William C. Harrop

Career diplomat Ambassador William C. Harrop, 96, passed away June 6, 2025, of heart failure, surrounded by family. A Baltimore, MD native and Harvard graduate, he served in the U.S. Marine Corps during the Korean War. He worked for 39 years as a Foreign Service Officer, initially in Europe, and then served as Consul in Lubumbashi, Zaire. In 1972, Harrop was elected head of the American Foreign Service Association (AFSA), where he led the transformation of AFSA into a union while retaining its mission as a professional association of career diplomats. He later became Deputy Chief of Mission in Australia, Inspector General at the Department of State, and Ambassador to five countries: Guinea, Kenya, Seychelles, Zaire (Democratic Republic of the Congo since 1997), and Israel.

A lifelong advocate of American diplomacy and the Foreign Service, Harrop and his late wife, Ann Delavan Harrop, devoted her family's foundation to supporting those causes. After retirement Harrop served as President and Chair of the Diplomacy Center Foundation, which was instrumental, in partnership with the State Department, in establishing the National Museum of American Diplomacy in Washington. He chaired the international health NGO, Population Services International (PSI), and served on the boards of the Henry L Stimson Center, the Washington Humane Society, the American Academy of Diplomacy, the Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training, American Diplomacy Publishers, and the Senior Living Foundation of the American Foreign Service.

Among other honors, Harrop was a recipient of the Foreign Service Cup, the Presidential Distinguished Service Award, the State Department Distinguished Honor Award, and the American Foreign Service Association's Award for Lifetime Contributions to American Diplomacy.

Old-fashioned in the best sense, Bill fought for what he believed and was intensely patriotic. A force of nature with a great sense of humor and an always curious mind, Bill was an engaging patriarch, an enthusiastic chef, an avid skier, a shrewd poker player, and a lifelong learner. He loved classical music, particularly chamber music, and was so fond of opera that it was not unusual for him to burst into song. His greatest passion, however, was tennis. He played almost daily well into his 80s and followed the pro circuit closely, even requesting French Open score updates from his deathbed.

Harrop was devoted to his wife and late in life, he helped publish her poetry. He supported her in every way, through years of blindness and through her last illness. He leaves four sons and their spouses: Mark and Lucy Harrop, Caldwell Harrop and Susan Spock, Scott Harrop, and George and Lori Harrop; as well as six grandchildren, Jessica, William, Marguerite, Daniel, Maxwell, and Emily Moxon, her husband Jack Moxon, and two great-grandchildren, Josephine and Isobel. He will be dearly missed. The family is planning a memorial.

In lieu of flowers, gifts in Ambassador Harrop's memory can be made to the Diplomacy Center Foundation, the private non-profit partner of the State Department, charged with the completion of the National Museum of American Diplomacy. Their website is www.diplomacycenterfoundation.org/contribute