Robert E. Lamb (born November 17, 1936) was

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

Assistant Secretary of State for Administration The Assistant Secretary of State for Administration is the head of the Bureau of Administration in the United States Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an United States federal executiv ...

from 1983 to 1985;

Assistant Secretary of State for Diplomatic Security The Assistant Secretary of State for Diplomatic Security is the head of the Bureau of Diplomatic Security in the United States Department of State. The Assistant Secretary of State for Diplomatic Security reports to the Under Secretary of State ...

from 1987 to 1989; and

United States Ambassador to Cyprus This is a list of ambassadors of the United States to Cyprus. Until 1960 Cyprus had been a colony of the British Empire. On August 16, 1960, Cyprus gained its independence from the United Kingdom. The United States recognized the new nation a ...

from 1990 to 1993.

Biography

Robert E. Lamb was born in

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,71 ...

, on November 17, 1936. He was educated at the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universit ...

, receiving an

A.B. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four ye ...

in 1962. After college, Lamb joined 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 ...

beginning a career as a

Foreign Service Officer A Foreign Service Officer (FSO) is a commissioned member of the United States Foreign Service. Foreign Service Officers formulate and implement the foreign policy of the United States. FSOs spend most of their careers overseas as members of U ...

. A career diplomat, he rose through the ranks of the

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

to become Director of the

United States Passport United States passports are passports issued to citizens and nationals of the United States of America. They are issued exclusively by the U.S. Department of State. Besides passports (in booklet form), limited-use passport cards are issued ...

Office in the

Bureau of Consular Affairs The Bureau of Consular Affairs (CA) is a bureau of the United States Department of State reporting to the under secretary of state for management. The mission of the Bureau is to administer laws, formulate regulations and implement policies re ...

and Director of Financial Services. In 1983,

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 of America. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal gove ...

Ronald Reagan nominated Lamb as

, and Lamb held this office from December 19, 1983, until July 1, 1985. He then became Director of the

Bureau of Diplomatic Security The Bureau of Diplomatic Security, commonly known as Diplomatic Security (DS), is the security branch of the United States Department of State. It conducts international investigations, threat analysis, cyber security, counterterrorism, and p ...

. In 1987, the head of the Bureau of Diplomatic Security was elevated to the rank of Assistant Secretary and President Reagan named Lamb as the first

. Lamb held this office from June 19, 1987, until August 9, 1989. President

George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushSince around 2000, he has been usually called George H. W. Bush, Bush Senior, Bush 41 or Bush the Elder to distinguish him from his eldest son, George W. Bush, who served as the 43rd president from 2001 to 2009; p ...

then nominated Lamb as

, with Lamb presenting his credentials on November 30, 1990, and serving as Ambassador to Cyprus until October 24, 1993. Lamb retired from the Foreign Service in 1994. He then became Executive Director of the American Philatelic Society in State College, Pennsylvania. He retired from that position in 2006. Under his administration, the Society moved its headquarters to an historic, former Match Factory in

Bellefonte, Pennsylvania Bellefonte is a borough in, and the county seat of, Centre County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It is approximately twelve miles northeast of State College and is part of the State College, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area. The bor ...

. Upon his retirement, the Society named the Executive wing of the headquarters complex in his honor.

References

President Reagan's Nomination of Lamb as Assistant Secretary of State for Diplomatic Security

President Bush's Nomination of Lamb as Ambassador to Cyprus
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lamb, Robert E. 1936 births Living people United States Assistant Secretaries of State Ambassadors of the United States to Cyprus University of Pennsylvania alumni People from Fairfax County, Virginia People from Atlanta United States Foreign Service personnel Sigma Alpha Epsilon members