Nomination of Charles A. Gillespie, Jr., To Be United States Ambassador to Colombia

The President today announced his intention to nominate Charles A. Gillespie, Jr., of California, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Counselor, as Ambassador to the Republic of Colombia. He would succeed Lewis Arthur Tambs.

Mr. Gillespie began his career in the Foreign Service as regional security officer at the American Embassy in Manila, Philippines, in 1965-1966. In 1966-1968 he served in the same capacity in Brussels, Belgium, and from there he was assigned to the U.S. NATO Mission as administrative officer in 1968-1970. Mr. Gillespie became a special assistant in the Bureau of Administration in 1970. In 1972 he went to the U.S. Embassy in Mexico as general services officer and served there until 1975, when he became a student at Syracuse University in Syracuse, NY. In 1976-1978 he served as administrative officer at the U.S. Embassy in Managua, Nicaragua, and in 1978 returned to the Department to be Associate Director of Management Operations. In 1980-1981 he attended the National War College and in 1981 became executive assistant in the Bureau of Inter-American Affairs. From 1983 to the present, he has been Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for the Caribbean in the Bureau of Inter-American Affairs.

Mr. Gillespie was born March 22, 1935, in Long Beach, CA. He received his B.A. in 1958 from the University of California. His foreign languages are Spanish, French, and German. Mr. Gillespie is married to the former Vivian Havens, and they have two children.