Sheldon Baird Vance

Education

High School: Austin High School, Austin, Minnesota (1935)

University: Bachelor, Carleton College (1939)

Law School: Harvard University (1942).

Career

During his tenure, he developed a close relationship with President Mobutu Sese Seko, and became an ardent and vocal supporter of the President. He also supported Mobutu"s aspirations for regional leadership and advocated foreign investment in Zaire and "strongly recommended" that the United States. sell M-16s to Mobutu. According to diplomats stationed in Zaire at the time, Vance "would not permit negative analyses of the Mobutu regime to be transmitted to Washington." Vance"s support of Mobutu continued even after he left Zaire.

Shortly after retiring from the State Department, he joined a law firm representing the Zairian government.

He was also briefly sent back to Zaire after his successor, Deane Hinton (who did not get along with Mobutu) was declared persona non grata, to patch up the American-Zairian relationship, which had soured considerably during Hinton"s tenure. Vance served as senior adviser to the secretary of state, coordinator for international narcotics matters, and executive director of the President"s Cabinet Committee on International Narcotics Control (1974–1977).

After retiring from the Foreign Service in 1977, he practiced international law in the Washington, District of Columbia law firm of Vance, Joyce, Carbaugh and Fields (1977–1989). In later years, the Vances lived in Chevy Chase, Maryland.

Vance died in Bethesda, Maryland in 1995 at the age of 78.

United States Official Cabinet Committee, International Narcotics Control (1974-1977) United States Ambassador to Zaire (1969-1974) United States Ambassador to Chad (1967-1969) United States Official Senior Foreign Service Inspector (1966-1967) United States Official Deputy Chief of Mission, United States Embassy, Ethiopia (1962-1966) United States Official Director, Office of Central African Affairs (1961-1962) United States Official Bureau of Africa, Middle East, and South Asia (1958-1960) United States Official First Secretary, United States Embassy, Brussels (1954-1958) United States Official Belgium-Luxembourg Desk Officer, Washington (1952-1954) United States Official Desk Officer, Switzerland (1951-1952) United States Official Consul, United States Embassy, Martinique (1949-1951) United States Official Vice Consul, Nice and Monaco (1946-1949) United States Official Economic Analyst, United States Embassy, Rio de Janeiro (1942-1946).

Connections

Father:

Erskine Ward Vance

Mother:

Helen (Baird) Vance

Spouse:

Jean Chambers

child:

Robert Clarke and Stephen Baird Vance