Thomas D. Boyatt
Encyclopedia
Thomas David Boyatt is a former diplomat and United States Ambassador to Burkina Faso
(1978-80) and Colombia
(1980-83). He is a member of the American Academy of Diplomacy
. He was held captive for six days in a Palestinian hijacking in the 1960s. He graduated from Wyoming High School
in 1951. He continues to return to his former high school to speak to students during the Wyoming School Foundation Day.
and and graduated from Wyoming High School
in 1951, he graduated from Princeton University
with his B.A. in 1955. He later received his M.A. from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. He served in the U.S. Air Force
from 1956 to 1959.
Boyatt joined the U.S. Foreign Service in 1959. He served in various diplomatic posts around the globe, including Vice Consul in Chile
from 1960 to 1962, Assistant to the Under Secretary of the Treasury (1962-1964), Economic Officer in Luxembourg
(1964-1966), and Political Counselor in Cyprus
(1967-1970). He later became Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of State for the Near East in Washington D.C.. He was Director of Cyprus Affairs from 1971 to 1974), and was named a member of the Senior Seminar in Foreign Policy the following year. In 1975 Boyatt became Minister-Counselor at the American Embassy in Chile
. Boyatt was nominated to be the United States Ambassador to Upper Volta
in 1978 by President Jimmy Carter
, and in 1980 he was again nominated to serve diplomatically as the United States Ambassador to Colombia
. In 1983 Boyatt was promoted to the rank of Career Minister in the Foreign Service.
In 1969, Boyatt was taken hostage on board a TWA plane by Palestinian guerillas during the 1969 TWA Flight 840 hijacking . Boyatt and the other passengers were later released, and Boyatt has received many medals and awards for his bravery and heroism during the hijacking.
Although Boyatt retired from the Foreign service in 1985, he became Vice President of Sears World Trade and President of U.S. Defense Systems (USDS) in 1990. Boyatt later became a member of the Advisory Boards of the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University
and trustee from 1984 to 1988. He has also been a member of the Advisory Boards of the the Patterson School at the University of Kentucky
and is currently a Director of the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy at Georgetown University
, where he teaches. He is President of the Foreign Affairs Council, an umbrella group comprised of 11 organizations which support the Foreign Service, and Treasurer of AFSA-PAC. He is a member of the American Academy of Diplomacy and several other corporate and non-profit boards. He is married to Maxine Freedom Boyatt and has five children, Christopher Lynn Boyatt being one of his sons.
Boyatt has also been decorated by several other governments and organizations.
Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso – also known by its short-form name Burkina – is a landlocked country in west Africa. It is surrounded by six countries: Mali to the north, Niger to the east, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Côte d'Ivoire to the southwest.Its size is with an estimated...
(1978-80) and 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...
(1980-83). He is a member of the American Academy of Diplomacy
American Academy of Diplomacy
The 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...
. He was held captive for six days in a Palestinian hijacking in the 1960s. He graduated from Wyoming High School
Wyoming High School
Wyoming High School is a public high school located in a suburb of Cincinnati, Ohio. Wyoming, Ohio is part of the Wyoming City School District, Hamilton County, Ohio. Wyoming High School is known for its excellence in education, and was ranked among the top five districts in the state on the Ohio...
in 1951. He continues to return to his former high school to speak to students during the Wyoming School Foundation Day.
Biography
After Boyatt was born in OhioOhio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
and and graduated from Wyoming High School
Wyoming High School
Wyoming High School is a public high school located in a suburb of Cincinnati, Ohio. Wyoming, Ohio is part of the Wyoming City School District, Hamilton County, Ohio. Wyoming High School is known for its excellence in education, and was ranked among the top five districts in the state on the Ohio...
in 1951, he graduated from Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
with his B.A. in 1955. He later received his M.A. from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. He served in the U.S. Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
from 1956 to 1959.
Boyatt joined the U.S. Foreign Service in 1959. He served in various diplomatic posts around the globe, including Vice Consul in 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...
from 1960 to 1962, Assistant to the Under Secretary of the Treasury (1962-1964), Economic Officer in Luxembourg
Luxembourg
Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...
(1964-1966), and Political Counselor in Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
(1967-1970). He later became Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of State for the Near East in Washington D.C.. He was Director of Cyprus Affairs from 1971 to 1974), and was named a member of the Senior Seminar in Foreign Policy the following year. In 1975 Boyatt became Minister-Counselor at the American Embassy in 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...
. Boyatt was nominated to be the United States Ambassador to Upper Volta
United States Ambassador to Burkina Faso
This is a list of Ambassadors of the United States to Burkina Faso .Until 1960 Upper Volta was a French possession as a part of French West Africa...
in 1978 by President Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
, and in 1980 he was again nominated to serve diplomatically as the United States Ambassador to Colombia
United States Ambassador to Colombia
The following is a list of Ambassadors of the United States, or other chiefs of mission, to Colombia and its predecessor states. The title given by the United States State Department to this position is currently Ambassador Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary.- Gran Colombia:The following...
. In 1983 Boyatt was promoted to the rank of Career Minister in the Foreign Service.
In 1969, Boyatt was taken hostage on board a TWA plane by Palestinian guerillas during the 1969 TWA Flight 840 hijacking . Boyatt and the other passengers were later released, and Boyatt has received many medals and awards for his bravery and heroism during the hijacking.
Although Boyatt retired from the Foreign service in 1985, he became Vice President of Sears World Trade and President of U.S. Defense Systems (USDS) in 1990. Boyatt later became a member of the Advisory Boards of the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
and trustee from 1984 to 1988. He has also been a member of the Advisory Boards of the the Patterson School at the University of Kentucky
University of Kentucky
The University of Kentucky, also known as UK, is a public co-educational university and is one of the state's two land-grant universities, located in Lexington, Kentucky...
and is currently a Director of the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy 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...
, where he teaches. He is President of the Foreign Affairs Council, an umbrella group comprised of 11 organizations which support the Foreign Service, and Treasurer of AFSA-PAC. He is a member of the American Academy of Diplomacy and several other corporate and non-profit boards. He is married to Maxine Freedom Boyatt and has five children, Christopher Lynn Boyatt being one of his sons.
Awards and Honors
- Meritorious Honor Award from the U.S. State Department - 1969
- William R. Rivkin Award - 1970
- Christian A. Herter Award - 1979
- Foreign Service Cup - 1999
- Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Foreign Service AssociationAmerican Foreign Service AssociationThe 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...
(AFSA) - 2001 - Lifetime Contributions to American Diplomacy Award. - 2008
Boyatt has also been decorated by several other governments and organizations.
External Links
- Ambassador Boyatt's lecture on on the 100 Years Wars of the 20th Century in Hargreaves Hall on the Cheney Campus of Eastern Washington Universityhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26fVcO5THPM.
- Ambassador Boyatt's reflection upon his careerhttp://www.usdiplomacy.org/accessibility/transcripts/boyatt.html.
- Ambassador Boyatt on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/Thomas-D-Boyatt/124127570965655.