Atherton, Alfred Leroy, Jr., 1921-2002

Alfred Leroy "Roy" Atherton, Jr. was born November 22, 1921 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. A graduate of Harvard University, he served in the United States Army during World War II and joined the U.S. Foreign Service in 1947. He served at posts in Stuttgart, Bonn, Damascus, Aleppo, and Calcutta as well as several positions in the Department of State's Bureau of Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs in Washington, D.C. He became Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs in 1974. In 1978 he was appointed Ambassador at Large by President Jimmy Carter and subsequently served as U.S. Ambassador to Egypt from 1979 to 1983. He was appointed a Career Ambassador in 1981 and served as Director General of the Foreign Service from 1983 to 1984. He died at Sibley Memorial Hospital in Washington, D.C. on October 30, 2002.