Charles S. Whitehouse
Encyclopedia
Charles Sheldon Whitehouse (November 5, 1921 – June 25, 2001) was an American career Foreign Service Officer. He was U.S. Ambassador to Laos
and Thailand
in the 1970s.
, France
, the son of Sheldon Whitehouse (1883–1965) and Mary Alexander Whitehouse. His father was a Foreign Service officer, and served as U.S. Minister to Guatemala, 1930–33, and to Colombia, 1933-34. He was a great-grandson of Charles Crocker
, and a grandson of Charles Beatty Alexander and Harriet Crocker. He was also a great-grandson of Henry John Whitehouse
, Episcopal bishop of Illinois. He was raised in Europe and South America.
, where he was a classmate of William F. Buckley
, to join the United States Marine Corps
. He attended Navy flight school and became a Marine dive bomber pilot and saw combat in the Pacific theater
, where he was awarded 7 Distinguished Flying Crosses
and received 21 Air Medal
s. After his separation from the Marine Corps in 1946, he reentered Yale University. In 1947 he was tapped as a member of the Skull and Bones
Society.
and worked in the Congo, Turkey, Belgium and Cambodia. He moved over to the State Department
in 1956 to serve as Assistant to the Undersecretary for Economic Affairs, and in 1959 he became a regular Foreign Service Officer. He later served as the State Department's Congo Desk Officer, and also served on the staff of the Department's Office of Personnel. He attended the National War College, and graduated in 1966.
Following a tour to the Republic of Guinea, 1969–1970, as Deputy Chief of Mission, Mr. Whitehouse served two tours of duty in Vietnam. During his first tour, he was Deputy for Civil Operations and Rural Development Support. He returned to Washington in 1971 to become Acting Assistant Secretary for East Asian Affairs and returned to Vietnam in 1972 as Deputy Ambassador under Ambassador Ellsworth Bunker
.
In September 1973, Mr. Whitehouse became Ambassador to Laos, his first of two ambassadorships. In Laos he oversaw decreasing American military aid to Hmong
who had been fighting a proxy war against Communist forces (Pathet Lao
and North Vietnamese Army troops) in northern Laos. Eight months after Mr. Whitehouse left Vientiane
to take up his new post as Ambassador to Thailand
in Bangkok in April 1975, the Communists seized power and proclaimed the Lao People's Democratic Republic.
Mr. Whitehouse's arrival in Bangkok coincided with a crisis in United States-Thai relations that followed the collapse of South Vietnam, and which was aggravated by the Marine recapture of the SS Mayagüez
, an American ship that Cambodian Communist gunboats had seized in the Gulf of Thailand
. It was also a time of serious political unrest in Thailand, which culminated in the bloody suppression of student demonstrations on October 6, 1976, and a military coup that overthrew the elected government shortly thereafter. Mr. Whitehouse presided over the closing of the last American bases in Thailand in 1976, an action the Thais had requested. He also oversaw the creation and management of the resettlement camps in Thailand that helped refugees from the wars in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia resettle in the U.S. and other countries.
In addition to his military decorations, Mr. Whitehouse received the State Department's Superior Honor Award, the Agency for International Development Distinguished Honor Award, and the State Department's Distinguished Honor Award. He was also a member of the French Legion of Honor.
and Chairman of Lycée Rochambeau
of Bethesda, Maryland. He later became Chairman of the Piedmont Environmental Council
in Warrenton, Virginia
and was instrumental in blocking the Disney Corporation's efforts to build an amusement park and other developments on and near historic lands in Northern Virginia.
In 1988, Mr. Whitehouse was called out of retirement by Defense Secretary Frank Carlucci
to become the first Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low Intensity Conflicts, with the assignment of strengthening cooperation among Army, Navy and Air Force special forces after a series of disagreements and botched operations. He served in this position until 1989.
Mr. Whitehouse became a joint master of foxhounds of the Orange County Hunt in The Plains, Virginia, in 1990. He served in that capacity until his death.
Mr. Whitehouse was tall, elegant and regal-looking, and in 1966 the Washington Post named him one of the "Ten Most Attractive Men in Washington." He was an excellent off-the-cuff speaker and raconteur, and he had a flair for the theatrical that continued into his retirement. He played George Washington
in a documentary on the general, and once played the Marquis de Lafayette in a Fauquier County Historical Society ceremony commemorating Lafayette's 1825 visit to Warrenton, Virginia.
and Charles Whitehouse, and a daughter, Sarah Whitehouse Atkins. He married a second time, to Janet Ketchum Grayson. He died June 25, 2001 at the age of 79 of cancer at his home near Marshall, Virginia.
Laos
Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
and Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
in the 1970s.
Early life
Mr. Whitehouse was born November 5, 1921 in ParisParis
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, the son of Sheldon Whitehouse (1883–1965) and Mary Alexander Whitehouse. His father was a Foreign Service officer, and served as U.S. Minister to Guatemala, 1930–33, and to Colombia, 1933-34. He was a great-grandson of Charles Crocker
Charles Crocker
Charles Crocker was an American railroad executive.-Early years:Crocker was born in Troy, New York, to a modest family and moved to an Indiana farm at age 14. He soon became independent, working on several farms, a sawmill, and at an iron forge. In 1845 he founded a small, independent iron...
