{{Short description|American diplomat (born 1943)}} {{about||the American television host|Johnny Carson|other people with a similar name|John Carson (disambiguation)}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Johnnie Carson | image = Ambassador Johnnie Carson (5506689976) (cropped).jpg | office = 16th United States Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs | term_start = May 7, 2009 | term_end = March 29, 2013 | president = Barack Obama | predecessor = Jendayi Frazer | successor = Linda Thomas-Greenfield | office2 = United States Ambassador to Kenya | term_start2 = September 23, 1999 | term_end2 = July 6, 2003 | president2 = Bill Clinton <br>George W. Bush | predecessor2 = Prudence Bushnell | successor2 = William M. Bellamy | office3 = United States Ambassador to Zimbabwe | term_start3 = April 20, 1995 | term_end3 = July 25, 1997 | president3 = Bill Clinton | predecessor3 = Edward G. Lanpher | successor3 = Tom McDonald | office4 = United States Ambassador to Uganda | term_start4 = September 18, 1991 | term_end4 = August 9, 1994 | president4 = George H. W. Bush <br> Bill Clinton | predecessor4 = John A. Burroughs, Jr. | successor4 = E. Michael Southwick | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1943|4|7}} | birth_place = Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | death_date = | death_place = | spouse = | children = 3 | party = | profession = Diplomat }}
'''Johnnie Carson''' (born April 7, 1943) is an American diplomat who has served as United States Ambassador to several African nations. In 2009 he was nominated to become U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs by President Barack Obama. He resigned in 2013 after four years in the role and following the resignation of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. He is currently a Senior Advisor at Albright Stonebridge Group.
== Background == Carson was born April 7, 1943, in Chicago, Illinois. Carson is married, has three children, and resides in Reston, Virginia. He graduated from Drake University with a B.A. in History and Political Science in 1965 and later obtained a Master of Arts in International Relations from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London in 1975.<ref name=NIC2008>[http://www.dni.gov/nic/NIC_personnel.html Biography of NIC members] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120610033824/http://www.dni.gov/nic/NIC_personnel.html |date=June 10, 2012 }}. National Intelligence Council, United States Directorate of National Intelligence. (2008). Retrieved March 21, 2009. ''Note:'' as this text was produced by a federal agency of the United States government, it is considered Public Domain. Portions may be used verbatim in this article.</ref> Before joining the Foreign Service, Carson was a Peace Corps volunteer in Tanzania from 1965 to 1968.<ref name=NIC2008 />
==Foreign service career== Carson joined the United States National Intelligence Council as National Intelligence Officer for Africa in September 2006 after a 37-year career in Foreign Service. Prior to this appointment, Carson served as the Senior Vice President of the National Defense University in Washington D.C. (2003–2006). Carson's Foreign Service career includes ambassadorships to Kenya (1999–2003), Zimbabwe (1995–1997), and Uganda (1991–1994); and Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of African Affairs (1997–1999).<ref name=NIC2008 />
Earlier in his career he had assignments in Portugal (1982–1986), Botswana (1986–1990), Mozambique (1975–1978), and Nigeria (1969–1971). He has also served as desk officer in the Africa section at State's Bureau of Intelligence and Research (1971–1974); Staff Officer for the Secretary of State (1978–1979), and Staff Director for the Africa Subcommittee of the US House of Representatives (1979–1982).<ref name=NIC2008 />
Carson is the recipient of several Superior Honor Awards from the Department of State and a Meritorious Service Award from Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. The Centers for Disease Control presented Ambassador Carson its highest award, "Champion of Prevention Award", for his leadership in directing the US Government's HIV/AIDS prevention efforts in Kenya.<ref name=NIC2008 /> Upon his departure from the assistant secretaryship, Carson was given accolades from the ambassadors of the ECOWAS countries, who together praised him for extraordinary efforts to bind the United States together with their countries.<ref>[http://allafrica.com/stories/201303291028.html?viewall=1 "West Africa: Ecowas Envorys Honors U.S. Assistant Secretary of State"]. ''New Dawn'' (Liberia), March 29, 2013. Retrieved March 30, 2013.</ref>
