Walter C. Carrington facts for kids

Walter C. Carrington (born July 24, 1930 – died August 11, 2020) was an American diplomat. A diplomat is someone who represents their country in other nations. Walter Carrington served as the United States Ambassador to both Senegal and Nigeria. An ambassador is the highest-ranking diplomat in a foreign country.

He was the U.S. Ambassador to Senegal from 1980 to 1981. Later, President Bill Clinton chose him to be the U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria in 1993. He stayed in Nigeria until 1997. Walter Carrington had a very strong connection to Nigeria. He married into a Nigerian family and lived in different Nigerian cities since the late 1960s.

Walter Carrington's Career

Walter Carrington studied at Harvard Law School. He earned his first degree in 1952 and his law degree in 1955. After finishing his studies, he joined the U.S. Army. He worked as a lawyer for the military in Germany from 1955 to 1957.

After leaving the army, he became a private lawyer in Boston, Massachusetts. During this time, he also worked for the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination. This group worked to stop unfair treatment of people. He was the youngest person to hold this position at the time.

Working with the Peace Corps

From 1961 to 1971, Walter Carrington held several roles in the Peace Corps. The Peace Corps is a program where Americans volunteer to help people in other countries. He was a Country Director in Sierra Leone, Senegal, and Tunisia. This meant he was in charge of the Peace Corps' work in those countries. Later, he became the Regional Director for Africa from 1969 to 1971.

Later Roles and Ambassadorships

From 1971 to 1980, he was a top leader at the African-American Institute. This organization works to improve understanding and cooperation between Africa and America.

Walter Carrington served as the U.S. Ambassador to Senegal from 1980 to 1981. In 1981, he became the Director of International Affairs at Howard University. He also wrote many articles about Africa.

He then served as the U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria from 1993 to 1997. During his time in Nigeria, he was a strong supporter of democracy and human rights. On September 1, 2004, he became a special professor at Simmons College in Boston, teaching about international relations.

Walter Carrington was a member of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity. In 1997, he received an honorary doctorate degree from Livingstone College in North Carolina. This was a special award recognizing his achievements.

Books by Walter Carrington

In 1991, Walter Carrington helped write a book called Africa in the Minds and Deeds of Black American Leaders.

In 2010, he published his own book titled A Duty to Speak: Refusing to Remain Silent in a Time of Tyranny. This book is a collection of his speeches. In these speeches, he supported democracy and human rights in Nigeria. He spoke out during a time when Nigeria was under a military government led by Sani Abacha. He also wrote many articles about Africa for national magazines.