John O'Leary (ambassador)
Encyclopedia
John O'Leary served as mayor of Portland, Maine
, and as United States
ambassador
to Chile
under President
Bill Clinton
.
in 1969. He later attended Clare College, Cambridge University, on a Mellon fellowship and received a Master's degree in 1971. He received a degree from Yale Law School
in 1974. While studying at Yale Law, O'Leary acted as a coach for the Yale debate team
. He then went on to a private law practice.
O'Leary married a fellow Yale student, Patricia Cepeda, the daughter of Colombia
n writer Álvaro Cepeda Samudio
, a friend of Gabriel Garcia Marquez
, the Colombian Nobel Prize
-winning novelist, journalist
and short story
writer, for whom Patricia Cepeda O'Leary worked as a translator. John and Patricia O'Leary had two daughters, the eldest of whom is the goddaughter of Marquez. The O'Learys endowed the John O'Leary and Patricia Cepeda Fellowship for the Study of Latin America at Yale College
.
in 1982, losing in the Democratic primary.
Portland, Maine
Portland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000...
, and as United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
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....
to Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
under President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
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...
.
Personal life
O'Leary was born in Portland and graduated from 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...
in 1969. He later attended Clare College, Cambridge University, on a Mellon fellowship and received a Master's degree in 1971. He received a degree from Yale Law School
Yale Law School
Yale Law School, or YLS, is the law school of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Established in 1824, it offers the J.D., LL.M., J.S.D. and M.S.L. degrees in law. It also hosts visiting scholars, visiting researchers and a number of legal research centers...
in 1974. While studying at Yale Law, O'Leary acted as a coach for the Yale debate team
Yale Debate Association
The Yale Debate Association is Yale University's only competitive intercollegiate debate team. Founded in 1908, it is the most prolific winner of the American Parliamentary Debate Association's Club of the Year award. The YDA was also the first American team to win and have the top speaker at the...
. He then went on to a private law practice.
O'Leary married a fellow Yale student, Patricia Cepeda, the daughter of Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
n writer Álvaro Cepeda Samudio
Álvaro Cepeda Samudio
Álvaro Cepeda Samudio was a Colombian journalist, novelist, short story writer, and filmmaker. Within Colombia and the rest of Latin America, he is known in his own right as an important and innovative writer and journalist, largely inspiring much of the artistically-, intellectually- and...
, a friend of Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Gabriel García Márquez
Gabriel José de la Concordia García Márquez is a Colombian novelist, short-story writer, screenwriter and journalist, known affectionately as Gabo throughout Latin America. He is considered one of the most significant authors of the 20th century. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in...
, the Colombian Nobel Prize
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895...
-winning novelist, journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
and short story
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
writer, for whom Patricia Cepeda O'Leary worked as a translator. John and Patricia O'Leary had two daughters, the eldest of whom is the goddaughter of Marquez. The O'Learys endowed the John O'Leary and Patricia Cepeda Fellowship for the Study of Latin America at Yale College
Yale College
Yale College was the official name of Yale University from 1718 to 1887. The name now refers to the undergraduate part of the university. Each undergraduate student is assigned to one of 12 residential colleges.-Residential colleges:...
.
Political career
He served as a member of the Portland City Council and for a term as that city's Mayor. He ran unsuccessful candidate for the U.S. House from Maine's First Congressional DistrictMaine's 1st congressional district
Maine's 1st congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Maine. The geographically smaller of the two congressional districts in the state, the district covers the southern coastal area of the state. The district consists of all of Cumberland, Knox, Lincoln, Sagadahoc,...
in 1982, losing in the Democratic primary.
External links
- "John O'Leary: Working towards justice for Pinochet's victims" David Sugarman, The GuardianThe GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, 20 May 2005 - "Tale of Two Ambassadors: One exposed the death squads, the other covered them up" Marc Cooper, LA WeeklyLA WeeklyLA Weekly is a free weekly tabloid-sized "alternative weekly" in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1978 by Editor/Publisher Jay Levin and a board of directors that included actor-producer Michael Douglas...
, 14 April 2005 - http://books.google.com/books?id=o6b2i2k5MkQC&pg=PA14345&lpg=PA14345&dq=%22john+o'leary%22+u.+s.+government+ambassador&source=bl&ots=eZNiX7CF0F&sig=Ek23Zy9-_dEng2CfN3okLGXxCKQ&hl=en&ei=vEY9TInnLIXWtQOc-LDaCg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CCcQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=%22john%20o'leary%22%20u.%20s.%20government%20ambassador&f=false"Nomination of John O'Leary to be United States Ambassador to Chile"] Olympia Snow, Congressional RecordCongressional RecordThe Congressional Record is the official record of the proceedings and debates of the United States Congress. It is published by the United States Government Printing Office, and is issued daily when the United States Congress is in session. Indexes are issued approximately every two weeks...
, 26 June 1998 - John O'Leary Papers Georgetown UniversityGeorgetown UniversityGeorgetown 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...