Joseph Simonson

Joseph Simonson (1904 – January 17, 1985) was a Lutheran pastor[1] and the American Ambassador to Ethiopia (1953–1957).[2][3]

Simonson was a resident of Richfield, Minnesota, and served as the chaplain of the Minnesota Senate from 1941 to 1951. He also served as the pastor of Christ Lutheran Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, from 1939 to 1952. Simonson received degrees from St. Olaf College, Luther Theological Seminary, and George Washington University.

He also served as an ambassador to Ethiopia, where he was concerned about the danger of communist penetration, Yugoslav-Ethiopian relations, the Muslim minority, and relationships with the West. However, according to a consular officer in Asmara, Simonson was not involved in negotiations surrounding Eritrea and was seen as an unfortunate choice for the role by some. Richard Nixon, who was Vice President at the time, reportedly said that Simonson was a "meatball ambassador" who had to go.

Biography

Simonson was a resident of the Minneapolis suburb of Richfield, Minnesota. He was chaplain of the Minnesota Senate from 1941 to 1951 and gave invocations at the National Republican Conventions in 1944 and 1952. [1] He was the pastor of Christ Lutheran Church on Capitol Hill, St. Paul, Minnesota, from 1939 to 1952.

He received degrees from St. Olaf College in 1925, Luther Theological Seminary in 1931, and studied law at George Washington University from 1926-1928.[4]

Ethiopia

Among his concerns while Ambassador was the “Danger of Communist Penetration”, Yugoslav-Ethiopian relations, the Muslim Minority and relationships with the West.[5] Edward W.Clark, Consular Officer in Asmara (1953-1956), said in an interview when asked about Simonson and negotiations surrounding Eritrea said “He really didn't know what he was doing. ... He was not involved in it. He was unfortunate.” Richard Nixon was Vice President at the time and had toured Africa. When he returned, Nixon said “that there was one meatball ambassador that has to go, and that was Simonson as it turned out. A terrible thing to say but...”

References
  1. "Joseph Simonson Dies at 80; An Ex-U.S. Envoy to Ethiopia". The New York Times. January 19, 1985. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
  2. "AMBASSADOR JOSEPH SIMONSON: An Inventory of Photographs at the Minnesota Historical Society". Minnesota Historical Society. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
  3. "Joseph Simonson (1904–1985)". Office of the Historian. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
  4. "ETHIOPIA" (PDF). Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
  5. "Staff Memorandum No. 48-56" (PDF). Central Intelligence Agency. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 24, 2017. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
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