Marten VanHeuven

van Heuven

Marten van Heuven Retired U.S. Diplomat

Marten H.A. van Heuven, a retired U.S. Foreign Service Officer who specialized in transatlantic relations, died peacefully at home in Washington, DC on the evening of December 25, 2022, after being able to celebrate Christmas with his family.



Born in Utrecht, the Netherlands, Mr. van Heuven came to the United States with his parents shortly after the end of World War II. He graduated from Yale College and Yale Law School, also earning a Master's degree in international affairs at Columbia University.



In 1957, he began his career in the State Department's Office of the Legal Advisor. From 1958-1962, he served on the U.S. delegations to the United Nations General Assembly. In 1963, he became Legal Adviser at the U.S. Mission in Berlin, followed by tours at the U.S. Mission to NATO, the U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency, and in Eastern European Affairs at the State Department. After a year at the Woodrow Wilson School in Princeton, Mr. van Heuven served as Counselor for Political Affairs at The Hague and then in Bonn, Germany; and thereafter as Deputy Chief of Mission at the United Nations Office in Geneva, Switzerland. Later, he was the Director of the Office of Western European Affairs at the State Department.



In 1987, Mr. van Heuven joined the National Intelligence Council as National Intelligence Officer for Europe. He held this position during the ensuing four years, which marked fundamental changes in Europe. He led the preparation of the National Intelligence Estimate anticipating the breakup of Yugoslavia, for which he was awarded the Intelligence Medal of Merit from the Central Intelligence Agency. He also received the State Department's John Jacob Rogers award.



After leaving government, Mr. van Heuven joined the RAND Corporation as a senior consultant. In Washington, he was also a Distinguished Lecturer at the National Foreign Affairs Training Center. In addition, he served on the Board of Directors of the Atlantic Council of the U.S. He published widely on European and transatlantic affairs and was a frequent lecturer in the United States and in Europe.



Mr. van Heuven is survived by his wife Ruth Held van Heuven of Washington, DC; by his two daughters, Anne Marie and Catherine Margot, both of Denver, Colorado; their spouses, Tracy Anne Davis and John Anthony Carney, both of Denver, Colorado; his granddaughter Madeleine Rose Carney of Denver, Colorado; and his brother, Dr. Wichard Anne Jelle van Heuven of Vero Beach, Florida.



Mr. van Heuven grew up in occupied Holland and spend his professional career working toward peace in Europe. He was also an active sportsman, who enjoyed tennis, golf and skiing. Riding, however, was his major passion. For many years, he was an active member of the Sugarbush Polo Club. He was also an avid fox hunter, and a Field Master of the Green Mountain Hounds in Vermont.



In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to either of two organizations that embrace his personal and professional passions:

- Razom for Ukraine, Emergency Response (https://www.razomforukraine.org/razom-emergency-response/) which is providing direct humanitarian war relief and recovery aid to Ukraine

- The Green Mountain Hounds (http://greenmountainhounds.com/2016/marten-van-heuven-1932-2022/



A commemorative service will be held at Christ Church, Georgetown, on Friday, February 10, 2023, at 2 p.m. In addition, the family will host a celebration of life in Vermont this summer.