Victor Jackovich

Victor Jackovich (born April 24, 1948) is an American diplomat and former ambassador who was the first United States Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina. He later became Ambassador to Slovenia.

Victor Jackovich was born in Des Moines, Iowa, on April 24, 1948 to Mary and Victor Sr. He has a much younger sister named Janet who married in 1983 and became Janet Clark. He is a graduate of Indiana University, where he studied in the Russian and East European Institute and received both a bachelor's degree and a master's degree (awarded in 1971).

As a career officer in the U.S. Foreign Service, he held assignments in Kiev (1979–1980), where he helped to start the first U.S. government office in Ukraine; Bucharest (1980–1983); Nairobi (1983–1986); Moscow (1988–1990); and Sofia, Bulgaria (1991). He is fluent in several languages. In 1990 and 1991 he directed the U.S. Department of State’s Task Force on the Balkan crisis and in 1992 and 1993 he led U.S. delegations to international conferences on the Balkans. In 1992, during the dissolution of the Soviet Union, he led the first U.S. representation to the newly independent state of Moldova.

On May 12, 1992, he was appointed as the first U.S. Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina. He presented his credentials the following year, on June 23, 1993, and opened the U.S. embassy in Sarajevo in 1994. His role as ambassador there from 1992 to 1995 was largely focused on negotiating with the warring factions in support of American objectives in the region. In 1994 he was awarded the U.S. government's Distinguished Presidential Award (1994) for diplomatic service. The Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina recognized his service in 1995 with the Golden Eagle Award, the country's national medal. In 2000 the University of Sarajevo gave him an honorary degree and he was named an honorary citizen of Sarajevo.

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