Pierre Robert Graham (August 10, 1922 – April 24, 1988) was an American diplomat. He was the

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 ...

Ambassador to Upper Volta (now

Burkina Faso Burkina Faso is a landlocked country in West Africa, bordered by Mali to the northwest, Niger to the northeast, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Ivory Coast to the southwest. It covers an area of 274,223 km2 (105,87 ...

) from 1974 to 1978.

Biography

Graham was born on August 10, 1922, at St. Nazaire, Brittany, France. His father, William H. Graham, who died in 1940, met and married his wife Jeanne Marie Augereau while serving in the US military during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

in St. Nazaire. At the age of 19, Pierre left France for the United States enrolled in the Merchant Marine Academy in Kingsport, New York; after graduating, he continued to serve in the US Navy from 1943 through 1946 as a lieutenant in the Pacific. After the war, he married Lorraine Shurman, and received his master's degree from the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...

. Graham joined the U.S. Foreign Service in 1949. He saw overseas posts as an economic officer in

Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...

from 1951 to 1954, political officer in

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

from 1954 to 1957, as well as

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

from 1957 to 1958, and deputy principal officer in

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 ...

from 1958 to 1961. He became a personnel officer to the U.S. State Departement, in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, from 1962 to 1964. From 1964 to 1966, he was deputy chief of mission in

Guinea Guinea, officially the Republic of Guinea, is a coastal country in West Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Guinea-Bissau to the northwest, Senegal to the north, Mali to the northeast, Côte d'Ivoire to the southeast, and Sier ...

. In 1966, he was detailed to the National War College. He was the US Representative to

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

from 1969 to 1979. He later became chargé d'Affaires in

Jordan Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and Israel and the occupied Palestinian ter ...

from 1973 to 1974. He was nominated as United States Ambassador to Upper Volta by President Nixon in 1974 and remained in that post until he retired in 1978. Graham retired in the

Maureillas-las-Illas Maureillas-las-Illas (; ) is a rural Communes of France, commune in the Vallespir, Pyrénées-Orientales in the south of France. The commune belongs to the ''Communauté de communes'' of Vallespir uniting Maureillas-las-Illas with nine other commun ...

near Céret, France, in the

Pyrenees Mountains The Pyrenees are a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. They extend nearly from their union with the Cantabrian Mountains to Cap de Creus on the Mediterranean coast, reaching a maximum elevation of at the peak of Aneto. F ...

close to the border between France and Spain. He lived there with his second wife, Dr. Helgard Planken Graham (1928–2016) until he died on April 24, 1988. Graham left behind his sister and three daughters, Diane Lyn Cooper, Katherine Joan Graham, and Patricia Ann Reed, as well as five grandchildren in the

, two nephews and their 3 daughters in France. He is interred at

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is the largest cemetery in the United States National Cemetery System, one of two maintained by the United States Army. More than 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington County, Virginia. ...

.Burial Detail: Graham, Pierre R
– ANC Explorer

References

1922 births 1988 deaths Ambassadors of the United States to Burkina Faso University of Chicago alumni United States Foreign Service personnel Burials at Arlington National Cemetery French emigrants to the United States United States Navy personnel of World War II American expatriates in Morocco American expatriates in Lebanon American expatriates in Senegal American expatriates in Guinea American expatriates in Jordan {{US-diplomat-stub