John D. Jernegan

John D. Jernegan
US Ambassador to Iraq
In office December 11, 1958 – June 2, 1962
President	Dwight D. Eisenhower John F. Kennedy
Preceded by	Waldemar J. Gallman
Succeeded by	Robert C. Strong
2nd US Ambassador to Algeria
In office July 22, 1965 – June 6, 1967
President	Lyndon B. Johnson
Preceded by	William J. Porter
Succeeded by	Richard Bordeaux Parker
Personal details
Born	(1911-06-12)June 12, 1911 Long Beach, California, US
Died	November 6, 1980(1980-11-06) (aged 69) Carmel Valley, California, US
Spouse	Mary Margaret Brownrigg
Education	Georgetown University Stanford University

John Durnford Jernegan (June 12, 1911 – November 6, 1980) was an American career Foreign Service Officer who served as the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Iraq from 1958 until the Government of Iraq requested his departure on June 2, 1962. He left his post on June 11, 1962. Jernegan was also Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Algeria from 1965 until Algeria severed diplomatic relations with the United States on June 6, 1967.^[1]

Early life and career

Jernegan was born on June 12, 1911, in Long Beach, California.^[2] He attended the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service and has an AB and AM from Stanford University.^[3]

Before he was appointed as Ambassador, Jernegan worked as the Director of the Office of Greek, Turkish and Iranian Affairs (1949-1950) and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern, South Asian and African Affairs (1952-1955).^[3] Jernegan also held the position of Faculty Advisor at the Air University at Maxwell Air Force Base.^[3]

He was considered Persona non Grata after siding with Britain when Britain planned to protect Kuwait when Abdul Karim Qasim, the Iraqi leader, laid claim to Kuwait.^[4][5] Qasim “designated the Kuwaiti monarch “qa’im maqam” – a subordinate to the governor of Basra – and threatened to “liberate” the country by force if the Kuwaiti monarch refused to accept this new designation.” .^[6]

Death

Jernegan died in Carmel Valley, California, on November 6, 1980, at the age of 69.^[7][8]

References

1. "John Durnford Jernegan". Office of the Historian. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
2. Current Biography Yearbook. H. W. Wilson Company. 1960. p. 206. Retrieved 23 September 2022.
3. "Jernegan Chosen Envoy to Algeria". State Department Newsletter: 23. June 1965 – via Hathitrust.
4. "TO MY CHILDREN". Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training Foreign Affairs Oral History Project. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
5. "The John F. Kennedy National Security Files, 1961–1963" (PDF). Retrieved 25 January 2020.
6. Wolfe‐Hunnicutt, Brandon. "THE END OF THE CONCESSIONARY REGIME: OIL AND AMERICAN POWER IN IRAQ, 1958‐1972" (PDF). Stanford University. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
7. "Noticias del Puerto de Monterey" (PDF). Mayo Hayes Library. Retrieved 23 September 2022.
8. "California Death Index, 1940-1997," database, FamilySearch 26 November 2014, John Durnford Jernegan, 06 Nov 1980; Department of Public Health Services, Sacramento.

External links

• John D. Jernegan Oral History Interview JFK Library