Edward J. Perkins

Perkins passed the Foreign Service exam in 1971. Through a satellite campus of the University of Southern California, he would later earn his master’s degree in 1972 and a doctorate in 1978, both of which were in public administration.[4]

Concerned with the lack of support for fellow black members of the Foreign Service, Perkins became a founding member of the Thursday Luncheon Group with John W.H. Gravely, a weekly support and advocacy group for black officers.[3] The organization has since grown to a membership of over 300. Perkins also organized members to visit the Congressional Black Caucus and advocate for recruitment programs aimed at minorities, a move which resulted in the creation of Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship.[3]

Perkins was appointed ambassador to Liberia in 1985, less than a year after Samuel Doe took control of the country. He described his role as "[insuring] the safety of the numerous Americans in Liberia..." and to "help restore the country to order and rebuild the infrastructure."[5]

Perkins was then appointed ambassador to South Africa in 1986 by President Ronald Reagan. From the beginning, this position would prove to be a challenge – the naming of the black ambassador to the post was seen as a concession by Reagan to ward off sanctions by the United States Congress. Several Black civil rights leaders approached Perkins, advising against accepting the appointment, including the Rev. Jesse Jackson.[1] Perkins, however, decided to accept the appointment regardless, citing his oath of office to 'go where needed', and believing he "might be able to do something in South Africa."[6] During his appointment tenure, Perkins focused on improving communication between blacks, whites, and other ethnic groups in the country, holding integrated receptions, attending church services, and visiting South African towns and villages.[1][7] He overcame South African black activists’ initial hostility towards him through “carefully chosen shots” at the South African regime that demonstrated solidarity with the country’s victims of apartheid, including attendance at the Delmas Treason Trial.[7][3]

Perkins left the post in 1989, to accept the position of Director General of the Foreign Service. During his tenure as the first African-American director general, Perkins instituted policies of recruitment aimed at diversifying the ranks of its officers. Perkins described the ranks of the organization at the time of his hiring as “an exclusive club: overwhelmingly white, male and Ivy-League-educated…”.[1] Efforts at hiring people of color, women, and people from Appalachia were intensified, and it was during this time that the organization recruited its first blind officer, Avraham Rabby.[1]

He continued to serve in the State Department until 1992, when he was appointed United States Ambassador to the United Nations and U.S. Representative to the United Nations Security Council.[8][9] In 1993, he was appointed representative to the Commonwealth of Australia, where he served until 1996 before retiring at the rank of Career Minister in the United States Foreign Service.

He taught at the University of Oklahoma where he served as Senior Vice Provost Emeritus of International Programs at the International Program Center, and Professor Emeritus of the School of International and Area Studies. He was a member of the American Academy of Diplomacy.[10]

In 2006, Perkins’ memoir, Mr. Ambassador, Warrior for Peace, was published by the University of Oklahoma Press.

In 2007, Perkins moved to Washington, DC. On September 3, 2009, his wife, Lucy Cheng-Mei Liu, died.

Perkins died on November 7, 2020 after a stroke.[1][11]