Rufus Grant Smith ’60

Son of a foreign service officer, Grant attended a Christian missionary school in India, then graduated from Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School. At Princeton, he majored in public and international affairs, dined at Cloister, and wrote for Town Topics. He earned a master’s degree in international affairs at Columbia University in 1962 and joined the Marine Corps. In 1963, he transferred to the Department of State and married Renny, a fellow foreign service officer.

Grant spent his career in the foreign service, specializing in South Asia. He served in Pakistan, Nepal, and India, the last as acting ambassador. His final overseas assignment was as Ambassador to Tajikistan, lately of the Soviet Union, where he conducted civil war peace negotiations. He concluded his career at the Army War College in Carlisle, Pa.

Grant and Renny retired to Jefferson County, W.Va. He became a senior fellow of the Johns Hopkins Central Asia and Caucasus Institute and in time became president of the Land Trust of the Eastern Panhandle. There, he worked to secure conservation easements throughout the region, including Civil War battlefield sites and other historic properties. He also taught “Great Decisions” with Shepherd University’s Lifelong Learning Program.

Grant died April 6, 2024, after a heart attack. He is survived by Renny; their two children; spouses; and two grandchildren. Our condolences to the family.