John H. Holdridge

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John H. Holdridge
United States Ambassador to the Republic of Singapore
In office
August 5, 1975 – June 9, 1978
President
Preceded byEdwin M. Cronk
Succeeded byRichard F. Kneip
Personal details
Born(1924-08-21)August 21, 1924
New York City, New York, U.S.
DiedJuly 12, 2001(2001-07-12) (aged 76)
Washington, D.C., U.S.

John Herbert Holdridge (August 21, 1924 – July 12, 2001) was an American foreign service officer and diplomat, who was best known for having taken part in, and later recounted,

Indonesia
(1982–1986).

Biography

Early life

John Holdridge was born August 21, 1924, in

West Point graduate who reached the rank of brigadier general in the United States Army. His parents later divorced, and John gained his only sibling, a much younger stepsister, Cheryl Holdridge
, after his father remarried.

Holdridge attended

Career

John Holdridge's first State Department posting was as US

Consulate General Hong Kong (1953–56), then Singapore (1956–58). He returned to Hong Kong in 1962 as chief of the political section, a post he held for four years. From 1966 to 1968 he became deputy director for the office of research and analysis, East Asian and Pacific affairs, the State Department in Washington, D.C., and then director from 1969 to 1973.[1]

With the election of

real politik
policies of Kissinger throughout his later career.

While serving on the

Beijing, China
, for 1973–75.

Holdridge was then selected by

, Holdridge continued to serve in Singapore until 1978. After that he worked for the Central Intelligence Agency until early 1981 as national intelligence officer for East Asia/Pacific, on detail from the State Department. In 1981 he became Assistant Secretary of State of East Asian & Pacific Affairs, then was appointed US Ambassador to Indonesia from 1983 to 1986.

Holdridge is also known for giving the final format for the so-called "Six Assurances" to Taiwan in 1982, formally adopted by the US House of Representatives in 2016.

Later life

John Holdridge had three children with his wife Martha. After retiring from active service, he wrote a memoir on the restoration of US-China diplomatic relations. He also made occasional appearances as a commentator on Asian political affairs for American television. Holdridge died of pulmonary fibrosis in Washington, D.C., on July 12, 2001.[3]

Further reading

  • Crossing the Divide: An Insider's Account of the Normalization of U.S.-China Relations by John H. Holdridge, (1997),

References

  1. ^ a b "Appointments". State (233). United States Department of State: 9. April 1981.
  2. ^ John H Holdbridge nndb.com. Retrieved March 2011
  3. ^ Wang, Chi, Remember John H. Holdridge US-China Policy Foundation. Retrieved March 2011

External links

Government offices
Preceded by Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs
1981 – 1982
Succeeded by
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by
United States Ambassador to Singapore

1975–1978
Succeeded by
Preceded by
United States Ambassador to Indonesia

1982–1986
Succeeded by