Nomination of Lannon Walker To Be United States Ambassador to Senegal

The President today announced his intention to nominate Lannon Walker, of Maryland, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, to be Ambassador of the United States of America to the Republic of Senegal. He would succeed Charles W. Bray III.

Mr. Walker entered on duty in the Department of State in 1961 and attended Western Arabic language school in 1962. In 1962-1964 he served as political officer at the U.S. Embassy in Rabat, Morocco. In 1964 he became principal officer at the American consulate in Constantine, Algeria. He returned to the Department in 1966 as a staff officer in the Executive Secretariat and then became Deputy Director. In 1969 he took economic training at the Foreign Service Institute. In 1970-1971 Mr. Walker was economic counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Tripoli, Libya. He then became deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Yaounde, Cameroon, in 1971-1973. From there he served as administrative counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Saigon, Vietnam, 1973-1974. In 1974 he went to the U.S. Embassy in Kinshasa, Zaire, first as economic counselor and then deputy chief of mission, where he served until 1977. He returned to the Department as office director for Central Africa and then became Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of African Affairs in 1977-1982. In 1982-1983 he took a leave of absence from the Department and became president, Joint Services Group, in Washington, DC. He returned to the Department in 1983 as senior adviser in the Bureau of African Affairs and from 1984 to the present has been Acting Deputy Inspector General.

Mr. Walker was born January 17, 1936, in Los Angeles, CA. He received his B.S.F.S. in 1961 from Georgetown University School of Foreign Service. His languages are French, Western Arabic, and Spanish. He is married to the former Arlette Daguet, and they have two daughters.