JOHN WASHBURN

WASHBURN--John Lawrence, died peacefully on July 13 at his Port Jefferson, NY home. He was 85. Born in Duluth, MN and raised in Tryon, NC, John graduated from Harvard College (1959, magna cum laude) and Harvard Law School (1962). After passing the DC Bar he joined the Foreign Service, with posts in India, Iran, and Indonesia as well as at the State Department. On top of his daily duties at State, John was Night Shift Chair of the Iran Hostage Task Force in 1979, receiving a special commendation from the Secretary of State for this service. From 1985-87, he was a member of the State Department's Policy Planning Staff. John's career focus was international organizations, and he was honored to serve as a Director in the Executive Office of the UN Secretary- General from 1988-93. Thereafter, he pursued his passion for human rights through his work in helping to establish and promote the International Criminal Court (ICC). As a founding member of the international NGO coalition for the ICC, he participated in the 1998 conference that adopted the Rome Statute, chairing the committee that wrote the sections on crimes against women. Later, John was Convener for the American Coalition for the ICC (AMICC) and Co-Chair of the Washington Working Group on the ICC (WICC). He did not live to see the United States become a Party to the Court but remained hopeful that eventually the U.S. would ratify the Statute. John loved the woods and streams of Western North Carolina, where he was personally involved in land conservation. He spent time each summer in Vinalhaven, Maine, enjoying sailing and catching up with old friends. He leaves his wife of 52 years, Deborah Field Washburn; two children, Susannah and Jonathan Washburn, their spouses, David Rapallo and Christine Washburn; and grandsons Nicholas and Luke Rapallo. Donations in his memory may be made to Amnesty International or Doctors Without Borders.