Frederick Nolting
Encyclopedia
Frederick Ernst Nolting was a World War II
naval officer and United States
diplomat.
, Virginia
to Frederick Ernst Nolting Sr and Mary Buford. He graduated from the University of Virginia
in 1933 with a B.A. in History. He then received a masters degree from Harvard University
in 1941 and his Ph.D. from the University of Virginia.
for mutual security affairs. He was appointed as a member of the United States delegation to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in 1955. In 1957 he was appointed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower
as alternate permanent representative to NATO, and in 1961 he was appointed by President John F. Kennedy
as United States Ambassador to South Vietnam. Nolting was a firm supporter of South Vietnam
ese President Ngo Dinh Diem
to the point where by 1963 President Kennedy felt he had become too identified with the flawed Diem regime to be effective, and was replaced by Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr.
.
Following his government service, Ambassador Nolting went to work for Morgan Guaranty Trust Company, and in 1970 joined the faculty of the University of Virginia and became founding director of the Miller Center of Public Affairs
.
In 1988 he published his memoir From Trust to Tragedy: The Political Memoirs of Frederick Nolting, Kennedy's Ambassador to Diem's Vietnam.
, Virginia
. He was buried at St. Paul's Churchyard, Ivy, Albermarle County, Virginia.New York Times, Frederick Nolting Jr., U.S. Envoy To Saigon in 60's, Is Dead at 78 (New York, December 16, 1989)
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
naval officer and United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
diplomat.
Early life and education
Nolting was born in RichmondRichmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
to Frederick Ernst Nolting Sr and Mary Buford. He graduated from the University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
in 1933 with a B.A. in History. He then received a masters degree from Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
in 1941 and his Ph.D. from the University of Virginia.
Career
Frederick Nolting joined the State Department in 1946 where he acted as special assistant to Secretary of State John Foster DullesJohn Foster Dulles
John Foster Dulles served as U.S. Secretary of State under President Dwight D. Eisenhower from 1953 to 1959. He was a significant figure in the early Cold War era, advocating an aggressive stance against communism throughout the world...
for mutual security affairs. He was appointed as a member of the United States delegation to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in 1955. In 1957 he was appointed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
as alternate permanent representative to NATO, and in 1961 he was appointed by President John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
as United States Ambassador to South Vietnam. Nolting was a firm supporter of South Vietnam
South Vietnam
South Vietnam was a state which governed southern Vietnam until 1975. It received international recognition in 1950 as the "State of Vietnam" and later as the "Republic of Vietnam" . Its capital was Saigon...
ese President Ngo Dinh Diem
Ngo Dinh Diem
Ngô Đình Diệm was the first president of South Vietnam . In the wake of the French withdrawal from Indochina as a result of the 1954 Geneva Accords, Diệm led the effort to create the Republic of Vietnam. Accruing considerable U.S. support due to his staunch anti-Communism, he achieved victory in a...
to the point where by 1963 President Kennedy felt he had become too identified with the flawed Diem regime to be effective, and was replaced by Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr.
Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr.
Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr. was a Republican United States Senator from Massachusetts and a U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, South Vietnam, West Germany, and the Holy See . He was the Republican nominee for Vice President in the 1960 Presidential election.-Early life:Lodge was born in Nahant,...
.
Following his government service, Ambassador Nolting went to work for Morgan Guaranty Trust Company, and in 1970 joined the faculty of the University of Virginia and became founding director of the Miller Center of Public Affairs
Miller Center of Public Affairs
The Miller Center of Public Affairs is a non-partisan research institute that is part of the University of Virginia.Founded in 1975, the Miller Center is a leading public policy institution that serves as a national meeting place where engaged citizens, scholars, students, media representatives and...
.
In 1988 he published his memoir From Trust to Tragedy: The Political Memoirs of Frederick Nolting, Kennedy's Ambassador to Diem's Vietnam.
Personal life
Nolting married Olivia Lindsay Crumpler in 1940. They had four children – Molly, Jane, Grace and Frances. In 1946, he purchased "Sully", the former estate home of Richard Bland Lee, first Congressman from Northern Virginia, built in 1794. He was the last private owner of that estate.Death
Ambassador Nolting died on December 14, 1989 in CharlottesvilleCharlottesville, Virginia
Charlottesville is an independent city geographically surrounded by but separate from Albemarle County in the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States, and named after Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the queen consort of King George III of the United Kingdom.The official population estimate for...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
. He was buried at St. Paul's Churchyard, Ivy, Albermarle County, Virginia.New York Times, Frederick Nolting Jr., U.S. Envoy To Saigon in 60's, Is Dead at 78 (New York, December 16, 1989)
External Links
- Interview with Frederick Nolting in 1981 as part of the WGBH series Vietnam: A Television History