HARRY THAYER

THAYER HARRY ELSTNER TALBOTT THAYER Died at age 89 in Washington, DC on January 21, 2017 after a valiant, year-long struggle following cancer treatment. Ambassador Thayer served as a United States Foreign Service Officer during a distinguished 30-year career specializing in U.S.- China relations. He was not only a consummate diplomat but also a cultured and modest man with a wry sense of humor who savored the serenity of the outdoors. He took a deep interest in others and relished the accomplishments and exploits of his extended family and many friends. Born in Boston on September 10, 1927 to Eliza Talbott and Frederick Morris Thayer, he grew up in Newtown Square, PA, at Mill Hollow, his family's home. He graduated from Haverford School in 1945 and then at age 17 enlisted in the Navy. He graduated from Yale in 1951, where he majored in English and was a member of St. Anthony Hall and the Whiffenpoofs. Thayer began his working life in New York with Alaska Airlines as assistant to the chairman of the board and then Newsweek magazine as a copy boy and reporter, before joining the Philadelphia Bulletin as a night crime reporter and rewrite man. The Army-McCarthy hearings and the capture and imprisonment in China of his college friend, U.S. intelligence officer Jack Downey, deepened a growing desire to become more engaged in world affairs and in China itself. In 1956, Thayer joined the U.S. State Department as a Foreign Service Officer. Ambassador Thayer's first overseas posts were to Hong Kong in 1957, and then to Taiwan for Mandarin language training before assignment to the U.S. Embassy in Taiwan. Early in his career, he joined Vice President Lyndon Johnson's first around-the-world trip. During his service, he held various State Department assignments in DC including at the East Asian Bureau and the Taiwan, PRC, and Chinese Affairs desks. He attended the National War College in 1971. During a period of pivotal changes in U.S.-China relations, which included the end of the Cultural Revolution, the rise of the "Gang of Four," and the death of Mao Zedong, Thayer served as Deputy Political Counselor to the U.S. Mission to the UN and then as Deputy Chief of Mission to the American Liaison Office in Beijing under Ambassador George H. W. Bush. In 1980, he was appointed U.S. Ambassador to Singapore, serving until 1984, before becoming Director of the American Institute in Taiwan until 1986. Thayer concluded his diplomatic career in 1989 as Dean of the Foreign Service Institute School of Language Studies. After a few years of retirement, he returned to the State Department, working at the Office of Asylum Affairs and then the Freedom of Information office, first as a reviewer and then as a member of the Freedom of Information Act, Appeals Panel. During his Foreign Service career he was recognized with the Meritorious Service Award, two Superior Honor Awards, and the Distinguished Honor Award. During his retirement, Thayer volunteered with Meals on Wheels and the Community Council for the Homeless at Friendship Place. His memberships included the C&O Canal Association, DACOR, the Far East Luncheon Group, and the Washington Institute of Foreign Affairs. Ambassador Thayer is survived by his wife, Marion Guggenheim Thayer; four children from his first marriage to Joan Pirie, Robert, Nathaniel, and Margaret Thayer of Washington, DC, and Marian Thayer Vito of West Chester, PA; three stepchildren from his second marriage to Edith G. Browne, Olin, Luis, and Jeremy Browne; three stepchildren, Grace, Davis, and Jonathan Guggenheim; five grandchildren, Amanda, Julia, and John Thayer, and Nathaniel and James Vito; seven step-grandchildren; a step-great-grandson; and a sister, Marian Thayer Toland. His brothers, Frederick, Thruston, and Nelson Thayer, predeceased him. A memorial service will be held on Monday, February 27, 11 a.m., at All Souls Memorial Episcopal Church, 2300 Cathedral Avenue NW in Washington. Memorial contributions may be given to Potomac Conservancy or to C&O Canal Association.A memorial service will be held on Monday, February 27, 11 a.m., at All Souls Memorial Episcopal Church, 2300 Cathedral Avenue NW in Washington. Memorial contributions may be given to Potomac Conservancy or to C&O Canal Association.