David Paul Rawson (September 10, 1941 – September 16, 2020)[1] was an American diplomat who served as the United States Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Rwanda and Mali.[2] His service in Rwanda occurred during the Rwandan genocide of 1994.
David Rawson | |
|---|---|
 David Rawson in February 1997 | |
| Born | David Paul Rawson September 10, 1941 |
| Died | September 16, 2020 (aged 79) |
| Education | Malone College (B.A.) American University (M.A., PhD) |
| Occupation(s) | Diplomat, Professor |
Early life and education
editRawson was born in Addison, Michigan as the son of missionaries. In 1947 he moved to Burundi with his parents, where his father ran a medical clinic.[3]
In 1958, Rawson returned to the United States and attended Malone College (B.A.) and American University (M.A. and PhD).[4] After completing his PhD, he returned to Malone College and taught for six years before joining the United States Department of State.[3] Rawson also received a postdoctoral grant to investigate the relationship between the political situation and religious culture in the countries of Rwanda and Burundi.[5]
Career
editFrom 1986 to 1988, Rawson was a deputy chief of mission for the American Embassy in Somalia, and from 1989-1991, he was director of the Office of West African Affairs within the State Department's Bureau of African Affairs.[5]
From 1993 to 1996, Rawson served as an ambassador to Rwanda, a nation then experiencing ethnic tensions between the Hutus and Tutsis. When the plane of Rwandan president Juvénal Habyarimana, a Hutu, was shot down, the Hutus blamed it on the Tutsis, leading to a genocide between April and July 1994. The United States government ordered American officials, including Rawson, to leave the country.[3]
After the Rwandan Patriotic Front took control of the government in July 1994, Rawson returned to Rwanda to provide emergency relief and to negotiate peace agreements.[3] Rawson later stated, however, that he believed he failed in his role as a peacekeeper during his tenure as ambassador.[6]
From 1996 to 1999, Rawson served as the U.S. ambassador to the Republic of Mali.[2]
Post-diplomatic career
editAfter retiring from foreign affairs in 1999, Rawson moved to Michigan and taught at Spring Arbor University and Hillsdale College.[3]
After 2018 Rawson lived in Oregon and taught at George Fox University.[3] He donated his personal archives to the university, including declassified documents used in the research of his book Prelude to Genocide: Arusha, Rwanda, and the Failure of Diplomacy.[5]
Personal life
editRawson's first wife Viola Mosher died in an automobile accident in 1977.[7][8] He was in the vehicle at the time of the crash and stated that this incident was the "most trying circumstance" of his life.[7]
Rawson was a Christian.[4][7] Rawson lived in Newberg, Oregon until his death on September 16, 2020.[8]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "In memoriam of David P. Rawson (1941-2020)". Malone University. Retrieved September 2, 2022.
- ^ a b "David P. Rawson - People - Department History - Office of the Historian". history.state.gov. Retrieved 2020-08-12.
- ^ a b c d e f Nester, Alex (2018-04-26). "Remembering Africa: Rwandan ambassador and Hillsdale professor to leave after semester". Hillsdale Collegian. Retrieved 2020-08-12.
- ^ a b "Ambassador". church-of-st-john. Retrieved 2020-08-12.
- ^ a b c "David Rawson, former U.S. Ambassador to Rwanda, donates archives to George Fox". News Releases. 2019-01-03. Retrieved 2020-08-12.
- ^ "ghosts of rwanda". www.pbs.org. 2004-04-01. Retrieved 2020-08-14.
- ^ a b c Spring Arbor University (June 21, 2017). "Let the redeemed of the Lord say so -- David Rawson". YouTube. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
- ^ a b "In memory". The Foreign Service Journal. Vol. 98, no. 1. January–February 2021. p. 87. Retrieved October 9, 2022.