On behalf of Chairman of the Board of Trustees Governor Tom Kean and myself, I would like to express our sadness at the loss of Warren Christopher.
For five decades Warren Christopher served our nation with great distinction. He served as Secretary of State during President Bill Clinton’s first term, and was instrumental in the negotiation of the 1995 Dayton Agreement that ended the war in Bosnia. He was the chief negotiator for securing the release of American hostages from Iran in 1981, and led the Carter administration’s effort to ratify the Panama Canal treaties. He oversaw normalization of diplomatic relations with China, and was a veteran of many efforts to find peace in the Middle East. In 1991 he headed the commission investigating the Rodney King assault and subsequent riots in Los Angeles, which recommended major police reforms.
We at Carnegie Corporation of course knew him as a valued trustee and as chairman of our board before he became Secretary of State. During his time on the board, he provided strong leadership as the corporation expanded its portfolio in the realm of international peace and security, including the post-Cold War rise of national self-determination movements.
Warren Christopher’s wise and skillful diplomacy, in the service of both the United States and Carnegie Corporation, greatly contributed to focusing the world’s attention on addressing threats to peace and building global confidence in the possibility of finding common solutions.
He was a reserved yet passionate man and a consummate public servant of extraordinary accomplishment. Those of us who have been touched by his life’s work will dearly miss him.