Ronald I. Spiers
Ronald Ian Spiers (born July 9, 1925) is a retired American ambassador and diplomat.
Spiers was born in Orange, New Jersey, and grew up in Vermont. During World War II, he served as an ensign in the U.S. Navy serving in the war's Pacific theater; Spiers later became the commanding officer of an amphibious landing craft. After returning to the United States, Spiers attended Dartmouth College, graduating in 1948 with a bachelor's degree. He also attended the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affair at Princeton University, earning his Master of Public Administration degree in 1950.
After graduating from Princeton, Spiers became a foreign affairs specialist with the Atomic Energy Commission, serving until 1954. In that year, he begin his career with the U.S. Foreign Service, in the Bureau of International Organization Affairs.
During his career with the State Department, Spiers worked at many positions, often involving arms control. Spiers served at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations (in Geneva) as a negotiator for the Statute of the International Atomic Energy Agency, and also was a U.S. Representative in a series of arms negotiations with the Soviet Union, including the Partial Test Ban Treaty, Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, First Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty and the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty.
In 1964, Spiers became director of NATO Affairs, serving until 1966, when he became the Political Counselor at the U.S. Embassy to Great Britain. From 1973 to 1974, Spiers was the U.S. Ambassador to the Bahamas; he later returned to London as the Deputy Chief of Mission, keeping this post until 1977. On May 26 of this year, Spiers became the U.S. Ambassador to Turkey, staying until January 11, 1980, when afterward he served a brief period as ambassador to Pakistan (1981) before being appointed Assistant Secretary of State for Intelligence and Research.
On August 4, 1983, President Ronald Reagan nominated Spiers to became the Undersecretary of State for Management; he served in this position until 1989, when then-President George H.W. Bush nominated him for Undersecretary General of the United Nations for Political Affairs.
After being appointed to the position by UN Secretary-General Javier Pérez de Cuéllar, Spiers became the highest-ranking American in the Secretariat.
Spiers retired in 1992 with two Presidential Distinguished Executive Service Awards and the rank of Career Ambassador, accorded to by President Reagan and the U.S. Senate in 1984. In 2004, Spiers again returned to the public eye when he joined Diplomats and Military Commanders for Change, a group of former diplomats, ambassadors, and military leaders criticizing the foreign policy of George W. Bush and supporting the election of John Kerry in 2004 U.S. presidential election.
Spiers now lives in South Londonderry, Vermont, with his wife, Patience. He has four children and eight grandchildren.
