Wilbert J. Le Melle Explained

Wilbert John Le Melle
Ambassador From:United States
Country:Kenya
Term Start:May 11, 1977
Term End:June 28, 1980
Predecessor:Anthony D. Marshall
Successor:William Caldwell Harrop
Ambassador From2:United States
Country2:Seychelles
Term Start2:May 11, 1977
Term End2:June 28, 1980
Predecessor2:Anthony D. Marshall
Successor2:William Caldwell Harrop
Birth Date:November 11, 1931
Birth Place:New Iberia, Louisiana, United States
Death Date:January 11, 2003 (aged 71)
Death Place:New Rochelle, New York
Spouse:Yvonne T. Le Melle (née Tauriac)
Party:Democratic
Children:4

Wilbert John Le Melle (November 11, 1931 – January 11, 2003) was an American diplomat, author and academician. He served as an Ambassador of The United States to the Republic of Kenya and to the Republic of Seychelles from 1977 to 1980.[1] He was also a president of Mercy College (New York) and of the Phelps Stokes Fund.[2] [3]

Biography

Born on November 11, 1931, in New Iberia, Louisiana, he was one of eight children born to Therese and Eloi LeMelle.[4] [5] Initially studying to become a priest, he received a Bachelor of Arts in 1955 and a Master of Arts in 1956 from Notre Dame Seminary. He left the seminary at age 24 and then earned a Ph.D. in political science/international relations in 1963 from the University of Denver. He served in the United States Army from 1957 to 1959.

He was an assistant professor in of history and philosophy at Grambling State University between 1956 and 1961. Between 1963 until 1965 he worked in the Department of Government at Boston University as an assistant professor and research associate in the African Studies Program. In February 1965 he started work at the Ford Foundation, as a program officer for West Africa. He spent the next nine years living in various parts of Africa with his family while his job location changed, places like Kenya, Maghreb, Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia. In 1977, president Jimmy Carter asked Le Melle to serve as Ambassador of the United States to the Republic of Kenya and the Seychelles.

From 1981 to 1985, he served as vice-chancellor of the State University of New York. In 1985, he was appointed as president of Mercy College, now Mercy University, in New York[6] From 1990 to 2000, he served as President of the Phelps Stokes Fund.[7]

Notes and References

  1. News: Carter Names 10 as Ambassadors Accepting Advice of New Board. 7 February 2015. Associated Press. The New York Times. 8 April 1977.
  2. Web site: Wilbert J. LeMelle Sr. (1931-2003) . blackpast.org. 12 June 2015.
  3. Web site: 19 May 1991, 10 - The Daily Item at . Newspapers.com . 1991-05-19 . 2022-06-05.
  4. Web site: Jimmy Carter: United States Ambassador to Kenya and Seychelles - Nomination of Wilbert J. Le Melle. The American Presidency Project. 2017-11-17.
  5. News: 3 December 1998 . The Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training Foreign Affairs Oral History Project AMBASSADOR WILBERT LEMELLE . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240627032424/https://adst.org/OH%20TOCs/LeMelle,%20Wilbert.toc.pdf . 27 June 2024 . 25 July 2024 . Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training.
  6. News: TimesMachine: Sunday June 30, 1985 - NYTimes.com . en . The New York Times . 2023-09-29.
  7. Web site: Bragg . Susan . 2015-06-12 . Wilbert J. LeMelle Sr. (1931-2003) • . 2023-09-29 . en-US.