George E. Moose was sworn in as Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs on April 2, 1993. He was announced for this position by then President-elect Clinton and Secretary of State-designate Christopher on January 19, nominated on March 22, and confirmed by the Senate on March 31, 1993. He currently serves as the Vice Chairman of the United States Institute of Peace.

Ambassador Moose is a career member of the U.S. Foreign Service who, until his assignment as Assistant Secretary, held the post of Diplomat-in-Residence at Howard University. He has served as American Ambassador first to Benin (19831986) and later to the Republic of Senegal (1988-91).

Since joining the U.S. Foreign Service in 1967, Ambassador Moose’s assignments abroad have included Barbados as Political Officer (1972-74), and Vietnam, first as Refugee Program Advisor and later as Political Officer at the -U.S. Consulate General in Danang (1969-71). His domestic assignments include Deputy Counselor for Political and Security Affairs at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations (1980-1983); International Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations in New York City (1979-80); Deputy Director of Southern African Affairs (1978-79); Special Advisor to the Under Secretary for Political Affairs (1977-78); Desk Officer for Southern Rhodesia (1976-77); Political Analyst for Southern Africa, Bureau of Intelligence and Research (1974-76); and as an examiner on the Board of Examiners, which administers the entrance examination for the Foreign Service (1971-72).

Among the awards he has received from the State Department are Senior Performance Award, Superior Honor Awards, and the Meritorious Honor Award.

Ambassador Moose was born in New York City on June 23, 1944, and grew up in Denver, Colorado. He received a B.A. in American Studies from Grinnel College, Iowa, in 1966. Thereafter he studied American History and Foreign Policy in the graduate program of the Maxwell School at Syracuse University. He speaks Vietnamese and French. Ambassador Moose is married to Judith Kaufman, who is also a career member of the Foreign Service.