Wilbert J. Le Melle

Wilbert John Le Melle (November 11, 1931 – January 11, 2003) was an American diplomat, author and academician. He served as an Ambassador of The United States to the Republic of Kenya and to the Republic of Seychelles from 1977 to 1980.[1] He was also a president of Mercy College (New York) and of the Phelps Stokes Fund.[2][3]

Wilbert John Le Melle
United States Ambassador to Kenya
In office
May 11, 1977 – June 28, 1980
Preceded byAnthony D. Marshall
Succeeded byWilliam Caldwell Harrop
United States Ambassador to Seychelles
In office
May 11, 1977 – June 28, 1980
Preceded byAnthony D. Marshall
Succeeded byWilliam Caldwell Harrop
Personal details
BornNovember 11, 1931
New Iberia, Louisiana, United States
DiedJanuary 11, 2003
New Rochelle, New York
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseYvonne T. Le Melle (née Tauriac)
RelationsTilden J. Le Melle, brother
ChildrenPatrice, Wilbert, Jr., Gerald, Edward

Biography

Born on November 11, 1931, in New Iberia, Louisiana to Therese and Eloi LeMelle, one of eight kids.[4][5] Initially studying to become a priest, he received a Bachelor of Arts in 1955 and a Master of Arts in 1956 from Notre Dame Seminary. He left the seminary at age 24 and then earned a Ph.D. in political science/international relations in 1963 from the University of Denver.[4] He served in the United States Army from 1957 to 1959.

He was an assistant professor in of history and philosophy at Grambling State University between 1956 and 1961.[4] Between 1963 until 1965 he worked in the Department of Government at Boston University as an assistant professor and research associate in the African Studies Program.[4][5] In February 1965 he started work at the Ford Foundation, as a program officer for West Africa.[5] He spent the next nine years living in various parts of Africa with his family while his job location changed, places like Kenya, Maghreb, Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia.[5] In 1977, president Jimmy Carter asked Le Melle to serve as Ambassador of the United States to the Republic of Kenya and the Seychelles.

From 1981 to 1985 he served as vice-chancellor of the State University of New York. In 1985 he was appointed as president of Mercy College, now Mercy University, in New York[6] From 1990 to 2000, he served as President of the Phelps Stokes Fund.[7]

References
  1. "Carter Names 10 as Ambassadors Accepting Advice of New Board". The New York Times. Associated Press. 8 April 1977. Retrieved 7 February 2015.
  2. "Wilbert J. LeMelle Sr. (1931-2003) •". 12 June 2015.
  3. "19 May 1991, 10 - The Daily Item at". Newspapers.com. 1991-05-19. Retrieved 2022-06-05.
  4. "Jimmy Carter: United States Ambassador to Kenya and Seychelles - Nomination of Wilbert J. Le Melle". The American Presidency Project. Retrieved 2017-11-17.
  5. Jackson, Richard (December 3, 1998). "AMBASSADOR WILBERT LEMELLE" (PDF). The Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training Foreign Affairs Oral History Project.
  6. "TimesMachine: Sunday June 30, 1985 - NYTimes.com". The New York Times. Retrieved 2023-09-29.
  7. Bragg, Susan (2015-06-12). "Wilbert J. LeMelle Sr. (1931-2003) •". Retrieved 2023-09-29.


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