Clarence Clyde Ferguson Jr.

C. Clyde Ferguson Jr.
3rd United States Ambassador to Uganda
In office
June 30, 1970 – July 19, 1972
PresidentRichard Nixon
Preceded byHenry Endicott Stebbins
Succeeded byThomas Patrick Melady
Personal details
Born
Clarence Clyde Ferguson Jr.

4 November 1924
Wilmington, North Carolina
Died21 December 1983(1983-12-21) (aged 59)
Boston, Massachusetts
SpouseDolores Zimmerman
OccupationProfessor of law, diplomat

Clarence Clyde Ferguson Jr. (4 November 1924 – 21 December 1983) was a professor of law and a United States Ambassador to Uganda.[1]

Having experienced the horrors of World War II, as a diplomat he "labored tirelessly to safeguard and extend the fundamental freedoms" essential to world peace.[2] He was the main proponent in many decisions implementing the social provisions of the U.N. Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, particularly in relation to apartheid, and more generally in relation to all forms of racial, religious, and cultural discrimination.[2] Ferguson was the chief draftsman of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization's statement on race in 1967 and is considered the "founding father" of affirmative action.[1]

In 1969, he served as the US ambassador-at-large and coordinator for civilian relief in the Nigerian civil war and negotiated the "Protocol on Relief to Nigeria Civilian Victims of the Civil War."[1] He served as ambassador to Uganda in 1970 and as deputy assistant secretary of state for African affairs in 1973.[1] From 1973 to 1975 he was the US representative to the United Nations Economic and Social Council.[1] He had an important role in the defence of human rights in Chile, influencing U.S's actions against Pinochet's crimes.

Ferguson held a professorship at Rutgers University and served as dean of the Howard University School of Law[2] from 1963 to 1969.[3] He joined the faculty of Harvard Law School[1] in 1976 and worked there until his death.[3] The C. Clyde Ferguson Annual Lecture at Howard University School of Law is named after him,[4] as is the Clyde Ferguson award presented by the Association of American Law Schools.[5]

He wrote books including Materials on Trial Presentations and Racism in American Education, and contributed to US Ratification of the Human Rights Treaties.[1]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Biography Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Thomson Gale. 2007
  2. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference dejean was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference ASIL was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "Clarence Clyde Ferguson Jr. Annual Lecture". Howard University School of Law. 17 October 2007. Archived from the original on 25 November 2007. Retrieved 19 October 2007.
  5. ^ "Professor Emma Coleman Jordan Wins 2005 Clyde Ferguson Award". Georgetown Law. 10 January 2005. Archived from the original on 11 June 2008. Retrieved 19 October 2007.