, and a grandson of Charles Beatty Alexander and Harriet Crocker. He was also a great-grandson of Henry John Whitehouse
Henry John Whitehouse
Henry John Whitehouse was the second Episcopal bishop of Illinois.-Early life:Whitehouse was born in New York City, the son of John Whitehouse and Eliza Norman. He graduated from Columbia University in 1821, and from the General Theological Seminary in 1824. Whitehouse was ordained deacon in...
, Episcopal bishop of Illinois. He was raised in Europe and South America.
U.S. Marine Corps
In 1942, he interrupted his studies at Yale UniversityYale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
, where he was a classmate of William F. Buckley
William F. Buckley, Jr.
William Frank Buckley, Jr. was an American conservative author and commentator. He founded the political magazine National Review in 1955, hosted 1,429 episodes of the television show Firing Line from 1966 until 1999, and was a nationally syndicated newspaper columnist. His writing was noted for...
, to join the United States Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
. He attended Navy flight school and became a Marine dive bomber pilot and saw combat in the Pacific theater
Pacific War
The Pacific War, also sometimes called the Asia-Pacific War refers broadly to the parts of World War II that took place in the Pacific Ocean, its islands, and in East Asia, then called the Far East...
, where he was awarded 7 Distinguished Flying Crosses
Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)
The Distinguished Flying Cross is a medal awarded to any officer or enlisted member of the United States armed forces who distinguishes himself or herself in support of operations by "heroism or extraordinary achievement while participating in an aerial flight, subsequent to November 11, 1918." The...
and received 21 Air Medal
Air Medal
The Air Medal is a military decoration of the United States. The award was created in 1942, and is awarded for meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight.-Criteria:...
s. After his separation from the Marine Corps in 1946, he reentered Yale University. In 1947 he was tapped as a member of the Skull and Bones
Skull and Bones
Skull and Bones is an undergraduate senior or secret society at Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut. It is a traditional peer society to Scroll and Key and Wolf's Head, as the three senior class 'landed societies' at Yale....
Society.
Government career
Upon graduation from Yale in 1947, Mr. Whitehouse joined the Central Intelligence AgencyCentral Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
and worked in the Congo, Turkey, Belgium and Cambodia. He moved over to the State Department
United States Department of State
The United States Department of State , is the United States federal executive department responsible for international relations of the United States, equivalent to the foreign ministries of other countries...
in 1956 to serve as Assistant to the Undersecretary for Economic Affairs, and in 1959 he became a regular Foreign Service Officer. He later served as the State Department's Congo Desk Officer, and also served on the staff of the Department's Office of Personnel. He attended the National War College, and graduated in 1966.
Following a tour to the Republic of Guinea, 1969–1970, as Deputy Chief of Mission, Mr. Whitehouse served two tours of duty in Vietnam. During his first tour, he was Deputy for Civil Operations and Rural Development Support. He returned to Washington in 1971 to become Acting Assistant Secretary for East Asian Affairs and returned to Vietnam in 1972 as Deputy Ambassador under Ambassador Ellsworth Bunker
Ellsworth Bunker
Ellsworth F. Bunker was an American businessman and diplomat...
.
In September 1973, Mr. Whitehouse became Ambassador to Laos, his first of two ambassadorships. In Laos he oversaw decreasing American military aid to Hmong
Hmong people
The Hmong , are an Asian ethnic group from the mountainous regions of China, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand. Hmong are also one of the sub-groups of the Miao ethnicity in southern China...
who had been fighting a proxy war against Communist forces (Pathet Lao
Pathet Lao
The Pathet Lao was a communist political movement and organization in Laos, formed in the mid-20th century. The group was ultimately successful in assuming political power after the Laotian Civil War. The Pathet Lao were always closely associated with Vietnamese communists...
and North Vietnamese Army troops) in northern Laos. Eight months after Mr. Whitehouse left Vientiane
Vientiane
-Geography:Vientiane is situated on a bend of the Mekong river, which forms the border with Thailand at this point.-Climate:Vientiane features a tropical wet and dry climate with a distinct monsoon season and a dry season. Vientiane’s dry season spans from November through March. April marks the...
to take up his new post as Ambassador to Thailand
United States Ambassador to Thailand
This is a list of Ambassadors of the United States to Thailand.Thailand has had continuous bilateral relations with the United States since 1882. Relations were interrupted during World War II when Bangkok was occupied by Japanese forces. Normal relations were resumed after the war in 1945.The...
in Bangkok in April 1975, the Communists seized power and proclaimed the Lao People's Democratic Republic.
Mr. Whitehouse's arrival in Bangkok coincided with a crisis in United States-Thai relations that followed the collapse of South Vietnam, and which was aggravated by the Marine recapture of the SS Mayagüez
SS Mayagüez
SS Mayaguez was a U.S.-flagged container ship that attained notoriety for its 12 May 1975 seizure by Khmer Rouge forces of Cambodia, which resulted in a confrontation with the United States at the close of the Vietnam War....
