James Franklin Collins
Encyclopedia
James Franklin Collins is a former United States Ambassador to Russia. A career Foreign Service Officer
in the State Department
, he is a Russia
n specialist.
cum laude
in 1961 and earned a master's degree
in history
and Certificate fromm the Russian and East European Institute from Indiana University
in 1964. He studied at Moscow State University
and conducted archival research during 1965-66 as an exchange student in the history faculty and conducted research at the British Museum
in 1966 as an Indiana University fellow.
He became a professor at the United States Naval Academy
in 1967 where he taught Russian
and European history
, American government and economics.
After joining the Foreign Service
in 1969, he served at the Consulate General in Izmir
, Turkey
1969 to 1971. He was appointed as Second Secretary at the American Embassy Moscow
1973-75, and Political Counselor at the American Embassy in Amman
, Jordan
1982 to 1984.
At the State Department in Washington he held positions of Deputy Executive Secretary for Europe and Latin America; Director of the Department of State's Operations Center; and policy positions in the Bureaus of European and Canadian Affairs, Near East and South Asian Affairs, and Intelligence and Research. In the years 1987 to 1988, he served as a staff member of the National Security Council
as Director for Intelligence Policy.
He was assigned to Moscow as Deputy Chief of Mission
in 1990 and served in that capacity with three Ambassadors, Jack F. Matlock, Robert S. Strauss and Thomas R. Pickering. When Matlock retired in the summer of 1991, Collins became Chargé d'affaires
and was acting Ambassador during the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt that led to the breakup of the Soviet Union. He similarly was Chargé d'affaires when President Gorbachev signed the decree formally ending the existence of the USSR. Following his return to Washington in 1993, he then served as Senior Coordinator and Ambassador at Large and Special Advisor to the Secretary of State for the New Independent States, before being named Ambassador to Russia by President Bill Clinton
in 1997.
As Ambassador from 1997 to 2001, Collins's tenure played a role in critical moments in the development of Russian relations with the United States. In addition to several summits
between President Clinton and President Boris Yeltsin
, and the transition of power from President Yeltsin to Vladimir Putin
on New Year's Day 2000., his tenure as Ambassador was marked by the economic collapse following Russia's default in 1998 and the Kosovo crisis in [ ].
After a career in the Foreign Service, he has been active in the non-profit world and has served as a Senior Advisor at the law firm Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld
.
In January 2007 he was appointed the Director of the Russian and Eurasian Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
.
He is married to Dr. Naomi F. Collins and they have two sons, Robert and Jonathan.
Foreign Service Officer
A Foreign Service Officer is a commissioned member of the United States Foreign Service. As diplomats, Foreign Service Officers formulate and implement the foreign policy of the United States. FSOs spend most of their careers overseas as members of U.S. embassies, consulates, and other diplomatic...
in 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...
, he is a Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n specialist.
Biography
Collins graduated from Harvard UniversityHarvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
cum laude
Latin honors
Latin honors are Latin phrases used to indicate the level of academic distinction with which an academic degree was earned. This system is primarily used in the United States, Canada, and in many countries of continental Europe, though some institutions also use the English translation of these...
in 1961 and earned a master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
and Certificate fromm the Russian and East European Institute from Indiana University
Indiana University
Indiana University is a multi-campus public university system in the state of Indiana, United States. Indiana University has a combined student body of more than 100,000 students, including approximately 42,000 students enrolled at the Indiana University Bloomington campus and approximately 37,000...
in 1964. He studied at Moscow State University
Moscow State University
Lomonosov Moscow State University , previously known as Lomonosov University or MSU , is the largest university in Russia. Founded in 1755, it also claims to be one of the oldest university in Russia and to have the tallest educational building in the world. Its current rector is Viktor Sadovnichiy...
and conducted archival research during 1965-66 as an exchange student in the history faculty and conducted research at the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
in 1966 as an Indiana University fellow.
He became a professor at the United States Naval Academy
United States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in Annapolis, Maryland, United States...
in 1967 where he taught Russian
History of Russia
The history of Russia begins with that of the Eastern Slavs and the Finno-Ugric peoples. The state of Garðaríki , which was centered in Novgorod and included the entire areas inhabited by Ilmen Slavs, Veps and Votes, was established by the Varangian chieftain Rurik in 862...
and European history
History of Europe
History of Europe describes the history of humans inhabiting the European continent since it was first populated in prehistoric times to present, with the first human settlement between 45,000 and 25,000 BC.-Overview:...
, American government and economics.
After joining the Foreign Service
United States Foreign Service
The United States Foreign Service is a component of the United States federal government under the aegis of the United States Department of State. It consists of approximately 11,500 professionals carrying out the foreign policy of the United States and aiding U.S...
in 1969, he served at the Consulate General in Izmir
Izmir
Izmir is a large metropolis in the western extremity of Anatolia. The metropolitan area in the entire Izmir Province had a population of 3.35 million as of 2010, making the city third most populous in Turkey...
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
1969 to 1971. He was appointed as Second Secretary at the American Embassy Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
1973-75, and Political Counselor at the American Embassy in Amman
Amman
Amman is the capital of Jordan. It is the country's political, cultural and commercial centre and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. The Greater Amman area has a population of 2,842,629 as of 2010. The population of Amman is expected to jump from 2.8 million to almost...
, Jordan
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
1982 to 1984.
