Anthony Cecil Eden Quainton (April 4, 1934 – July 31, 2023) was an American career diplomat and educator. He was a member of the United States Foreign Service for 37 years and served as ambassador to four countries.
Early life and education
Quainton was born in Seattle, Washington. He was educated at St. Michael's University School in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, and later at Phillips Academy (Andover). He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from Princeton University in 1955 and a Bachelor of Letters (B.Litt.) from the University of Oxford in 1958, where he studied as a Marshall Scholar. In 1957 he married Susan Long, a fellow Marshall Scholar.
Diplomatic career
Quainton joined the Foreign Service in 1959, initially as a visa-commercial officer in Sydney, Australia. He undertook Hindi language studies at the Foreign Service Institute in 1962–63, and subsequently held postings as an economic officer in Karachi and Islamabad, Pakistan (1963–66), and as a political and economic officer in New Delhi, India (1966–69). In Washington he served as Senior Political Officer for India in the Bureau of Near East and South Asian Affairs (1969–72). He was a political officer in Paris (1972–73) and deputy chief of mission in Kathmandu, Nepal (1973–76).
His senior appointments included:
- United States Ambassador to the Central African Empire (presented credentials February 1976; served until June 1978), nominated by President Gerald Ford.
- Director of the Office for Combating Terrorism, with the rank of Ambassador (1978–81), during which he oversaw the task force responding to the 1980 siege of the Dominican Republic embassy in Bogotá.
- United States Ambassador to Nicaragua (March 1982 – May 1984), appointed by President Ronald Reagan.
- United States Ambassador to Kuwait (1984–87).
- Deputy Inspector General of the Department of State (1987–89).
- United States Ambassador to Peru (December 1989 – September 1992), appointed by President George H. W. Bush.
- Assistant Secretary of State for Diplomatic Security (September 1992 – December 1995).
- Director General of the Foreign Service (December 1995 – August 1997), serving under President Bill Clinton.
His career included appointments under five presidents—Ford, Carter, Reagan, George H. W. Bush, and Clinton—and service on six continents.
Later career and teaching
After retiring from government service in 1997, Quainton was executive director of the Una Chapman Cox Foundation (1997–98) and president and chief executive officer of the National Policy Association (1998–2003). Beginning in 2003 he was Distinguished Diplomat in Residence at the School of International Service at American University in Washington, D.C., where he taught courses on diplomatic practice and on Peru. He retired from teaching in 2019 but continued to teach until 2023.
He was the author of the autobiography Eye on the World: A Life in International Service (Potomac Books / University of Nebraska Press, 2022) and Reflections of a Roaming Catholic. He also wrote articles and book reviews on diplomacy and counterterrorism.
Awards and affiliations
His honors included the Department of State Distinguished Honor Award, the Presidential Meritorious Service Award (twice), the William R. Rivkin Award (1972), and the Christian A. Herter Award, both from the American Foreign Service Association. He was a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the Washington Institute of International Affairs, and the American Academy of Diplomacy, and he served as a consultant to the International Policy Committee of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Death
Quainton died on July 31, 2023, in Washington, D.C., at the age of 89. He was survived by his wife, three children, grandchildren, and a great-grandchild.
