Ralph Elihu Becker
Ralph Elihu Becker Sr. (January 29, 1907 – August 24, 1994) was an American diplomat and attorney who served as U.S. Ambassador to Honduras from 1976–1977 under the Ford administration. He was a founding trustee of the National Center for the Performing Arts and served as its general counsel during the Eisenhower administration and until 1976.
Ralph Elihu Becker | |
|---|---|
| United States Ambassador to Honduras | |
| In office October 27, 1976 – August 1, 1977 | |
| President | Gerald Ford |
| Preceded by | Phillip V. Sanchez |
| Succeeded by | Mari-Luci Jaramillo |
| Personal details | |
| Born | January 29, 1907 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Died | August 24, 1994 (aged 87) Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Resting place | Arlington National Cemetery |
| Children | Ralph Becker |
| Alma mater | St. John's University (LLB) |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service |  United States Army |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
Early life and education
Ralph Becker was born on January 29, 1907, in New York City, to a tailor from Lithuania and a mother from Minsk.[1] He took night courses at the City College of New York earned his law degree from St. John's University law school in 1928.[1][2]
Career
He served in the Judge Advocate General's Corps in World War II as a part of the 30th Infantry Division.[1] He landed in Normandy after D-Day and won a Bronze Star, along with medals from the Belgian, French, and Dutch governments.[1][2]
After his discharge, he worked as a lawyer in Westchester County, New York.[1][3] He went to Washington, D. C. and was the chairman for the Young Republican National Committee from 1946 to 1950.[1][2] In the 1960s, he joined an Arctic expedition that he had helped sponsor, and brought back a pair of polar bears as a gift for the National Zoo in Washington, D.C.[1][2] From 1976 to 1977, he was appointed Ambassador to Honduras.[1][2]
Personal life
Becker died of congestive heart failure at the George Washington University Hospital on August 24, 1994.[1][2] He was interred soon afterwards in Arlington National Cemetery.[4]
His son Ralph Elihu Becker Jr. was elected Mayor of Salt Lake City, Utah in 2007.[5][6]
References
- Saxon, Wolfgang (1994-08-26). "Ralph E. Becker, 87, Lawyer And Ex-Ambassador, Is Dead". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-09-28.
- Smith, J.Y. (25 August 1994). "Lawyer and Ambassador Ralph E. Becker Dies at 87". The Washington Post.
- Mak, Dayton; Kennedy, Charles Stuart (1992). American Ambassadors in a Troubled World: Interviews with Senior Diplomats: Interviews with Senior Diplomats. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-0-313-06576-7.
- "Burial Detail: Becker, Ralph E". ANC Explorer.
- "Washington-area obituaries of note". The Washington Post.
- Woodruff, Daniel (2015-11-03). "Biskupski leads Becker in SLC mayoral race". KUTV. Retrieved 2020-09-28.