{{Short description|American diplomat (born 1956)}} {{About|the US Ambassador to the Zimbabwe|the Washington D.C. Councillor|Harry Thomas Jr.|other individuals named Harry Thomas|Harry Thomas (disambiguation)}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Harry Thomas | image = Ambassador Harry K. Thomas, Jr. official photo.jpg | office = [[United States Ambassador to Zimbabwe]] | president = [[Barack Obama]]<br>[[Donald Trump]] | term_start = February 25, 2016 | term_end = March 25, 2018 | predecessor = [[David Wharton (diplomat)|David Wharton]] | successor = [[Brian A. Nichols]] | office1 = [[United States Ambassador to the Philippines]] | president1 = [[Barack Obama]] | term_start1 = April 27, 2010 | term_end1 = October 16, 2013 | predecessor1 = [[Kristie Kenney]] | successor1 = [[Philip S. Goldberg]] | office2 = 27th [[Director General of the Foreign Service]] | president2 = [[George W. Bush]] | term_start2 = September 21, 2007 | term_end2 = June 24, 2009 | predecessor2 = [[George McDade Staples]] | successor2 = [[Nancy Jo Powell]] | office3 = 21st [[Executive Secretary of the United States Department of State]] | president3 = [[George W. Bush]] | term_start3 = July 25, 2005 | term_end3 = July 27, 2007 | predecessor3 = [[Karl W. Hofmann]] | successor3 = [[Daniel Bennett Smith]] | office4 = [[United States Ambassador to Bangladesh]] | president4 = [[George W. Bush]] | term_start4 = August 14, 2003 | term_end4 = July 2, 2005 | predecessor4 = [[Mary Ann Peters]] | successor4 = [[Patricia A. Butenis]] | birth_name = Harry Keels Thomas Jr. | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1956|6|3}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.holycross.edu/departments/publicaffairs/hcm/fall07/GAA/gaa4.html|title=THE PROFILE: Harry K. Thomas Jr., '78|access-date=2009-11-23|publisher=Holy Cross Magazine|year=2007|author=Michael Reardon|work=Alumni/Advancement|archive-date=2010-05-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100530064037/http://www.holycross.edu/departments/publicaffairs/hcm/fall07/GAA/gaa4.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> | birth_place = [[New York City]], New York, U.S. | death_date = | death_place = | spouse = Ericka Ovette<br>Mithi Aquino | children = Casey Merie | alma_mater = [[College of the Holy Cross]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]])<br>[[Columbia Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation|Columbia University]] ([[Master of Science|MS]]) }}
'''Harry Keels Thomas Jr.'''<ref>{{cite web|title=Harry Keels Thomas Jr. (1956–)|url=https://history.state.gov/departmenthistory/people/thomas-harry-keels|publisher=U.S. Department of State, [[Office of the Historian]]|date=October 16, 2013|access-date=December 5, 2015}}</ref> (born June 3, 1956) is an American diplomat who served as the U.S. ambassador to Bangladesh, the Philippines, and Zimbabwe.
==Education== Thomas is a graduate of the [[College of the Holy Cross]] and earned his Master's of Science in Urban Planning at [[Columbia University]]. He also has an honorary doctorate from [[Loyola University Maryland]], where he delivered the [[commencement address]] in May 2010.<ref name="EmbPR" />
==Career== Thomas joined the Foreign Service in 1984. His early postings included service in the [[List of diplomatic missions of the United States|US embassies]] in [[New Delhi]], [[India]]; [[Harare]], [[Zimbabwe]]; [[Kaduna (city)|Kaduna]], [[Nigeria]]; and [[Lima]], [[Peru]].<ref name="EmbPR">{{cite web|url=http://manila.usembassy.gov/pr2010-0323.pdf|title=U.S. Senate Confirms Nomination of Harry K. Thomas Jr. as Ambassador to the Republic of the Philippines|author=Press release|date=March 23, 2010|publisher=Embassy of the United States of America, Manila|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100601083759/http://manila.usembassy.gov/pr2010-0323.pdf|archive-date=2010-06-01|access-date=2010-05-18}}</ref> He also served as [[Executive Secretary of the United States Department of State]], Director General of the [[U.S. Foreign Service]], Director of the [[State Department Operations Center]], and Special Assistant to the then-[[U.S. Secretary of State]] [[Condoleezza Rice]].<ref name="Philsappt">{{cite news |author=Agence France-Presse|date=November 20, 2009|title=Obama names envoys to RP, Singapore|url=http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/topstories/topstories/view/20091120-237366/Obama-names-envoys-to-RP-Singapore|url-status=dead|newspaper=Philippine Daily Inquirer|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091123095744/http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/topstories/topstories/view/20091120-237366/Obama-names-envoys-to-RP-Singapore|archive-date=2009-11-23}}</ref>
