Benjaminson, Eric D., 1960-

Eric D. Benjaminson was a career diplomat specializing in economic and African Affairs, serving 32 years in the foreign service. His most notably posting was as the ambassador to Gabon and São Tomé and Principe from 2010 to 2013. Born March 2, 1960, Benjaminson earned a BA degree in history from the University of Oregon in 1981. He was a teaching fellow in history at the university and worked as an editor at a research institute and as a technician at a Hewlett-Packard factory before joining the Foreign Service in 1982.

His first assignments were as the economic officer in the State Department’s Office of Southern African Affairs in Washington and as a consular officer at both the U.S. Consulate General in Montreal, Canada, and the U.S. embassy in Lagos, Nigeria. Benjaminson then worked at the U.S. embassy in Beijing as the economic officer responsible for financial and development issues. In preparation for that assignment, he studied Chinese for two years in Washington and Taiwan.

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