JOHN BENNETT

John Toscan Bennett (Age 90)  
Passed away at his home in Alexandria, Virginia on Sunday, June 16, 2019 surrounded by his family. Born January 21, 1929 in Madison, Wisconsin, he was the son of Martin Toscan Bennett Jr and Cornelia (Vanderlaan) Bennett. John is survived by his loving wife of 65 years, Maria (Waschuck) Bennett; along with two children; Kim and her husband Christian Siemsen of Alexandria, VA, Toscan and his wife Babette Anne of Koenigstein, Germany; seven grandchildren, Martin, Stephan and Goswin Siemsen, Julia and Laura Maranto (Daughters of Holly Vanderlaan Bennett), Emily and Philip Bennett and one great grandchild, Milian Siemsen-Ngo; his brother Michael Vanderlaan Bennett and sister Heather Bennett McCabe. He was preceded in death by his daughter Holly Vanderlaan Bennett. John attended Sidwell Friends School in Washington, DC before graduating from Harvard University in 1950. He earned a PhD from the University of California before joining the Foreign Service as a career diplomat in 1955 where he served in Tunisia, Curacao, twice in Vietnam, the Dominican Republic, South Korea, and Washington, DC with a final posting as Deputy Chief of Mission in Guatemala. He attended the Stanford University Sloan Program and also served as Chairman of the Department of International Studies at the National War College before retiring in 1981. After retiring he founded the Korea Economic Institute in Washington, DC and taught at George Washington University. John was accompanied and supported on all his assignments by his wife Maria. Services are private.