Sheldon Baird Vance (January 18, 1917 – November 12, 1995), born in Crookston,

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

, was the

U.S. Ambassador Ambassadors of the United States are persons nominated by the President of the United States, president to serve as the country's diplomat, diplomatic representatives to foreign nations, international organizations, and as Ambassador-at-large, ...

Zaire Zaire (, ), officially the Republic of Zaire (french: République du Zaïre, link=no, ), was a Congolese state from 1971 to 1997 in Central Africa that was previously and is now again known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Zaire was, ...

from May 27, 1969, through March 26, 1974. During his tenure, he developed a close relationship with

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

Mobutu Sese Seko Mobutu Sese Seko Kuku Ngbendu Wa Za Banga (; born Joseph-Désiré Mobutu; 14 October 1930 – 7 September 1997) was a Congolese politician and military officer who was the president of Zaire from 1965 to 1997 (known as the Democratic Republic o ...

, and became an ardent and vocal supporter of the President; he also supported Mobutu's aspirations for regional leadership and advocated foreign investment in Zaire and "strongly recommended" that the U.S. sell

M-16 The M16 rifle (officially designated Rifle, Caliber 5.56 mm, M16) is a family of military rifles adapted from the ArmaLite AR-15 rifle for the United States military. The original M16 rifle was a 5.56×45mm automatic rifle with a 20-roun ...

s to Mobutu. According to diplomats stationed in Zaire at the time, Vance "would not permit negative analyses of the Mobutu regime to be transmitted to

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...

."Kelly, Sean. ''America's Tyrant: The CIA and Mobutu of Zaire''. American University Press. p. 200 Vance's support of Mobutu continued even after he left Zaire; shortly after retiring from the

State Department 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 ...

, he joined a law firm representing the Zairian government. He was also briefly sent back to Zaire after his successor, Deane Hinton (who did not get along with Mobutu) was declared ''

persona non grata In diplomacy, a ' (Latin: "person not welcome", plural: ') is a status applied by a host country to foreign diplomats to remove their protection of diplomatic immunity from arrest and other types of prosecution. Diplomacy Under Article 9 of the ...

'', to patch up the American-Zairian relationship, which had soured considerably during Hinton's tenure.Young and Turner, p. 373

Life after Zaire

Vance served as senior adviser to the secretary of state, coordinator for international narcotics matters, and executive director of the President's Cabinet Committee on International Narcotics Control (1974–1977). After retiring from the Foreign Service in 1977, he practiced international law in the Washington, D.C. law firm of Vance, Joyce, Carbaugh and Fields (1977–1989). In later years, the Vances lived in

Chevy Chase Cornelius Crane "Chevy" Chase (; born October 8, 1943) is an American comedian, actor and writer. He became a key cast member in the first season of ''Saturday Night Live'', where his recurring ''Weekend Update'' segment became a staple of the ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

. Vance died in

Bethesda, Maryland Bethesda () is an unincorporated, census-designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland. It is located just northwest of Washington, D.C. It takes its name from a local church, the Bethesda Meeting House (1820, rebuilt 1849), which in ...

in 1995 at the age of 78.

Family life

His parents were Erskine Ward and Helen (Baird) Vance. He married Jean Chambers on December 28, 1939; they had two sons, Robert Clarke and Stephen Baird.

Education

High School: Austin High School, Austin, MN (1935)
University: BA,

Carleton College Carleton College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Northfield, Minnesota. Founded in 1866, it had 2,105 undergraduate students and 269 faculty members in fall 2016. The 200-acre main campus is between Northfield and the 800-acre Cowling ...

(1939)
Law School:

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

(1942)

Notable assignments

* US Official Cabinet Committee, International Narcotics Control (1974–77) * US Ambassador to Zaire (1969–74) * US Ambassador to Chad (1967–69) * US Official Senior Foreign Service Inspector (1966–67) * US Official Deputy Chief of Mission, US Embassy, Ethiopia (1962–66) * US Official Director, Office of Central African Affairs (1961–62) * US Official Bureau of Africa, Middle East, and South Asia (1958–60) * US Official First Secretary, US Embassy, Brussels (1954–58) * US Official Belgium-Luxembourg Desk Officer, Washington (1952–54) * US Official Desk Officer, Switzerland (1951–52) * US Official Consul, US Embassy, Martinique (1949–51) * US Official Vice Consul, Nice and Monaco (1946–49) * US Official Economic Analyst, US Embassy, Rio de Janeiro (1942–46)

Notes

References

An Inventory of the Sheldon and Jean Vance Papers at the Minnesota Historical Society
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vance, Sheldon B. 1917 births 1995 deaths People from Crookston, Minnesota Ambassadors of the United States to the Democratic Republic of the Congo Ambassadors of the United States to Chad Cold War diplomats Carleton College alumni Harvard Law School alumni United States Foreign Service personnel