WILLIAM R. SALISBURY

 
WILLIAM RANDALL SALISBURY  
April 24, 1940 (Orange, NJ)  November 14, 2015 (Woodbridge, CT)  Bill Salisbury began his interest in classical studies at St. John's College in Annapolis, MD, where he earned a B.A. degree. Selected as a Root-Tilden Scholar at New York University School of Law, he earned an LLB degree and an LLM in International Law, while working at a New York City law firm.Bill joined the U.S. Department of State as a Foreign Service Officer in 1967, specializing in Political Affairs. He worked with the Office of the Legal Adviser at the State Department on negotiations for the Law of the Sea Treaty, and with the Office of Legal Counsel to the U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency on negotiations for treaties banning chemical and biological weapons. He had assignments to India and The Bahamas, but the rest of his career was centered on Western and Northern European nations and most particularly on U.S. political relations with the European Union. He served in Germany, the Benelux countries and Finland, but worked on issues throughout the region. He was at one time Chairman of the Secretary of State's Open Forum Panel and Chair of the American Foreign Service Association's Legal Committee. Following his retirement from the Foreign Service, Bill worked as an actor in Washington-area theaters and in TV and film. Always a serious scholar and an avid reader of classical literature, he regularly attended classes at Yale University in philosophy and classical history after his move to Connecticut in 2003.Bill is survived by his ex-wife, Diane, of Washington, DC; a son, Randall, of Washington, and a daughter, Avery, who lives in Manhattan, NY. He also leaves two sisters, Jean Gill and Sue Lauderbaugh; and a brother, Jim. Services will be private.