William R. Rivkin
| William Robert Rivkin | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
April 16, 1919 Muscatine, Iowa |
| Died | March 19, 1967 (aged 47) |
| Nationality | United States |
| Education | B.A. University of Iowa J.D. Northwestern University |
| Occupation | diplomat |
| Known for | U.S. ambassador to Luxembourg, Senegal, and the Gambia |
| Spouse(s) | Helen Enid Hammerman |
| Children | Laura Rivkin Ledford Julie Rivkin Wheeler Robert S. Rivkin Charles Rivkin |
| Family |
Cindy S. Moelis (daughter-in-law) Joanne H. Alter (sister-in-law) |
William Robert Rivkin (April 16, 1919 – March 19, 1967) was a United States diplomat who served as ambassador to Luxembourg, Senegal, and Gambia in the 1960s.
William Rivkin was born in 1919, the first child of Samuel Wolf Rivkin, an immigrant from the Soviet Union who worked as a local tailor, and Florence Fryer, a British immigrant who had met Samuel in Muscatine, Iowa. He received a bachelor of arts degree from the University of Iowa in 1941 and a law degree from Northwestern University in 1948. While at Iowa, he was the national intercollegiate oratorical champion. At Northwestern, he edited the Northwestern Law Review and finished first in his law class.
After graduation from Iowa, Ambassador Rivkin joined the United States Army, where he rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel during World War II. He was awarded the Bronze Star and received the French l'ordre de la santé publique, rank of chevalier.
In 1956, Rivkin served as deputy director of Adlai E. Stevenson II's second Presidential campaign, and in 1960 was the Midwest coordinator of the Presidential Campaign of then-Senator John F. Kennedy.
He was a U.S. diplomat, serving as Ambassador to Luxembourg (1962-1965) under President John F. Kennedy, and to Senegal (1966-1967) and the Gambia (1966-1967) under President Lyndon B. Johnson. He was a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and Phi Beta Kappa.
In 1959, Rivkin married Helen Enid Hammerman. Helen's grandfather founded J.K. Industries in Chicago and her father, Sol Hammerman, and her Uncle Meyer Hammerman, grew it into one of the nation's largest children's clothing manufacturers at the time. They remained married until his death in 1967. They had four children:
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