The President today announced that he will nominate Richard A. Ericson, Jr., of Oakland, Calif., to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States to Iceland. He would replace James J. Blake, who has resigned.
Ericson was born May 24, 1923, in Honolulu, Hawaii. He received a B.S.F.S. from Georgetown University in 1955. He served in the U.S. Army from 1943 to 1947.
Ericson joined the Foreign Service in 1947 and served as economic officer in Tokyo. From 1958 to 1960, he was Chief of the Near East and Asia Division of the Bureau of Intelligence and Research. From 1960 to 1961, he was staff assistant in the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs. From 1961 to 1962, he was special assistant to the Deputy Under Secretary of State for Management.
In 1962 and 1963, Ericson was detailed to the National War College. From 1963 to 1965, he was political officer in London, and from 1965 to 1968, he was counselor for political affairs in Seoul. From 1968 to 1970, he was counselor for political affairs in Tokyo.
From 1970 to 1974, Ericson was Country Director for Japan, and from 1974 to 1976, he was Deputy Chief of Mission in Seoul. Since 1976 he has been Deputy Director of the Bureau of Politico-Military Affairs at the State Department.
Jimmy Carter, United States Ambassador to Iceland Nomination of Richard A. Ericson, Jr. Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/243772