Joseph Owen Zurhellen Jr. (July 8, 1920 New York City[1] – November 5, 1990) was an American Career Foreign Service Officer who was the first Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Suriname (1976-1978) when it gained independence in 1975.[2] He had been the Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian Affairs,[3] Deputy Chief of Mission Israel, Foreign Service Officer, Professor at Manhattanville College; Arms Control Negotiator; and deputy director at the U.N.[4]
He graduated from Columbia University in 1943,[5] and after serving in the Marines, he entered the Foreign Service in 1946.[3][6][7] He taught political science at Manhattanville College after retiring from the Foreign Service in 1978. Zurhellen, a resident of Putnam Valley, New York, died of cancer at Montefiore HospitalinThe Bronx.[3]
Joseph Owen Zurhellen was born on July 8, 1920, in New York City, NY to Joseph Owen and Dorrial Bernadette (née Levy) Zurhellen.[1]
Zurhellen married Helen Audrey Millar on December 19, 1942.[1]
| Diplomatic posts | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | U.S. Ambassador to Suriname 1976-1978 |
Succeeded by |
