James K. Bishop

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Biographical Details

Ambassador James Bishop is the former Vice President of Humanitarian Policy and Practice at InterAction...

"Entering the United States Foreign Service in August 1960, Mr. Bishop was assigned first as a press officer in the State Department’s News Office. His initial posting abroad was as Vice Consul in Auckland, New Zealand. In 1967, he was transferred to Beirut, Lebanon, where he served first as Consul and later as Economic Officer. He subsequently was assigned during 1968-70 as Economic Officer in Yaounde, Cameroon.

"On his return to Washington Mr. Bishop was named desk officer for Chad, Gabon, Madagascar and Mauritius. From 1972 until 1974 he was employed as desk officer for Ghana and Togo. In the latter year he was appointed Deputy Director for West Africa, a post he held until his selection for the State Department’s Senior Seminar in Foreign and Domestic Policy for the academic year 1976-77. Following his graduation, Mr. Bishop was named Director of the Office of North African Affairs.

"Mr. Bishop was appointed Ambassador to the Republic of Niger in 1979 and remained in Niamey until 1981 when he was named Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs. He held that post until he was appointed Ambassador to Liberia in 1987. After three years in Monrovia he served as Ambassador to Somalia until evacuated by U.S. military forces in January 1991. Upon his return to Washington, Mr. Bishop was appointed Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs. He worked in that capacity and for a year as Acting Assistant Secretary until his retirement from the Foreign Service in July 1993.

"After leaving the State Department Mr. Bishop became a member of a Special Task Force on Southern Africa formed by the U.S. Agency for International Development. In September 1994, he left the Task force to accept the position of Vice President of the Congressional Human Rights Foundation. He resigned from the Foundation in April 1995 and joined the American Council for Voluntary International Action (InterAction) in August.

"A current member of the American Foreign Service Association, Mr. Bishop also was a member of the International Policy Committee of the U.S. Catholic Bishops’ Conference for six years, terminating in 2000." also see