At the State Department in Washington he held positions of Deputy Executive Secretary for Europe and Latin America; Director of the Department of State's Operations Center; and policy positions in the Bureaus of European and Canadian Affairs, Near East and South Asian Affairs, and Intelligence and Research. In the years 1987 to 1988, he served as a staff member of the National Security Council
United States National Security Council
The White House National Security Council in the United States is the principal forum used by the President of the United States for considering national security and foreign policy matters with his senior national security advisors and Cabinet officials and is part of the Executive Office of the...
as Director for Intelligence Policy.
He was assigned to Moscow as Deputy Chief of Mission
Deputy Chief of Mission
A Deputy Chief of Mission , is the number-two diplomat assigned to an embassy or other diplomatic mission. He or she is usually considered the second-in-command or top lieutenant to the Head of Mission...
in 1990 and served in that capacity with three Ambassadors, Jack F. Matlock, Robert S. Strauss and Thomas R. Pickering. When Matlock retired in the summer of 1991, Collins became Chargé d'affaires
Chargé d'affaires
In diplomacy, chargé d’affaires , often shortened to simply chargé, is the title of two classes of diplomatic agents who head a diplomatic mission, either on a temporary basis or when no more senior diplomat has been accredited.-Chargés d’affaires:Chargés d’affaires , who were...
and was acting Ambassador during the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt that led to the breakup of the Soviet Union. He similarly was Chargé d'affaires when President Gorbachev signed the decree formally ending the existence of the USSR. Following his return to Washington in 1993, he then served as Senior Coordinator and Ambassador at Large and Special Advisor to the Secretary of State for the New Independent States, before being named Ambassador to Russia by President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
in 1997.
As Ambassador from 1997 to 2001, Collins's tenure played a role in critical moments in the development of Russian relations with the United States. In addition to several summits
Summit (meeting)
A summit meeting is a meeting of heads of state or government, usually with considerable media exposure, tight security and a prearranged agenda.Notable summit meetings include those of Franklin D...
between President Clinton and President Boris Yeltsin
Boris Yeltsin
Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin was the first President of the Russian Federation, serving from 1991 to 1999.Originally a supporter of Mikhail Gorbachev, Yeltsin emerged under the perestroika reforms as one of Gorbachev's most powerful political opponents. On 29 May 1990 he was elected the chairman of...
, and the transition of power from President Yeltsin to Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin served as the second President of the Russian Federation and is the current Prime Minister of Russia, as well as chairman of United Russia and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Union of Russia and Belarus. He became acting President on 31 December 1999, when...
on New Year's Day 2000., his tenure as Ambassador was marked by the economic collapse following Russia's default in 1998 and the Kosovo crisis in [ ].
After a career in the Foreign Service, he has been active in the non-profit world and has served as a Senior Advisor at the law firm Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld
Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld
Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP is a law firm founded in Dallas, Texas, in 1945 by Robert Strauss and Richard Gump. The firm now numbers more than 800 attorneys and advisers in the United States, Europe, the Middle East and Asia...
.
In January 2007 he was appointed the Director of the Russian and Eurasian Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace is a foreign-policy think tank based in Washington, D.C. The organization describes itself as being dedicated to advancing cooperation between nations and promoting active international engagement by the United States...
.
He is married to Dr. Naomi F. Collins and they have two sons, Robert and Jonathan.
Honorary degrees
- Indiana UniversityIndiana UniversityIndiana University is a multi-campus public university system in the state of Indiana, United States. Indiana University has a combined student body of more than 100,000 students, including approximately 42,000 students enrolled at the Indiana University Bloomington campus and approximately 37,000...
- University of Maryland University CollegeUniversity of Maryland University CollegeThe University of Maryland University College is located in the unincorporated community of Adelphi in Prince George's County, Maryland in the United States. Serving over 90,000 students worldwide, UMUC is the largest 4-year public university in Maryland and one of the largest distance learning...
- The Russian Academy of SciencesRussian Academy of SciencesThe Russian Academy of Sciences consists of the national academy of Russia and a network of scientific research institutes from across the Russian Federation as well as auxiliary scientific and social units like libraries, publishers and hospitals....
- Nizhniy Novgorod State Linguistics University
- Moscow State University (honorary Professor)
Awards
- Secretary of State's Award for Distinguished Service
- Department of State's Distinguished Honor Award
- Secretary of State’s Award for Career Achievement
- Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service
- NASA Medal for Distinguished Service
Non-profit board memberships
He has served as a board member or advisor to the- U.S.-Russia Business CouncilU.S.-Russia Business CouncilU.S.-Russia Business Council is a Washington-based trade association that represents the interests of 300 member companies operating in the Russian market. The Council’s mission is to expand and enhance the U.S.-Russian commercial relationship. Guided by member interests, the Council promotes an...
- American Academy of DiplomacyAmerican Academy of DiplomacyThe American Academy of Diplomacy is a private, non-profit, non-partisan, elected organization whose active membership is limited to men and women who have held positions of high responsibility in crafting and implementing American foreign policy...
- Open World Leadership Center
- American Councils for International EducationAmerican Councils for International EducationAmerican Councils for International Education is an international, non-profit, educational organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with offices and / or representative branches in over 25 countries, including most of the countries of the former Soviet Union .-Mission:American Councils for...
- CRDF Global
- Library of Foreign Literature in Moscow.