William Howard Wriggins
Encyclopedia
William Howard Wriggins was an US diplomat
, author and academic who served as the United States ambassador to Sri Lanka
and the Maldives
from 1977 until 1979. His interest in the study of Sri Lanka spanned over fifty years of professional and academic work.
, the University of Chicago
and Yale University
.
He temporarily left his academic studies for four years during World War II in order to work with the American Friends Service Committee
(AFSC) on their relief missions in Portugal
, France
, North Africa and Spain
. Wriggins continued to work with the AFSC after the war. He lived for a time in the Gaza Strip
while working for the AFSC in its relief efforts there.
. He wrote numerous books and other works on the study of Sri Lanka. He published his first book, Ceylon: Dilemmas of a New Nation, in 1960. He later co-authored a biography of former Sri Lankan President Junius Richard Jayewardene
with K.M. de Silva, a Professor Emeritus
of History at the University of Ceylon
.
Wriggins became a Professor of political science
and international relations
at Columbia University
in New York City. His studies at Columbia focused on Sri Lanka and he was considered one of the foremost scholars of Sri Lankan studies in the United States
.
Wriggins was working as a professor at Columbia University when U.S. President Jimmy Carter
nominated him to be ambassador
to Sri Lanka
and the Maldives
in 1977. He took a leave of anbsense from the school in order to serve as ambassador.
He returned to Columbia University following the end of his diplomatic posting in 1979. He later became the director of Columbia University's Southern Asian Institute. Wriggins was a Bryce Professor of International Relations, Emeritus, at Columbia University at the time of his death in 2008.
. He was survived by his wife, Sally Hovey Wriggins, three children, and six grandchildren.
Diplomat
A diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organization. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and...
, author and academic who served as the United States ambassador to Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
and the Maldives
Maldives
The Maldives , , officially Republic of Maldives , also referred to as the Maldive Islands, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean formed by a double chain of twenty-six atolls oriented north-south off India's Lakshadweep islands, between Minicoy Island and...
from 1977 until 1979. His interest in the study of Sri Lanka spanned over fifty years of professional and academic work.
Early life
Wriggins was born in 1918. He received degrees from Dartmouth CollegeDartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
, the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
and Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
.
He temporarily left his academic studies for four years during World War II in order to work with the American Friends Service Committee
American Friends Service Committee
The American Friends Service Committee is a Religious Society of Friends affiliated organization which works for peace and social justice in the United States and around the world...
(AFSC) on their relief missions in Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, North Africa and Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. Wriggins continued to work with the AFSC after the war. He lived for a time in the Gaza Strip
Gaza Strip
thumb|Gaza city skylineThe Gaza Strip lies on the Eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The Strip borders Egypt on the southwest and Israel on the south, east and north. It is about long, and between 6 and 12 kilometres wide, with a total area of...
while working for the AFSC in its relief efforts there.
Career
Much of Wriggins academic studies and professional career centered on the study of South Asia, specifically Sri LankaSri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
. He wrote numerous books and other works on the study of Sri Lanka. He published his first book, Ceylon: Dilemmas of a New Nation, in 1960. He later co-authored a biography of former Sri Lankan President Junius Richard Jayewardene
Junius Richard Jayewardene
Junius Richard Jayewardene , famously abbreviated in Sri Lanka as JR, was the first executive President of Sri Lanka, serving from 1978 till 1989. He was a leader of the nationalist movement in Ceylon who served in a variety of cabinet positions in the decades following independence...
with K.M. de Silva, a Professor Emeritus
Emeritus
Emeritus is a post-positive adjective that is used to designate a retired professor, bishop, or other professional or as a title. The female equivalent emerita is also sometimes used.-History:...
of History at the University of Ceylon
University of Ceylon
The University of Ceylon was the only university in Sri Lanka from 1942 until 1972. It had several constituent campuses at various locations around Sri Lanka. The University of Ceylon Act No. 1 of 1972, replaced it with the University of Sri Lanka which existed from 1973 to 1978. In 1978 it was...
.
Wriggins became a Professor of political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
and international relations
International relations
International relations is the study of relationships between countries, including the roles of states, inter-governmental organizations , international nongovernmental organizations , non-governmental organizations and multinational corporations...
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...
in New York City. His studies at Columbia focused on Sri Lanka and he was considered one of the foremost scholars of Sri Lankan studies in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Wriggins was working as a professor at Columbia University when U.S. President Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
nominated him to be ambassador
Ambassador
An ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....
to Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
and the Maldives
Maldives
The Maldives , , officially Republic of Maldives , also referred to as the Maldive Islands, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean formed by a double chain of twenty-six atolls oriented north-south off India's Lakshadweep islands, between Minicoy Island and...
in 1977. He took a leave of anbsense from the school in order to serve as ambassador.
He returned to Columbia University following the end of his diplomatic posting in 1979. He later became the director of Columbia University's Southern Asian Institute. Wriggins was a Bryce Professor of International Relations, Emeritus, at Columbia University at the time of his death in 2008.
Death
William Howard Wriggins died on August 30, 2008, in Hanover, New HampshireHanover, New Hampshire
Hanover is a town along the Connecticut River in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 11,260 at the 2010 census. CNN and Money magazine rated Hanover the sixth best place to live in America in 2011, and the second best in 2007....
. He was survived by his wife, Sally Hovey Wriggins, three children, and six grandchildren.
Works authored
- Ceylon: Dilemmas of a New Nation - 1960
- J.R. Jayewardene of Sri Lanka: A Political Biography - 1988