View source for Ralph Earle (ambassador)

{{Short description|American diplomat (1928–2020)}}
{{For|other people with the same name|Ralph Earle (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox person
| name                = Ralph Earle II
| image               =
| caption             =
| birth_date          = {{Birth date|1928|9|26|mf=y}}
| birth_place         = [[Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania]], U.S.
| death_date          = {{death date and age|2020|1|13|1928|9|26|mf=y}}
| resting_place       = [[Arlington National Cemetery]], [[Arlington, Virginia]], U.S.
| occupation          = Lawyer, diplomat, arms control negotiator
| relatives           = [[George Howard Earle III|George H. Earle III]] <small>(father)</small>
}}
'''Ralph Earle II''' (September 26, 1928 - January 13, 2020) was an American [[diplomat]] and [[arms control]] negotiator. He was a key architect of several major international arms control accords. He served as the United States' chief negotiator at the [[SALT II]] round of talks on [[nuclear disarmament]] from 1978 to 1979, as director of the [[Arms Control and Disarmament Agency]] (ACDA) between 1980 and 1981 and as deputy director at the ACDA from 1994 to 1999.
==Early life and education==
Earle was born in [[Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania]], on September 26, 1928. He was the son of the former Governor of Pennsylvania, [[George H. Earle III]] and Huberta Potter Earle Sheaffer. He attended [[Episcopal Academy]] in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania and graduated from [[Deerfield Academy]] in Deerfield, Massachusetts<ref name=Cook/> in 1946.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ralph Earle II |url=https://deerfield.edu/alumni/class-notes/ralphe-earle-ii/10271542 |website=www.deerfield.edu |publisher=Deerfield Academy |access-date=19 August 2022}}</ref> He graduated with a Bachelors degree in history from [[Harvard University|Harvard]] College in 1950<ref name=Langer/> and [[Harvard Law School]] and served in the United States Army during the [[Korean War]].<ref name=Cook/> Earle is a member of the influential [[Van Leer Family|Van Leer family]]. His paternal second great-grandfather was American Revolutionary War captain [[Samuel Van Leer]].<ref name=vanleerarchives>{{cite web |title=WILLIAM VAN LEER GENERATION 9.3 – THIRD CHILD OF SAMUEL VANLEER |url=https://vanleerarchives.org/samuel-van-leer/william-van-leer-son-of-samuel/ |website=www.vanleerarchives.org |publisher=Van Leer Archives |access-date=19 August 2022}}</ref>
==Career==
Following law school and a clerkship with Federal Judge [[Bailey Aldrich]], he worked for the law firm of [[Morgan, Lewis & Bockius]] and became a partner.<ref>{{cite web |last1=McLellan |first1=Emily |title=How Morgan Lewis Grew Into a Powerhouse on Its Own Terms |url=https://www.law.com/americanlawyer/2018/04/24/how-morgan-lewis-grew-into-a-powerhouse-on-its-own-terms/?slreturn=20220719094254 |website=www.law.com |publisher=ALM Global |access-date=19 August 2022}}</ref>
In 1968, he was appointed to be Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs and was a protege of [[Paul Nitze]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Strong |first1=Robert A. |title=Working in the World - Jimmy Carter and the Making of American Foreign Policy |date=2000 |publisher=Louisiana State University Press |location=Baton Rouge |isbn=0-8071-2445-1 |page=40 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ztiOxSjsdcsC |access-date=19 August 2022}}</ref> Earle served as the Defense Advisor to the US Mission to NATO from 1969 to 1972.<ref name=Langer>{{cite news |last1=Langer |first1=Emily |title=Ralph Earle II, arms control expert and SALT II negotiator, dies at 91 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/ralph-earle-ii-arms-control-expert-and-salt-ii-negotiator-dies-at-91/2020/01/16/e7d44e2a-3874-11ea-9541-9107303481a4_story.html |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=19 August 2022}}</ref> He joined the U.S.-Soviet SALT II negotiations as an alternate to chief negotiator [[Paul Warnke]]. Soviet diplomat [[Vladimir Semyonov (diplomat)|Vladimir Semyonov]] was initially frustrated to meet often with the second in command negotiator, but their relationship strengthened through a mutual appreciation of classical music and shared experiences of both having teenage daughters.<ref name=Webb/>
In 1978, after the resignation of Warnke, Earle was appointed by President [[Jimmy Carter]] as the United States' chief negotiator at the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT II) with the Soviets and given the rank of Ambassador.<ref>{{Cite web |date=1 February 1991 |title=The Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training Foreign Affairs Oral History Project AMBASSADOR RALPH EARLE, II |url=https://adst.org/OH%20TOCs/Earle,%20Ralph%20E.II.toc.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240716200157/https://adst.org/OH%20TOCs/Earle,%20Ralph%20E.II.toc.pdf |archive-date=16 July 2024 |access-date=16 July 2024 |website=Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training}}</ref> He served as Director of the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency (ACDA) from 1980 to 1981.