George S. Vest

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George S. Vest
United States Ambassador to the European Union
In office 1981–1985
President	Ronald Reagan
Preceded by	Thomas O. Enders
Succeeded by	J. William Middendorf
Personal details
Born	George Southall Vest (1918-12-25)December 25, 1918 Columbia, Virginia, U.S.
Died	August 24, 2021(2021-08-24) (aged 102) Bethesda, Maryland, U.S.
Spouse	Emily Clemons ​ ​ (m. 1947; died 2015)​ [1]
Children	3
Alma mater	University of Virginia
Occupation	diplomat

George Southall Vest (December 25, 1918 – August 24, 2021) was an American diplomat and State Department official.

Life and career

Ambassador George S. Vest, former Director General of the United States Foreign Service, US Ambassador to the European Community, and Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs, is one of only sixty Foreign Service Officers to reach the rank of

in the history of the US Foreign Service.

George Vest was born in Columbia, Virginia, the son of Nancy Margaret (Robertson) and The Rev. George Southall Vest.^[2][3] He was educated at the Episcopal High School in Alexandria, Virginia, and the University of Virginia, where he graduated with a B.A. in 1941.

Volunteering for the United States Army after graduation, Vest participated in the North African landings in 1942, and served as a forward artillery observer in the Italian campaign in US Army's advance up the spine of Italy. He left the Army in 1946, having attained the rank of captain. Vest returned to the University of Virginia and received an M.A. in 1947.

In 1947, Vest joined the

.

In 1954, Vest became the Canadian Desk officer at the

.

In 1959, Vest was posted to

) from 1961 to 1963.

Vest spent 1963-1964 studying at the Naval War College.

In 1965–1967, he was deputy director of the State Department's Office of Atlantic Political-Military Affairs. In 1967, he moved to Brussels as Deputy Chief of Mission of the United States Mission to the European Commission, a post he held until 1969, when he became Deputy Chief of Mission of the United States Mission to NATO in Brussels. Vest spent 1972-1973 as chief negotiator to the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe, which led to the Helsinki Accords signed in 1975.

Vest returned to Washington, D.C., in 1973 to become Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Press Relations for

and Vest held this office from June 16, 1977, until April 14, 1981.

In 1981, President

in 1987.

His wife, Emily Clemons Vest,^[4] died in 2015. They had been married for sixty-eight years and she accompanied him on his many diplomatic posts. Mrs. Vest, a 1942 graduate of Smith College, grew up in Charlottesville, Virginia, where her father served as Librarian of the University of Virginia. The University's Clemons Library is named in his honor.

Vest retired in 1989, and remained a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He died in August 2021 at the age of 102.^[5]

References

• Office of the Historian, Department of State [1]
• Interview with George S. Vest, Library of Congress, [2]
• A Cradle-to-Grave 'Godfather' of Foreign Service: George S. Vest, New York Times, February 10, 1988 [3]

Government offices
Preceded by Seymour Weiss	Director of the Bureau of Politico-Military Affairs April 29, 1974 – March 27, 1977	Succeeded by Leslie H. Gelb
Preceded by Arthur A. Hartman	Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs June 16, 1977 – April 14, 1981	Succeeded by Lawrence Eagleburger
Preceded by Alfred Atherton	Director General of the Foreign Service June 8, 1985 – May 3, 1989	Succeeded by Edward J. Perkins
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by Thomas O. Enders	United States Ambassador to the European Union 1981 – 1985	Succeeded by J. William Middendorf