Description
Presidential Appointment of Ambassador Edward J. Perkins as a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service of the United States of America, Class of Career Minister. Document is dated October 25th, 1988.
Black frame, white matte. Measures 20″ x 16″. Great Seal of the United States affixed to lower left corner of document, a fine example. Signed in autopen by President Ronald Reagan and Secretary of State George Shultz.
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.
