William A. Wilson (diplomat)

For other people named William Wilson, see William Wilson (disambiguation).

William A. Wilson
Wilson with Ronald Reagan in 1984
1st United States Ambassador to the Holy See
In office April 9, 1984 – July 18, 1986
President	Ronald Reagan
Preceded by	Diplomatic relations established
Succeeded by	Frank Shakespeare
Personal details
Born	William Albert Wilson (1914-11-03)November 3, 1914 Los Angeles, California
Died	December 5, 2009(2009-12-05) (aged 95) Carmel, California
Political party	Republican
Education	Stanford University (B.S., M.S.)

William Albert Wilson (November 3, 1914 – December 5, 2009) was an American diplomat and businessman from Los Angeles.

Early years

Wilson's father was an engineer in the oil-tool business and his mother a Canadian. During World War II, he served as a captain in the Army Ordnance Corps.

Marriage

Wilson met his wife, Elizabeth "Betty" Johnson, at Stanford University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1936 and a Master of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1937 before marrying in 1938. They had two daughters. His wife died in 1996.

Diplomat

A close friend of President Ronald Reagan, Wilson was appointed on 11 February 1981 as the personal representative of the President to the Holy See, when the United States still did not have full diplomatic relations with the Vatican, and in 1984 as the first United States Ambassador to the Holy See with the establishment of official relations.

Death

Wilson died on December 5, 2009, aged 95.

External links

• William A. Wilson Papers Georgetown University Libraries Special Collections
• The Hon. William Wilson 1999 profile from Thomas Aquinas College
• Amb. William A. Wilson, Director profile from Commodore Applied Technologies, Inc.
• Carl Bernstein, The U.S. and The Vatican on Birth Control Time, February 24, 1992
• Appearances on C-SPAN