R. Smith Simpson
Encyclopedia
Robert Smith Simpson was an American career Foreign Service Officer
who left the diplomatic corps in 1962 as deputy examiner for the State Department
after writing a report in which he highlighted what he perceived to be the ignorance of many diplomatic hopefuls who knew little about the culture and geography of the United States.
Simpson was born November 9, 1906, in Arlington, Virginia and graduated from Washington, D.C.
's Western High School
in 1923. He earned his undergraduate degree in 1927 and a master's degree in 1928 from the University of Virginia
majoring in history, where he was also a member of Phi Sigma Kappa Fraternity. Simpson was awarded a law degree from the Cornell Law School
in 1931 and went to work for the New Deal
National Recovery Administration
. At Columbia University
, he worked towards a doctorate in international affairs, but did not complete a dissertation. He was a member of the faculty of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania
from 1935 to 1942.
Simpson was contacted by the War Shipping Administration
the day after the Attack on Pearl Harbor
, and worked on addressing issues relating to convoy delays. He served as a Foreign Service Officer starting in 1945, where he contributed to the United Nations Charter
. He was stationed in embassies overseas in Athens
, Brussels
and Mexico City
, in addition to consular assignments in Bombay, India
and Lourenço Marques (later Maputo
), Mozambique
.
Simpson wrote an article that was published in the November 1962 issue of Foreign Service Journal
, a monthly publication that covers foreign affairs from the perspective of Foreign Service Officers and members of Washington's foreign policy establishment, published by the American Foreign Service Association
. In the article found that students interested in joining the Foreign Service "could not name a single American painter, a single composer, a single philosopher" and were "wholly unprepared for diplomatic work". His 1967 book Anatomy of the State Department elaborated on the issue, as did his 1980 text The Crisis in American Diplomacy: Shots across the Bow of the State Department. He edited a 1968 issue of the Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science
, which led to a collaboration with Peter F. Krogh
to create the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy at Georgetown University
's Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service
, to help better prepare students for a career as diplomats. As part of the program there, Simpson taught a course in diplomacy.
Simpson died at age 103 on September 5, 2010, at a retirement community in Charlottesville, Virginia
. He was survived by two daughters, three granddaughters and five great-grandchildren. His wife, the former Henriette Lanniée, died in 2007 after 73 years of marriage.
Foreign Service Officer
A Foreign Service Officer is a commissioned member of the United States Foreign Service. As diplomats, Foreign Service Officers formulate and implement the foreign policy of the United States. FSOs spend most of their careers overseas as members of U.S. embassies, consulates, and other diplomatic...
who left the diplomatic corps in 1962 as deputy examiner for the State Department
United States Department of State
The United States Department of State , is the United States federal executive department responsible for international relations of the United States, equivalent to the foreign ministries of other countries...
after writing a report in which he highlighted what he perceived to be the ignorance of many diplomatic hopefuls who knew little about the culture and geography of the United States.
Simpson was born November 9, 1906, in Arlington, Virginia and graduated from Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
's Western High School
Duke Ellington School of the Arts
The Duke Ellington School of the Arts is a high school located at 35th Street and R Street, Northwest, Washington, D.C., and dedicated to arts education. One of the high schools of the District of Columbia Public School system, it is named for the American jazz bandleader and composer Edward...
in 1923. He earned his undergraduate degree in 1927 and a master's degree in 1928 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...
majoring in history, where he was also a member of Phi Sigma Kappa Fraternity. Simpson was awarded a law degree from the Cornell Law School
Cornell Law School
Cornell Law School, located in Ithaca, New York, is a graduate school of Cornell University and one of the five Ivy League law schools. The school confers three law degrees...
in 1931 and went to work for the New Deal
New Deal
The New Deal was a series of economic programs implemented in the United States between 1933 and 1936. They were passed by the U.S. Congress during the first term of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The programs were Roosevelt's responses to the Great Depression, and focused on what historians call...
National Recovery Administration
National Recovery Administration
The National Recovery Administration was the primary New Deal agency established by U.S. president Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933. The goal was to eliminate "cut-throat competition" by bringing industry, labor and government together to create codes of "fair practices" and set prices...
. At Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, he worked towards a doctorate in international affairs, but did not complete a dissertation. He was a member of the faculty of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania
Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania
The Wharton School is the business school of the University of Pennsylvania, an Ivy League university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Wharton was the world’s first collegiate business school and the first business school in the United States...
from 1935 to 1942.
Simpson was contacted by the War Shipping Administration
War Shipping Administration
The War Shipping Administration was a World War II emergency war agency of the US Government, tasked to purchase and operate the civilian shipping tonnage the US needed for fighting the war....
the day after the Attack on Pearl Harbor
Attack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941...
, and worked on addressing issues relating to convoy delays. He served as a Foreign Service Officer starting in 1945, where he contributed to the United Nations Charter
United Nations Charter
The Charter of the United Nations is the foundational treaty of the international organization called the United Nations. It was signed at the San Francisco War Memorial and Performing Arts Center in San Francisco, United States, on 26 June 1945, by 50 of the 51 original member countries...
. He was stationed in embassies overseas in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
, Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
and Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
, in addition to consular assignments in Bombay, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and Lourenço Marques (later Maputo
Maputo
Maputo, also known as Lourenço Marques, is the capital and largest city of Mozambique. It is known as the City of Acacias in reference to acacia trees commonly found along its avenues and the Pearl of the Indian Ocean. It was famous for the inscription "This is Portugal" on the walkway of its...
), Mozambique
Mozambique
Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest...
.
Simpson wrote an article that was published in the November 1962 issue of Foreign Service Journal
Foreign Service Journal
The Foreign Service Journal is a monthly publication of the American Foreign Service Association founded in 1924. It covers foreign affairs from the perspective of American Foreign Service officers, members of Washington's foreign policy establishment, as well as features on living overseas as a...
, a monthly publication that covers foreign affairs from the perspective of Foreign Service Officers and members of Washington's foreign policy establishment, published by the American Foreign Service Association
American Foreign Service Association
The American Foreign Service Association is the professional association certified by the United States Department of State, the Commercial Service, Foreign Agricultural Service, and U.S. Agency for International Development to represent members of the United States Foreign Service. AFSA's history...
. In the article found that students interested in joining the Foreign Service "could not name a single American painter, a single composer, a single philosopher" and were "wholly unprepared for diplomatic work". His 1967 book Anatomy of the State Department elaborated on the issue, as did his 1980 text The Crisis in American Diplomacy: Shots across the Bow of the State Department. He edited a 1968 issue of the Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science
American Academy of Political and Social Science
The American Academy of Political and Social Science was founded in 1889 to promote progress in the social sciences. Sparked by Professor Edmund J. James and drawing from members of the faculty of the University of Pennsylvania, Swarthmore College, and Bryn Mawr College, the Academy sought to...
, which led to a collaboration with Peter F. Krogh
Peter F. Krogh
Peter Frederic Krogh was born in California in 1937. In 1958 he graduated from Harvard University with a B.A. cum laude in Economics and later received his M.A. and Ph.D. from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University...
to create the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy at Georgetown University
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
's Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service
Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service
The Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service is a school within Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., United States. Jesuit priest Edmund A...
, to help better prepare students for a career as diplomats. As part of the program there, Simpson taught a course in diplomacy.
Simpson died at age 103 on September 5, 2010, at a retirement community in Charlottesville, Virginia
Charlottesville, 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...
. He was survived by two daughters, three granddaughters and five great-grandchildren. His wife, the former Henriette Lanniée, died in 2007 after 73 years of marriage.