Ralph Elihu Becker
United States ambassador (1907–1994)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ralph Elihu Becker Sr. (January 29, 1907 – August 24, 1994) was an American diplomat and attorney who served as U.S. Ambassador to Honduras from 1976–1977 under the Ford administration.[1] He was a founding trustee of the National Center for the Performing Arts and served as its general counsel during the Eisenhower administration and until 1976.
Ralph Elihu Becker | |
|---|---|
| United States Ambassador to Honduras | |
| In office October 27, 1976 – August 1, 1977 | |
| President | Gerald Ford |
| Preceded by | Phillip V. Sanchez |
| Succeeded by | Mari-Luci Jaramillo |
| Personal details | |
| Born | January 29, 1907 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Died | August 24, 1994 (aged 87) Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Resting place | Arlington National Cemetery |
| Children | Ralph Becker |
| Education | St. John's University (LLB) |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service |  United States Army |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
Early life and education
Ralph Becker was born on January 29, 1907, in New York City, to a tailor from Lithuania and a mother from Minsk.[2] He took night courses at the City College of New York earned his law degree from St. John's University law school in 1928.[2][3]
Career
He served in the Judge Advocate General's Corps in World War II as a part of the 30th Infantry Division.[2] He landed in Normandy after D-Day and won a Bronze Star, along with medals from the Belgian, French, and Dutch governments.[2][3]
After his discharge, he worked as a lawyer in Westchester County, New York.[2][4] He went to Washington, D. C. and was the chairman for the Young Republican National Committee from 1946 to 1950.[2][3] In the 1960s, he joined an Arctic expedition that he had helped sponsor, and brought back a pair of polar bears as a gift for the National Zoo in Washington, D.C.[2][3] From 1976 to 1977, he was appointed Ambassador to Honduras.[2][3]
Personal life
Becker died of congestive heart failure at the George Washington University Hospital on August 24, 1994.[2][3] He was interred soon afterwards in Arlington National Cemetery.[5]
His son Ralph Elihu Becker Jr. was elected Mayor of Salt Lake City, Utah in 2007.[6][7]
