Nomination of Donald K. Petterson To Be United States Ambassador to Tanzania

The President today announced his intention to nominate Donald K. Petterson, of California, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, as Ambassador to the United Republic of Tanzania. He succeeds John William Shirley.

Mr. Petterson was a personnel analyst at the California State Personnel Board in Los Angeles, CA, from 1958 to 1959, and thereafter a teaching assistant at the University of California for a year. He joined the Foreign Service in 1960 and was first assigned as a vice consul in Mexico City from 1961 to 1962. He returned to Washington in 1962 for Swahili language training prior to being assigned as vice consul in Zanzibar, Tanzania, 1963-1964, and consul in 1965. Mr. Petterson was then assigned as political officer at our Embassy in Lagos, Nigeria, until 1967 when he was detailed to Stanford University. In 1968 he returned to the Department as a personnel officer. From 1970 to 1972, he was Counselor of Embassy and deputy chief of mission in Freetown, Sierra Leone. He then served at our Embassy in Pretoria, South Africa, as political counselor from 1972 .to 1975. Mr. Petterson became a member of the policy planning staff in the State Department from 1975 to 1977. From there he served as Director of the Office of Southern African Affairs (1977-1978), until he was named Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in the Bureau of African Affairs. He was appointed Ambassador to the Somali Democratic Republic in 1978-1982. He then became a foreign affairs fellow and distinguished visiting scholar at UCLA. Since 1984 he has been Deputy Director of the Office of Management Operations in the Department of State.

He graduated from the University of California (B.A., 1956; M.A., 1960). Mr. Petterson is married and has four children. He was born on November 17, 1930, in Huntington Park. CA.