Edmund Asbury Gullion ’35

Ed Gullion, diplomat and former dean of the Fletcher School of Diplomacy, died at home in Winchester, Mass., Mar. 18, 1998. Born in Lexington, Ky., he was 85. At Princeton, Ed majored in history, with strong interests in debating, publications, and politics. He belonged to Terrace Club and the Anti-War Society and was active in Whig-Clio.

Edmund was U.S. ambassador to the Congo (Zaire) under JFK. His distinguished diplomatic career began in Marseilles in 1937, followed with a series of pivotal positions during WWII in Salonika, Algiers, London, Helsinki, and Stockholm. Experience as consul general and charge in Saigon during 1949-52 at the start of the Indochinese war led to deep involvement in the Southeast Asia conflict.

A State Dept. policy planner, principal drafter of the Foreign Service Act of 1946, and Foreign Service inspector, he was founder and first director of the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency. He retired as career minister, after serving as ambassador to Leopoldville from 1961-64.

During 14 years as dean of Fletcher, Ed was the driving force behind the establishment of the Edward R. Murrow Center and pioneered new concepts and programs of education in international relations.

We offer sincere condolences to his wife, Patricia.