Description
Presidential appointment of U.N. Ambassador Edward J. Perkins as U.S. Representative to the Forty-Seventh Session of the U.N. General Assembly. Signed by President George H.W. Bush on October 9th, 1992.
Framed certificate, black wood frame with museum glass. Measures 24″ x 21″. This document is signed by President George H.W. Bush and in autopen by Acting Secretary of State Lawrence Eagleburger. Not examined outside of frame.
Dr. Edward J. Perkins (1928-2020) served as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, as well as Liberia, South Africa, and Australia throughout his 25-year foreign service career. In 1986 President Ronald Reagan appointed Perkins to serve as ambassador to South Africa in hopes of fending off a congressional override to his veto of economic sanctions against the country. It was a controversial decision amidst apartheid in South Africa, and many Black leaders urged Perkins to not take the role. Perkins accepted the position and served until 1989, one year before Nelson Mandela was released from prison. He was appointed U.N. Ambassador by George H.W. Bush in 1992, serving for one year.
