William Markley (Mark) Bellamy (born August 31, 1950)[1] is an American diplomat. A career Foreign Service Officer, he served as United States ambassador to Kenya from 2003 to 2006 under President George W. Bush.

William Markley Bellamy
United States Ambassador to Kenya
In office
April 16, 2003 – June 25, 2006
PresidentGeorge W. Bush
Preceded byJohnnie Carson
Succeeded byMichael Ranneberger
Personal details
Born (1950-08-31) August 31, 1950 (age 73)
Okmulgee, Oklahoma, U.S.
EducationOccidental College (BA)
Tufts University (MA)
Graduate Institute of International Studies

Early life and education edit

Bellamy was born in Okmulgee, Oklahoma, in 1950. He earned a BA from Occidental College, an MA from Tufts University Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy and a diploma from the Graduate Institute of International Studies in Geneva.[2]

Career edit

Ambassador to Kenya edit

 
Bellamy opened the Lion's Bluff Lodge in the LUMO Community Wildlife Sanctuary
 
Bellamy following the 2006 Nairobi building collapse

In his role as United States Ambassador to Kenya, Bellamy led international efforts to handle the AIDS crisis and combat corruption.[3] In August 2004, Bellamy opened a community-owned tourist lodge named Lion's Bluff in the LUMO Community Wildlife Sanctuary. In January 2006, Bellamy was involved in rescue efforts following the collapse of a building on Nairobi's Ngala Street that killed four people.[4][5]

Later career edit

After being Ambassador to Kenya, Bellamy was senior vice president of the National Defense University. Bellamy later retired from diplomacy in 2007. He now advises the Center for Strategic and International Studies and is a professor at Simmons University.[3] In October 2019, Bellamy was a signatory to a letter by national security officials demanding protection for the anonymous whistleblower that sparked the impeachment inquiry against Donald Trump.[6]

References edit

  1. ^ "Bellamy, William M." U.S. Department of State Archive. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
  2. ^ Department Of State. The Office of Electronic Information, Bureau of Public Affairs. "Bellamy, William M." 2001-2009.state.gov. Retrieved 26 September 2021.
  3. ^ a b "William Mark Bellamy". Center for Strategic and International Studies. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
  4. ^ "4 killed as Nairobi building collapses". Daily Nation. 23 January 2006.
  5. ^ "More victims pulled from building collapse rubble". Associated Press. 25 January 2006.
  6. ^ "An Open Letter to the American People" (PDF). Wall Street Journal. October 2019.
Preceded by United States Ambassador to Kenya
2003 – 2006
Succeeded by