, an American ship that Cambodian Communist gunboats had seized in the Gulf of Thailand
Mayagüez incident
The Mayaguez incident between the Khmer Rouge and the United States from May 12–15, 1975, was the last official battle of the Vietnam War. The names of the Americans killed, as well as those of three Marines who were left behind on the island of Koh Tang after the battle and who were subsequently...
. It was also a time of serious political unrest in Thailand, which culminated in the bloody suppression of student demonstrations on October 6, 1976, and a military coup that overthrew the elected government shortly thereafter. Mr. Whitehouse presided over the closing of the last American bases in Thailand in 1976, an action the Thais had requested. He also oversaw the creation and management of the resettlement camps in Thailand that helped refugees from the wars in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia resettle in the U.S. and other countries.
In addition to his military decorations, Mr. Whitehouse received the State Department's Superior Honor Award, the Agency for International Development Distinguished Honor Award, and the State Department's Distinguished Honor Award. He was also a member of the French Legion of Honor.
Later years
After his retirement from the Foreign Service in August 1978, Mr. Whitehouse served as President of the American Foreign Service AssociationAmerican Foreign Service Association
The American Foreign Service Association is the professional association certified by the United States Department of State, the Commercial Service, Foreign Agricultural Service, and U.S. Agency for International Development to represent members of the United States Foreign Service. AFSA's history...
and Chairman of Lycée Rochambeau
Lycee Rochambeau
Lycée Rochambeau is a French international school in the Washington, D.C. suburb of Bethesda, Maryland.-School and Community:Lycée Rochambeau was founded in 1955, and presently, with a total enrollment of approximately 1100 students, it is the largest of the nine French schools in the United States...
of Bethesda, Maryland. He later became Chairman of the Piedmont Environmental Council
Piedmont Environmental Council
Piedmont Environmental Council is a Virginia organization devoted to promoting and protecting the Piedmont area's rural economy, natural resources, history, and beauty....
in Warrenton, Virginia
Warrenton, Virginia
Warrenton is a town in Fauquier County, Virginia, United States. The population was 6,670 at the 2000 census, and 14,634 at the 2010 estimate. It is the county seat of Fauquier County. Public schools in the town include Fauquier High School, Warrenton Middle School, Taylor Middle School and two...
and was instrumental in blocking the Disney Corporation's efforts to build an amusement park and other developments on and near historic lands in Northern Virginia.
In 1988, Mr. Whitehouse was called out of retirement by Defense Secretary Frank Carlucci
Frank Carlucci
Frank Charles Carlucci III is a former official in the United States Government, associated with the Republican Party. The most prominent office held by Carlucci was as Secretary of Defense from 1987 until 1989 in the Reagan Administration.-Early life and career:Carlucci was born in Scranton,...
to become the first Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low Intensity Conflicts, with the assignment of strengthening cooperation among Army, Navy and Air Force special forces after a series of disagreements and botched operations. He served in this position until 1989.
Mr. Whitehouse became a joint master of foxhounds of the Orange County Hunt in The Plains, Virginia, in 1990. He served in that capacity until his death.
Mr. Whitehouse was tall, elegant and regal-looking, and in 1966 the Washington Post named him one of the "Ten Most Attractive Men in Washington." He was an excellent off-the-cuff speaker and raconteur, and he had a flair for the theatrical that continued into his retirement. He played George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
in a documentary on the general, and once played the Marquis de Lafayette in a Fauquier County Historical Society ceremony commemorating Lafayette's 1825 visit to Warrenton, Virginia.
Personal life
Mr. Whitehouse's first marriage to Molly Rand ended in divorce. From this marriage, he had two sons, Sheldon WhitehouseSheldon Whitehouse
Sheldon Whitehouse is the junior U.S. Senator from Rhode Island, serving since 2007. He is a member of the Democratic Party...
and Charles Whitehouse, and a daughter, Sarah Whitehouse Atkins. He married a second time, to Janet Ketchum Grayson. He died June 25, 2001 at the age of 79 of cancer at his home near Marshall, Virginia.
Further reading
- http://www.nytimes.com/2001/07/01/world/charles-s-whitehouse-79-diplomat-and-cia-official.html
- http://www.rilin.state.ri.us/BillText/BillText01/SenateText01/S1039.htm
- http://sfgate.info/cgi-bin/article/article?f=/c/a/2001/07/14/MN76806.DTL
- http://politicalgraveyard.com/bio/whitehouse.html
- Personal recollections of David Sciacchitano;
- "Charles S. Whitehouse; Foreign Service Officer Fought Va. Disney Park" The Washington Post, June 30, 2001, Graeme Zielinski;
- "Future U.S. policy and action: Defense department perspective", Charles S. Whitehouse, Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, 1521-0731, Volume 11, Issue 6, 1988, Pages 546 – 550