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Samuel W. Lewis

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Samuel Lewis
Director of Policy Planning
In office
March 21, 1993 – January 21, 1994
PresidentBill Clinton
Preceded byDennis B. Ross
Succeeded byJames Steinberg
United States Ambassador to Israel
In office
May 25, 1977 – May 31, 1985
PresidentJimmy Carter
Ronald Reagan
Preceded byMalcolm Toon
Succeeded byThomas R. Pickering
Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs
In office
December 24, 1975 – April 13, 1977
PresidentJimmy Carter
Preceded byWilliam B. Buffum
Succeeded byCharles W. Maynes
Personal details
Born
Samuel Winfield Lewis

(1930-10-01)October 1, 1930
Houston, Texas, U.S.
DiedMarch 10, 2014(2014-03-10) (aged 83)
McLean, Virginia, U.S.
Alma materYale University (AB)
Johns Hopkins University (MA)

Samuel Winfield Lewis (October 1, 1930 – March 10, 2014) was an American diplomat. During a lengthy career with the United States Department of State, he served as Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs (1975–1977), U.S. ambassador to Israel (1977–1985) and Director of Policy Planning (1993–1994).[1][2] As ambassador to Israel, Lewis played a major part in brokering the Camp David Accords between Israel and Egypt. He also headed the United States Institute of Peace from 1987 through 1993.[3]

Early life and education

Born in Houston, Texas, Lewis received an A.B. from Yale University in 1952 and an M.A. from the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies in 1954. Lewis initially intended on enlisting in the military, but failed his physical exam because of a bad knee.

Career

Lewis joined the United States Foreign Service in 1954 and served as consular officer at Naples. From 1955 to 1959, he was a political officer and acting principal officer in Florence. From 1959 to 1961, he was officer in charge of Italian Affairs in the State Department. From 1961 to 1962, Lewis served as Special Assistant to the United States Under Secretary of State.

In 1963 and 1964, he was a visiting fellow at Princeton University. He served as Deputy Assistant Director for Technical Cooperation at the United States Agency for International Development in Rio de Janeiro, on detail, and in 1966 he was executive assistant to the Ambassador in Rio de Janeiro. In 1966 Lewis received the Meritorious Honor Award and USAID Meritorious Honor Award.[4]

In 1967 and 1968, Lewis was Assistant Director for Development in the Office of Brazilian Affairs at USAID, and in 1968, he became Deputy Director of that office. In 1968 and 1969, he was a senior staff member on the United States National Security Council.

In 1969, Lewis was Special Assistant for Policy Planning in the Bureau of Inter-American Affairs, and in 1970 and 1971, he was special assistant to the Director General of the Foreign Service.

From 1971 to 1974, Lewis was Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy of the United States, Kabul. He was Deputy Director of the Policy Planning staff from 1974 until 1975, when he became Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs.

Israel and Camp David Accords

From 1977 to 1985, Lewis served as Ambassador to Israel under Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan, the second longest tenure of any US Ambassador to Israel.[5] As ambassador, Lewis had a major role in negotiating the Camp David peace talks in 1978 that resulted in a historic treaty between Egypt and Israel

The Camp David Accords were signed September 17, 1978, and within months, Menachem Begin and Anwar Sadat were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. A formal treaty between Egypt and Israel was announced the next year, calling for Israel to withdraw its forces from the Sinai Peninsula and placing limits on Egypt's military presence in the region.

Later life

In 2004, Lewis was among 27 retired diplomats and military commanders who publicly stated that the George W. Bush Administration did not understand the world and was unable to handle "in either style or substance" the responsibilities of global leadership.[6] On June 16, 2004, the Diplomats and Military Commanders for Change issued a statement against the Iraq War.[7]

Lewis was a frequent guest commentator on Middle Eastern issues for television and radio. In 2009, he featured in a documentary directed by Harry Hunkele called Back Door Channels: The Price of Peace.[8] Back Door Channels takes its name from the role unofficial back channels of communication, often through third-party countries and private businessmen, played in securing peace between Israel and Egypt. The film included interviews with many original participants in the historic first peace process between the governments, including former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and other world leaders.

In 2011 the United States Institute of Peace dedicated the Samuel W. Lewis Hall.[9]

Lewis sat on the U.S. Advisory Council of the Israel Policy Forum, and was involved in the J Street project. He was also an active board member of the American Academy of Diplomacy.

Personal life

Lewis and his wife, Sallie Lewis (née Smoot) were married for over 60 years. The couple had two children. Lewis died of lung cancer in McLean, Virginia on March 10, 2014 at the age of 83.[10][11]

References

  1. ^ "Samuel W. Lewis" (PDF). Table of Contents. Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training. Retrieved September 27, 2012.
  2. ^ "Samuel Winfield Lewis (1930-)". Home > Department History > People. Office of the Historian, Bureau of Public Affairs, United States Department of State. Retrieved September 27, 2012.
  3. ^ Silman-Cheong, Helen, Wellesley Aron, Rebel with a Cause, Valentine Mitchell, 1992, Foreword
  4. ^ "United States Ambassador to Israel - Nomination of Samuel W. Lewis". The American Presidency Project. Retrieved March 8, 2015.
  5. ^ "CHIEFS OF MISSION FOR ISRAEL". U.S. Department of State: Office of the Historian. Retrieved March 8, 2015.
  6. ^ Brownstein, Ronald (June 13, 2004). "Retired Officials Say Bush Must Go". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 25, 2018.
  7. ^ Diplomats and Military Commanders for Change Official Statement Archived October 11, 2007, at the Wayback Machine (June 16, 2004)
  8. ^ "Back Door Channels". Retrieved March 8, 2015.
  9. ^ "Peace Institute Dedicates Hall to Ex-Ambassador". The Jewish Daily Forward. Retrieved March 8, 2015.
  10. ^ Schudel, Matt (March 12, 2014). "Samuel W. Lewis, former U.S. ambassador to Israel, dies at 83". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 8, 2015.
  11. ^ Yardley, William (March 18, 2014). "Samuel W. Lewis, Shuttling Diplomat in Mideast Peace Pact, Dies at 83". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 2, 2020.
Government offices
Preceded by Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs
December 24, 1975 – April 13, 1977 		Succeeded by
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by U.S. Ambassador to Israel
1977 – 1985 		Succeeded by
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