John J. Muccio

John J. Muccio
Muccio in 1950
United States Ambassador to South Korea
In office April 20, 1949 – September 8, 1952[1]
Succeeded by	Ellis O. Briggs
United States Ambassador to Iceland
In office 1954–1959
Preceded by	Edward B. Lawson
Succeeded by	Tyler Thompson
United States Ambassador to Guatemala
In office 1960–1961
Preceded by	Lester D. Mallory
Succeeded by	John O. Bell
United States Consul in Hong Kong
In office 1927 – 1929[2]
Personal details
Born	March 1900[3] Valle Agricola, Italy[4]
Died	May 19, 1989 (aged 89) Washington, DC, United States[5]
Resting place	Rock Creek Cemetery[6]
Children	4[5]
Alma mater	George Washington University[4]

John Joseph Muccio^[2] (1900–1989) was an Italian-born American diplomat who served as the first United States Ambassador to Korea following the establishment of the Republic of Korea in 1948. His title was "Special Representative of the President" (Harry Truman) in 1948-49 and Ambassador from 1949 through 1952. During his tenure, the Korean War began.

Under President Dwight Eisenhower, Muccio served as United States Ambassador to Iceland, where he was also the first American to hold the title of Ambassador (his original title was Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary).

Finally, Muccio served as United States Ambassador to Guatemala before he retired from the United States Foreign Service in 1961.

References

1. http://seoul.usembassy.gov/p_ambs_bios.html. Retrieved 2013-02-14
2. http://politicalgraveyard.com/bio/mozer-mullarky.html#MUCCIO. Retrieved 2013-02-12
3. http://www.trumanlibrary.org/oralhist/muccio1.htm. Retrieved 2013-02-12
4. http://articles.latimes.com/1989-05-29/news/mn-622_1_south-korea-north-korean-invasion-hong-kong. Retrieved 2013-02-12
5. http://www.nytimes.com/1989/05/22/obituaries/john-j-muccio-89-was-us-diplomat-in-several-countries.html. Retrieved 2013-02-12
6. http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=44383696

• New York Times Obituary
• Truman Library