<ref>{{cite web |title=Directors of the U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency |url=https://history.state.gov/departmenthistory/people/principalofficers/director-us-arms-control-disarmament-agency |website=www.history.state.gov |publisher=United States Department of State |access-date=19 August 2022}}</ref> Earle received the Distinguished Honor Award from the ACDA for his role in the SALT II negotiations.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Matthews |first1=Francis J. |title=Department of State Newsletter |date=January 1980 |publisher=Department of State |location=Washington, D.C. |page=78 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0RQY5OrUV6UC |access-date=22 August 2022}}</ref> He re-joined ACDA from 1994 to 1999 as its deputy director.<ref name=Langer/>
He was an active member of the Lawyers' Alliance for World Security (LAWS) and served on the [[Arms Control Association]] Board of Directors from 1987 to 1994.<ref name=Webb>{{cite web |last1=Webb |first1=Greg |title=Ralph Earle II (1928-2020), Pursuing Arms Control to Strengthen Security |url=https://www.armscontrol.org/act/2020-03/features/ralph-earle-ii-1928%E2%80%932020-pursuing-arms-control-strengthen-security |website=www.armscontrol.org |publisher=Arms Control Association |access-date=19 August 2022}}</ref>
He was a member of the [[American Law Institute]], the [[Council on Foreign Relations]], and the [[International Institute for Strategic Studies]].  In 2009, Ambassador Earle was awarded [[Deerfield Academy]]'s Heritage Award<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://deerfield.edu/scroll/2009/09/2009-heritage-award-ralph-earle-49/ |title="2009 Heritage Award: Ralph Earle '46." |access-date=2014-12-30 |archive-date=2015-04-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150419013417/http://deerfield.edu/scroll/2009/09/2009-heritage-award-ralph-earle-49/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>—which recognizes "an alumnus/a whose professional and personal achievements represent a special contribution to the betterment of society."<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://deerfield.edu/alumni/alumni-membership/visions-and-initiative/ |title=Deerfield Academy Visions and Initiative page. |access-date=2014-12-30 |archive-date=2014-12-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141220081935/http://deerfield.edu/alumni/alumni-membership/visions-and-initiative/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
==Personal life==
Earle was married first to Eleanor Forbes Owens Earle and then to Julie von Sternberg Earle. He had five children: Eleanor Earle Mascheroni, Ralph Earle III, Duncan Owens Earle, Amanda Earle Ciccarelli, and Caroline Earle Walsh.<ref name=Langer/>
He died on January 13, 2020, from complications due to Parkinson's disease<ref name=Cook>{{cite web |last1=Cook |first1=Bonnie L. |title=Ralph Earle 2nd, a Philadelphia lawyer and lead negotiator in the SALT II arms control talks, dies at 91 |url=https://www.inquirer.com/obituaries/ralph-earle-ambassador-salt-talks-acda-drector-arms-control-nato-20200117.html |website=www.inquirer.com |date=17 January 2020 |publisher=The Philadelphia Inquirer |access-date=19 August 2022}}</ref> and was interred at [[Arlington National Cemetery]] on August 25, 2021.<ref>{{cite web |title=Army Cemeteries Explorer |url=https://ancexplorer.army.mil/publicwmv/#/search-all/results/1/CgVlYXJsZRIFcmFscGg-/ |website=www.ancexplorer.army.mil |publisher=U.S. Army |access-date=19 August 2022}}</ref>
==Bibliography==
*[https://www.google.com/books/edition/SALT%20II%20Senate%20Testimony/EbpIAQAAMAAJ Chief, U.S. SALT Delegation Ralph Earle II], SALT II Senate Testimony, pages 27-32, United States Department of State, Washington, D.C., July 9-11, 1979.
*''[https://books.google.com/books?id=ngYAAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA8 Don't Abandon SALT II]'', Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, pages 8-9, Aug-Sep 1986, Vol. 43, No. 1.
==References==
{{reflist}}
==External links==
*Deerfield Academy Heritage Award (2009) acceptance speech [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TeXy5l0uo-s Part 1] and [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqhUY28_yRM Part 2] at YouTube.com.
*[https://www.loc.gov/item/mfdipbib000327/ Library of Congress - Interview with Ralph Earle II]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Earle, Ralph}}
[[Category:1928 births]]
[[Category:2020 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century American lawyers]]
[[Category:American diplomats]]
[[Category:Arms control people]]
[[Category:Burials at Arlington National Cemetery]]
[[Category:Deerfield Academy alumni]]
[[Category:Earle family]]
[[Category:Episcopal Academy alumni]]
[[Category:Harvard College alumni]]
[[Category:Harvard Law School alumni]]
[[Category:Lawyers from Philadelphia]]
[[Category:Lawyers from Washington, D.C.]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:People from Chester County, Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:United States Army personnel of the Korean War]]
[[Category:Van Leer family]]