Harry E. T. Thayer

Ambassador Harry E. T. Thayer
宋賀德
United States Ambassador to Singapore
In office December 13, 1980 – June 14, 1984
President	Jimmy Carter Ronald Reagan
Preceded by	Richard F. Kneip
Succeeded by	J. Stapleton Roy
Personal details
Born	Harry Elstner Talbott Thayer (1927-09-10)September 10, 1927 Boston, Massachusetts
Died	January 21, 2017(2017-01-21) (aged 89) Washington, DC
Relatives	Nate Thayer (son)
Alma mater	Yale University

Harry Elstner Talbott Thayer (Chinese:宋賀德, September 10, 1927 – January 21, 2017)[1][2] was an American diplomat who served as the seventh United States Ambassador to Singapore from 1980 to 1985.[3]

Early life, family and education

Thayer was born in Boston, Massachusetts.

From 1945 to 1946, Thayer served in the US Navy. He attended Yale University and graduated in 1951.

His son, Nate, was a journalist who gained recognition after he interviewed Pol Pot in 1997.

Career

Thayer worked for Newsweek from 1952 to 1954, followed by two years with the Philadelphia Bulletin.

He entered the State Department's service in 1956, and until 1971 worked in Hong Kong, Taipei and China. From 1971 to 1975 he was a member of the US Mission at the United Nations, and then returned again to China, until 1980, when he was appointed ambassador to Singapore, succeeding Richard F. Kneip, who resigned his post.[4] In 1984 he was appointed to lead the American Institute in Taiwan.[5]

References

1. "Harry Thayer". The Washington Post. February 22, 2017. Retrieved September 2, 2022.
2. "Travels With LBJ: "Son, if you do it again, I will poison your soup"". Archived from the original on January 23, 2022. Retrieved February 19, 2017.
3. "The Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training Foreign Affairs Oral History Project AMBASSADOR HARRY E.T. THAYER" (PDF). Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training. November 19, 1990. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 12, 2024. Retrieved July 12, 2024.
4. Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States, Jimmy Carter, 1980–1981, Book 2: May 24 to September 26, 1980. Government Printing Office. p. 1834.
5. "Institute Head Named". Spartanburg Herald-Journal. June 6, 1984. p. 2. Retrieved December 5, 2010.

Diplomatic posts
Preceded by Richard F. Kneip	United States Ambassador to Singapore 1980–1984	Succeeded by J. Stapleton Roy
Preceded by James R. Lilley	Director of the American Institute in Taiwan 1984–1986	Succeeded by David Dean