==Assistant Secretary of State== [[File:Juba embassy inauguration 2011-07-09.jpg|thumb|200px|Johnnie Carson (left), along with Colin Powell, Susan Rice, and R. Barrie Walkley, inaugurating the new US Embassy in Juba, South Sudan, July 9, 2011]] In March 2009, Carson was nominated to become U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs by President Barack Obama.<ref>[http://allafrica.com/stories/200903210001.html Africa: Ambassador Johnnie Carson, Nominee for Assistant Secretary for African Affairs, State Department]. The White House (Washington, DC) / AllAfrica.com. March 20, 2009.</ref> In February 2013, Carson said of the Kenyan elections that the US wasn't officially backing any candidate, but "choices have consequences," reportedly contradicting President Obama's office after Obama said the decision was "up to the Kenyan people."<ref name="Touch Choices">{{cite news|last=Gettleman|first=Jeffrey|title=Leader of Vote Count in Kenya Faces U.S. With Tough Choices|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/08/world/africa/kenyatta.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0|accessdate= April 30, 2013|newspaper=The New York Times|date= March 7, 2013}}</ref><ref name=Consequences>{{cite news|title=US Official Says Kenya's Elections Have 'Consequences'|url=https://www.voanews.com/a/us-official-says-kenya-elections-have-consequences/1599063.html|access-date= April 30, 2013|newspaper=VOA News|date= February 7, 2013}}</ref>
In March 2013, it was reported that Carson would be stepping down from his post after serving for four years.<ref name="step down">{{cite news|title=Johnnie Carson to step down as US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs|url=http://www.jambonewspot.com/johnnie-carson-bows-out-as-us-assistant-secretary-of-state-for-african-affairs/|accessdate= April 30, 2013|newspaper=Jambo News|date= March 30, 2013|url-status=usurped|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130407191302/http://www.jambonewspot.com/johnnie-carson-bows-out-as-us-assistant-secretary-of-state-for-african-affairs/|archivedate= April 7, 2013}}</ref> In May 2013, Carson joined the United States Institute of Peace as a senior adviser.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20130720151752/http://www.usip.org/publications/ambassador-johnnie-carson-joins-usip-will-continue-work-african-issues Ambassador Johnnie Carson Joins USIP, Will Continue Work on African Issues]. U.S. Institute of Peace. May 24, 2013. Retrieved July 23, 2013.</ref> Carson also serves on the Board of Directors of the National Democratic Institute.<ref>{{cite web|title = NDI Board of Directors | url=https://www.ndi.org/board-of-directors |publisher=ndi.org |accessdate=October 16, 2014}}</ref>
On January 15, 2015, he urged increased engagement with Nigeria for both the US and European partners, to assist in maintaining stability in the light of the upcoming 2015 Nigerian general election, security problems in Northeastern Nigeria, and economic concerns regarding rising oil prices.<ref>Carson, Johnnie. [http://allafrica.com/stories/201501151807.html "Nigeria: Top U.S. Figure Calls for International Action On Nigeria"], AllAfrica.com. Retrieved January 18, 2015</ref>
== References == {{Reflist|30em}}
== External links == * [https://web.archive.org/web/20090513150128/http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/biog/123210.htm U.S. Department of State: Johnnie Carson biography] *{{C-SPAN|57841}}
{{s-start}} {{s-dip}} {{succession box|title=United States Ambassador to Uganda|before=John A. Burroughs, Jr.|after=E. Michael Southwick|years=1991–1994}} {{succession box|title=United States Ambassador to Zimbabwe|before=Edward G. Lanpher|after=Tom McDonald|years=1995–1997}} {{succession box|title=United States Ambassador to Kenya|before=Prudence Bushnell|after=William M. Bellamy|years=1999–2003}} {{s-off}} {{s-bef|before=Jendayi Frazer<br>Phillip Carter<br>Acting}} {{s-ttl|title=United States Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs|years=2009–2013}} {{s-aft|after=Linda Thomas-Greenfield}} {{s-end}} {{US Ambassadors to Zimbabwe}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Carson, Johnnie}} Category:1943 births Category:Living people Category:Alumni of SOAS University of London Category:Ambassadors of the United States to Kenya Category:Ambassadors of the United States to Uganda Category:Ambassadors of the United States to Zimbabwe Category:Assistant secretaries of state for African affairs Category:African-American diplomats Category:United States Foreign Service personnel Category:21st-century African-American people Category:20th-century American diplomats Category:21st-century American diplomats Category:20th-century African-American people Category:Diplomats from Chicago