Everett F. Drumright Explained

Everett F. Drumright
Birth Date:1906 9, mf=yes
Birth Place:Drumright, Oklahoma, U.S.
Death Place:Poway, California, U.S.
Resting Place:Arlington National Cemetery
Ambassador From:United States
Country:China
Term Start:March 8, 1958
Term End:March 8, 1962
Predecessor:Karl L. Rankin
Successor:Alan G. Kirk
President:Dwight D. Eisenhower
John F. Kennedy

Everett Francis Drumright (September 15, 1906 - April 24, 1993) was an American diplomat who served in a variety of posts, including as U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of China (Taiwan).[1]

Early years

Drumright was born in Drumright, Oklahoma. He graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a degree in business administration in 1929.[2] After graduation, Drumright briefly worked for his father's business while studying for the Foreign service exam.

Foreign Service career

On January 2, 1931, Drumright began his diplomatic career as a Vice-consul in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico. He held a variety of posts with the United States Department of State, including as a language officer in China and Tokyo.[3] In 1945, he was named as the chief of the U.S. Division of Chinese Affairs.[4]

From 1948 to 1951, Drumright was station in South Korea, participating the establishment of the U.S. Embassy Seoul.[5] From 1951 until 1953, he worked overseas with posts in Embassy New Delhi, and Consulate General Bombay.[6] [7] In 1953 he was named Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs, and served in that post for several years.[8] [9] [10]

United States Ambassador

In 1958, Drumright was nominated by President Dwight D. Eisenhower to serve as U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of China on Taiwan. He was subsequently confirmed by the United States Senate.[11] Drumright continued to serve in the role throughout the early years of John F. Kennedy's presidency.[12] [13]

In 1960, Drumright worked to establish the fourth Surplus Agricultural Commodities Agreement between the Republic of China and the United States. Under the terms of the agreement, the government of the Republic of China would purchase surplus agricultural commodities and pay the United States in New Taiwan dollars. The United States agreed to then allocate those dollars towards mutual defense projects and educational exchange programs.[14]

During his tenure in Taiwan, Drumright worked closely with Secretary of State John Foster Dulles and President Chiang Kai-shek during the crisis over Quemoy and Matsu, two islands off the China coastline. The islands were the target of takeover attempts and a propaganda campaign by the Communist Government in Beijing.[15]

While Ambassador, Drumright resided in the building that is now known as the Taipei Film House. Drumright retired from government service in 1962.[16]

Personal

Drumright was married to Florence Teets Drumright in 1953. He served on the board of the Chinese Historical Society of Southern California.

He died in 1993 at the age of 86 at Pomerado Hospital in Poway, California.[17]

Legacy

Drumright's public papers now belong to the diplomatic archives collection at the University of Oklahoma.[18] [19]

After his death, a scholarship fund was established in Drumright's name to support international students at the University of Illinois at Chicago.[20]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Everett Francis Drumright - People - Department History - Office of the Historian. history.state.gov. 2019-04-07.
  2. Web site: EX-U.S. ENVOY INVOLVED IN TAIWAN DISPUTE. Service. New York Times News. chicagotribune.com. en-US. 2019-04-07.
  3. Web site: Memorandum by Mr. Everett F. Drumright Teaching American History. en. 2019-04-07.
  4. News: Everett F. Drumright, 86, Is Dead; Envoy to Taiwan in Tense Period. Saxon. Wolfgang. 1993-04-27. The New York Times. 2019-04-07. en-US. 0362-4331.
  5. Web site: 5 December 1988 . The Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training Foreign Affairs Oral History Project AMBASSADOR EVERETT DRUMRIGHT . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240719013749/https://www.adst.org/OH%20TOCs/Drumright,%20Everett.1988.toc.pdf . 19 July 2024 . 16 July 2024 . Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training.
  6. Web site: Overview of the Everett F. Drumright Letters. oac.cdlib.org. 2019-04-07.
  7. Book: Rapport, Aaron. Waging War, Planning Peace: U.S. Noncombat Operations and Major Wars. 2015-05-07. Cornell University Press. 9780801455636. en.
  8. Web site: Everett F. Drumright. www.nndb.com. 2019-04-07.
  9. Book: Oyen, Meredith. The Diplomacy of Migration: Transnational Lives and the Making of U.S.-Chinese Relations in the Cold War. registration. 110. everett drumright.. 2016-02-19. Cornell University Press. 9781501701474. en.
  10. Web site: EXECUTIVE SESSIONS OF THE SENATE PERMANENT SUBCOMMITTEE ON INVESTIGATIONS OF THE COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS. www.govinfo.gov. 2019-04-07.
  11. Web site: 1960 - Principals and Chiefs Chronological Listing - People - Department History - Office of the Historian. history.state.gov. 2019-04-07.
  12. Book: Connecticut, Thomas G. Paterson Professor of History University of. Kennedy's Quest for Victory : American Foreign Policy, 1961-1963: American Foreign Policy, 1961-1963. 1989-02-16. Oxford University Press, USA. 9780198021483. en.
  13. Book: F, Kennedy, John. Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: John F. Kennedy, 1961. 1962-01-01. Best Books on. 9781623768997. en.
  14. Web site: Foreign Relations of the United States, 1961–1963, Volume XXII, Northeast Asia - Office of the Historian. history.state.gov. 2019-04-07.
  15. Web site: Interview with Everett Drumright. Library of Congress. 2019-04-07.
  16. Web site: BRIEFING OF THE HONORABLE EVERETT F. DRUMRIGHT CIA FOIA (foia.cia.gov). https://web.archive.org/web/20170122214639/https://www.cia.gov/library/readingroom/document/cia-rdp80b01676r004300180002-6. dead. January 22, 2017. www.cia.gov. 2019-04-07.
  17. News: Obituaries : Everett F. Drumright; Envoy to Taiwan During Crisis. 1993-04-28. Los Angeles Times. 2019-04-07. en-US. 0458-3035.
  18. Web site: Diplomatic Archive. www.ou.edu. 2019-04-07.
  19. Web site: Drumright, Everett Francis Manuscript Collection lib. lib.ou.edu. 2019-04-07.
  20. Web site: Everett and Florence Drumright Scholarship Office of International Affairs. 2019-04-07.