William Tapley Bennett Jr.

Who was William Tapley Bennett Jr.?

William Tapley Bennett Jr. was an American diplomat who served as Ambassador to the Dominican Republic during the 1965 civil war.

Born in Griffin, Georgia, Bennett attended the University of Georgia where he was a member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity. Bennett earned a law degree from George Washington University, then joined the Foreign Service in 1941. He served as a United States Army intelligence officer during World War II. Bennett held posts in embassies in Vienna, Rome and Athens before Lyndon Johnson appointed him Ambassador to the Dominican Republic.

He was also Ambassador to Portugal from 1966 through 1969 and United States Permanent Representative to NATO from 1977-1983. After retiring in 1985 he served as adjunct professor of international law at the University of Georgia. He died in Washington D.C.