| Derek Shearer | |
| Office: | United States Ambassador to Finland |
| President: | Bill Clinton |
| Term Start: | July 1, 1994 |
| Term End: | October 31, 1997 |
| Predecessor: | John Hubert Kelly |
| Successor: | Eric S. Edelman |
| Birth Date: | 5 December 1946 |
| Birth Place: | Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Spouse: | Sue Toigo |
| Education: | Yale University (BA) Union Graduate School (Ph.D) |
| Residence: | Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles |
Derek Shearer (born December 5, 1946) is an American former diplomat who served as the United States Ambassador to Finland.[1] He is currently employed by Occidental College,[2] directing the McKinnon Center for Global Affairs and serving as a Chevalier Professor of Diplomacy and World Affairs.[3]
Shearer was born in Los Angeles on December 5, 1946.[4] He received a bachelor's degree from Yale University.[5] His roommate at Yale was Strobe Talbott.[6] Shearer received a doctoral degree from the Union Graduate School.[5]
Shearer held his ambassador post from 1994 through 1997, and before that served in the United States Department of Commerce.[5] He had co-written the book Economic Democracy.[7]
He is the son of gossip columnist Lloyd Shearer. He has a younger brother, Cody, and a sister, Brooke.[1] The parents of his father had immigrated from Austria.[8] His roommate Talbott married his sister Brooke.[6] Shearer was married to Ruth Yannatta Goldway, who had served as the mayor of Santa Monica, California.[7]
As of 2009, Derek Shearer lives in the Pacific Palisades community of Los Angeles[6] with his wife, Sue Toigo, a financial consultant.