John H. Morrow

John Howard Morrow (February 5, 1910 – January 11, 2000)[1] was an American diplomat. In 1959, President Dwight Eisenhower appointed him the first Ambassador to independent Guinea.[2] He became the first representative of the United States in the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) during the administration of President John F. Kennedy.[3] At the time, he was one of a small number of African American high-level diplomats.

John Howard Morrow
diplomat

Personal life

Born in Hackensack, New Jersey, Morrow graduated from Rutgers University in 1931 and earned graduate degrees from the University of Pennsylvania, a master's in 1942 and a Ph.D. in 1952.[4]

He was the brother of E. Frederic Morrow, the first African-American to hold an executive position in the White House; and Nellie Morrow Parker, the first African-American public school teacher in Bergen County, New Jersey. His son, John H. Morrow, Jr., is a Professor of History at the University of Georgia. His daughter is Jean Rowena.

Morrow was a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity.

Writing career

His memoir is entitled First American Ambassador to Guinea (1959-1961).

References

1. Blackpast: Morrow, John Howard (1910-2000)
2. "Office of the Historian".
3. "Office of the Historian".
4. 'Morrow, John Howard (1910-2000)", BlackPast.org. Accessed November 25, 2017. "He was born John Howard Morrow on February 5, 1910 in Hackensack, New Jersey to John and Mary Hayes Morrow. After receiving his Bachelor’s degree (A.B., 1931) from Rutgers University, Morrow also earned his Master’s degree (M.A., 1942) and his Doctoral degree (Ph.D., 1952) both from the University of Pennsylvania."