Thomas served as [[United States Ambassador to Bangladesh]] (serving from 2003 to 2005) and Director General of the [[United States Foreign Service]] (serving from 2007 to 2009), Thomas was designated by US President [[Barack Obama]] on November 19, 2009, to replace [[Kristie Kenney]] as Ambassador to the [[Philippines]]—the first [[African American]] to serve at that post.<ref name="Philsappt" /> He was confirmed by the [[United States Senate]] on March 19, 2010,<ref name="EmbPR" /> and presented his credentials to Philippine president [[Gloria Macapagal Arroyo]] on April 27, 2010.<ref>{{cite news |author=Beth Day Romulo|date=May 11, 2010|title=Welcome to Ambassador Thomas|url=http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/256987/welcome-ambassador-thomas|url-status=dead|work=Manila Bulletin|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100513082845/http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/256987/welcome-ambassador-thomas|archive-date=2010-05-13|access-date=2010-05-18}}</ref> He was then nominated and confirmed as the [[United States Ambassador to Zimbabwe]] on October 22, 2015.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.periodicalpress.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/October-2015.pdf |title=October 2015 Senate Periodical Press Gallery |access-date=2015-12-23 |archive-date=2015-12-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151223190257/http://www.periodicalpress.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/October-2015.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> He was sworn in on December 8, 2015.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://harare.usembassy.gov/about-us/ambassador-designate-harry-k.-thomas-jr.html |title="Ambassador-Designate Harry K. Thomas Jr.", United States Department of State, December 23, 2015 |access-date=December 23, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151223235618/http://harare.usembassy.gov/about-us/ambassador-designate-harry-k.-thomas-jr.html |archive-date=December 23, 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref> He returned to the United States from Zimbabwe on March 25, 2018, planning to retire from the Foreign Service.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://southerntimesafrica.com/site/news/us-ambassador-snubs-mugabe|title=US Ambassador snubs Mugabe|date=March 23, 2018|newspaper=Southern Times|access-date=2018-07-19|archive-date=2018-07-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180719233529/https://southerntimesafrica.com/site/news/us-ambassador-snubs-mugabe|url-status=dead}}</ref>
==Controversy== [[Image:President Aquino with Ambassador Thomas.jpg|thumb|280px|Thomas (left) with [[Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs]] [[William J. Burns (diplomat)|William J. Burns]] (middle) and [[President of the Philippines|President]] [[Benigno S. Aquino III]] (right).]] In September 2011, Thomas sparked outrage – while in post as Ambassador to the Philippines – by making the remark that "40% of male tourists to the Philippines go there for sex tourism", without publicly presenting evidence for this remark.<ref>{{cite news|title=US ambassador to Philippines apologises for sex tourism remark|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/oct/08/us-ambassador-philippines-sex-tourism|access-date=February 13, 2013|newspaper=The Guardian|date=October 8, 2011}}</ref> He subsequently made a public apology to the [[Department of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines]].
==Foreign languages== Thomas speaks [[English language|English]], [[Spanish language|Spanish]], [[Hindi]], [[Tagalog language|Tagalog]], and [[Bengali language|Bengali]].
==Awards and honours==
===Foreign honours=== *{{flag|Philippines}}: [[File:PHI Order of Sikatuna 2003 Grand Cross BAR.svg|70px]] Grand Cross ''(Datu)'' of the [[Order of Sikatuna]] '''(GrCS)''' (October 14, 2013)
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * {{Twitter}} * {{Commons category-inline|Harry K. Thomas, Jr.}} * [https://2009-2017.state.gov/r/pa/ei/biog/199232.htm US Department of State biography] {{s-start}} {{s-dip}} {{s-bef|before=[[Mary Ann Peters]]}} {{s-ttl|title=[[United States Ambassador to Bangladesh]]|years=2003–2005}} {{s-aft|after=[[Patricia A. Butenis]]}} |- {{s-bef|before=[[Karl W. Hofmann]]}} {{s-ttl|title=[[Executive Secretariat|Executive Secretary to the Department of State]]|years=2005–2007}} {{s-aft|after=[[Daniel Bennett Smith]]}} |- {{s-bef|before=[[George McDade Staples]]}} {{s-ttl|title=[[Director General of the Foreign Service]]|years=2007–2009}} {{s-aft|after=[[Nancy Jo Powell]]}} |- {{s-bef|before=[[Kristie Kenney]]}} {{s-ttl|title=[[United States Ambassador to the Philippines]]|years=2010–2013}} {{s-aft|after=[[Philip S. Goldberg]]}} |- {{s-bef|before=[[David Wharton (diplomat)|David Wharton]]}} {{s-ttl|title=[[United States Ambassador to Zimbabwe]]|years=2016–2018}} {{s-aft|after=[[Brian A. Nichols]]}} {{s-end}} {{US Ambassadors to the Philippines}} {{US Ambassadors to Zimbabwe}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, Harry K. Jr}} [[Category:1956 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Columbia Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation alumni]] [[Category:College of the Holy Cross alumni]] [[Category:African-American diplomats]] [[Category:Ambassadors of the United States to Bangladesh]] [[Category:Ambassadors of the United States to the Philippines]] [[Category:Ambassadors of the United States to Zimbabwe]] [[Category:Directors general of the United States Foreign Service]] [[Category:21st-century African-American people]] [[Category:21st-century American diplomats]] [[Category:20th-century African-American people]] [[Category:Grand Crosses of the Order of Sikatuna]]