About the Ambassador

William A. Stanton
Deputy Chief of Mission to the Republic of Korea

William A. Stanton

Bill Stanton assumed his position as Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul on August 14, 2006.   He previously served as Deputy Chief of Mission to the U.S. Embassy in Canberra, Australia.   During that three-year assignment, he served some 23 months as Charge d’Affaires ad interim, including over 18 months continuously from December 2004 to July 2006.

Mr. Stanton’s previous Asia experience included assignments as Minister Counselor for Political Affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing (1995-98); Deputy Director for the Office of Chinese and Mongolian Affairs (1994-95); Special Assistant for East Asia and Pacific Affairs for the Under Secretary for Political Affairs (1993-4); and political officer in Beijing (1987-90) where he also served as chief of internal political reporting (1989-90).   Mr. Stanton received Mandarin- language training (1985-87).

Mr. Stanton has also served as Director of the Office of Egyptian and North African Affairs (2001-03); Director of the Office of UN Political Affairs (1999-01); political-military affairs officer in Embassy Islamabad (1991-93); Country Officer for Lebanon (1983-85); staff assistant for the Assistant Secretary for Near East and South Asian Affairs (1982-83); watch officer in the Department of State Operations Center (1981-82); and consular and political officer at Embassy Beirut (1979-81). His training assignments included participation in the Senior Seminar (1998-99) and senior training at the Hoover Institute (1990-91).

Mr. Stanton holds the rank of Minister Counselor.  During his 29-year career as a Foreign Service Officer, he has received three Superior Honor Awards, one Superior Group Award, and several performance awards.

Mr. Stanton earned a B.A., magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa, from Fordham University in New York and an M.A. and a Ph.D. (1978) in English literature from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, which he attended on a National Defense Education Act Fellowship.   He also spent a year studying at Albert-Ludwigs University in Freiburg, Germany.  He is married to a fellow Foreign Service Officer; they have two daughters.

 

Speeches and Transcripts

March 7, 2007 - U.S. and Korea:  Moving Toward a Stronger Relationship