Nomination of Elliott Abrams To Be an Assistant Secretary of State

The President today announced his intention to nominate Elliott Abrams as Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs. He would succeed Langhorne A. Motley. Ambassador Motley was Ambassador to Brazil from September 1981 to June 1983, and has served as Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs since then.

Mr. Abrams has been serving as Assistant Secretary of State for Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs since November 1981. Previously he was Assistant Secretary of State for International Organizations. Before assuming his post at the State Department, he was an attorney with the law firm of Verner, Lipfert, Bernhard and McPherson of Washington, DC, in 1979-1981. He was special counsel to Senator Daniel Moynihan (D-NY) in 1977-1979. In 1973-1975 he was an attorney with the firm of Breed, Abbott and Morgan of Boston, MA.

Mr. Abrams graduated from Harvard University (B.A., 1969), the London School of Economics (M.Sc., 1970), and Harvard Law School (J.D., 1973). He was born January 24, 1948, in New York, NY. He is married and resides in Washington, DC.