Diana Villiers Negroponte
Encyclopedia
Diana Mary Villiers Negroponte (born 1947) is an English
-born American
trade
lawyer
and adjunct professor of law
at Fordham University
whose professional name is Diana Villiers Negroponte. She is the wife of John Negroponte
, the former United States Deputy Secretary of State
and former U.S. Director of National Intelligence.
A descendant of Charles II
's mistress Barbara Villiers, Duchess of Cleveland, and George Villiers, 4th Earl of Clarendon
, who served as Queen Victoria's three-time Foreign Secretary, she was born in London
. Her father was Sir Charles Villiers
, a merchant banker who was the chairman of British Steel
from 1974 until 1988; her mother was Sir Charles's second wife, the former Countess Marie Josée de la Barre d’Erquelinnes.
While visiting her uncle, British Ambassador
Sir Peter Wilkinson
, in Vietnam
in 1968, Diana Villiers met John Negroponte at a dinner given in her honor and he "explained the constitutional assembly throughout the whole meal!" she said. "I was terrified -- and bored. Terrified that he might ask me something I didn't know the answer to, and bored because I was just an 18-year-old." She recalled, "The next day he's on the same Pan Am flight I am, going to Paris. When I got out 19 hours later in Paris, I was heads over heels in love with this guy."
They were married eight years later, on December 14, 1976. As Diana Negroponte recalled in an interview with The Washington Post
, "I met his mother at a wedding in London. I asked her, 'How is your son doing?' She groans. John was 36 and unmarried. Mother got to work and mother pulled it off. Six months later we were married." The Negropontes have five adopted children, Marina, Alexandra, John, George and Sophia, all of whom were adopted from Honduras
.
Diana Villiers Negroponte has a doctorate
in government from Georgetown University
and a JD
from American University
's Washington College of Law. She also studied at the London School of Economics
. She served a term as an associate at Georgetown University
's Institute for the Study of Diplomacy
and a teaching position at Fordham University
in The Bronx
. She is a member of the board of Freedom House
, the Leadership Council of Habitat for Humanity's New York City
chapter, the board of the Women's Foreign Policy Group, and the board of directors of Opportunity International
.
She most recently appeared on a C-SPAN
Washington Journal
. to discuss US-Argentina relations in March 2008.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
-born American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
trade
Trade
Trade is the transfer of ownership of goods and services from one person or entity to another. Trade is sometimes loosely called commerce or financial transaction or barter. A network that allows trade is called a market. The original form of trade was barter, the direct exchange of goods and...
lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
and adjunct professor of law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
at Fordham University
Fordham University
Fordham University is a private, nonprofit, coeducational research university in the United States, with three campuses in and around New York City. It was founded by the Roman Catholic Diocese of New York in 1841 as St...
whose professional name is Diana Villiers Negroponte. She is the wife of John Negroponte
John Negroponte
John Dimitri Negroponte is an American diplomat. He is currently a research fellow and lecturer in international affairs at Yale University's Jackson Institute for Global Affairs...
, the former United States Deputy Secretary of State
United States Deputy Secretary of State
The Deputy Secretary of State of the United States is the chief assistant to the Secretary of State. If the Secretary of State resigns or dies, the Deputy Secretary of State becomes Acting Secretary of State until the President nominates and the Senate confirms a replacement. The position was...
and former U.S. Director of National Intelligence.
A descendant of Charles II
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
's mistress Barbara Villiers, Duchess of Cleveland, and George Villiers, 4th Earl of Clarendon
George Villiers, 4th Earl of Clarendon
George William Frederick Villiers, 4th Earl of Clarendon KG, GCB, PC , was an English diplomat and statesman.-Background and education:...
, who served as Queen Victoria's three-time Foreign Secretary, she was born in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. Her father was Sir Charles Villiers
Charles Hyde Villiers
Sir Charles English Hyde Villiers, MC was a British businessman and chairman of British Steel from 1976 till 1980....
, a merchant banker who was the chairman of British Steel
British Steel
British Steel was a major British steel producer. It originated as a nationalised industry, the British Steel Corporation , formed in 1967. This was converted to a public limited company, British Steel PLC, and privatised in 1988. It was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index...
from 1974 until 1988; her mother was Sir Charles's second wife, the former Countess Marie Josée de la Barre d’Erquelinnes.
While visiting her uncle, British Ambassador
Ambassador
An ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....
Sir Peter Wilkinson
Peter Wilkinson (SOE)
Sir Peter Allix Wilkinson was a British officer and diplomat.-Career:Wilkinson served in the Special Operations Executive during World War II. He supplied the weapons used by two Czechoslovak agents to assassinate Reinhard Heydrich in 1942...
, in Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
in 1968, Diana Villiers met John Negroponte at a dinner given in her honor and he "explained the constitutional assembly throughout the whole meal!" she said. "I was terrified -- and bored. Terrified that he might ask me something I didn't know the answer to, and bored because I was just an 18-year-old." She recalled, "The next day he's on the same Pan Am flight I am, going to Paris. When I got out 19 hours later in Paris, I was heads over heels in love with this guy."
They were married eight years later, on December 14, 1976. As Diana Negroponte recalled in an interview with The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
, "I met his mother at a wedding in London. I asked her, 'How is your son doing?' She groans. John was 36 and unmarried. Mother got to work and mother pulled it off. Six months later we were married." The Negropontes have five adopted children, Marina, Alexandra, John, George and Sophia, all of whom were adopted from Honduras
Honduras
Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
.
Diana Villiers Negroponte has a doctorate
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
in government from Georgetown University
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
and a JD
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
from American University
American University
American University is a private, Methodist, liberal arts, and research university in Washington, D.C. The university was chartered by an Act of Congress on December 5, 1892 as "The American University", which was approved by President Benjamin Harrison on February 24, 1893...
's Washington College of Law. She also studied at the London School of Economics
London School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science is a public research university specialised in the social sciences located in London, United Kingdom, and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
. She served a term as an associate at Georgetown University
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
's Institute for the Study of Diplomacy
Diplomacy
Diplomacy is the art and practice of conducting negotiations between representatives of groups or states...
and a teaching position at Fordham University
Fordham University
Fordham University is a private, nonprofit, coeducational research university in the United States, with three campuses in and around New York City. It was founded by the Roman Catholic Diocese of New York in 1841 as St...
in The Bronx
The Bronx
The Bronx is the northernmost of the five boroughs of New York City. It is also known as Bronx County, the last of the 62 counties of New York State to be incorporated...
. She is a member of the board of Freedom House
Freedom House
Freedom House is an international non-governmental organization based in Washington, D.C. that conducts research and advocacy on democracy, political freedom and human rights...
, the Leadership Council of Habitat for Humanity's New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
chapter, the board of the Women's Foreign Policy Group, and the board of directors of Opportunity International
Opportunity International
Opportunity International is an organization that provides small business loans, savings, insurance and training to more than two million people working their way out of poverty in the developing world...
.
She most recently appeared on a C-SPAN
C-SPAN
C-SPAN , an acronym for Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network, is an American cable television network that offers coverage of federal government proceedings and other public affairs programming via its three television channels , one radio station and a group of websites that provide streaming...
Washington Journal
Washington Journal
Washington Journal is an American television series on the C-SPAN network in the format of a political call-in and interview program. The program features elected officials, government administrators and journalists as guests, answering questions from the hosts and from members of the general...
. to discuss US-Argentina relations in March 2008.