th-century American Jews 20th-century American diplomats 21st-century American Jews Ambassadors of the United States to Thailand Ambassadors of the United States to Turkey American people of Lithuanian-Jewish descent Assistant secretaries of state for intelligence and research Carnegie Endowment for International Peace Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Harvard University alumni People from Lakewood Township, New Jersey Recipients of the President's Award for Distinguished Federal Civilian Service Stanford University School of Humanities and Sciences alumni United States assistant secretaries of state United States career ambassadors United States Department of Labor officials