Ambassador Robert E. Hunter '62
It is with sadness that I note the recent passing of Ambassador Robert E. Hunter ’62, Wesleyan University trustee emeritus.
A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Wesleyan in 1962, Robert attended the London School of Economics as a Fulbright Scholar and earned a doctorate in international relations in 1969. He went on to a long and distinguished career as an American diplomat and foreign policy strategist.
Robert served as US Ambassador to NATO from 1993 to 1998, where he was a principal architect of the post–Cold War “new NATO,” a co-author of the Partnership for Peace, and a key negotiator of the NATO air campaign that helped bring an end to the Bosnian War. Across multiple administrations, he advised US policymakers, including as foreign policy advisor to Senator Edward Kennedy, held senior roles in eight US presidential campaigns, and wrote speeches for three presidents and four vice presidents. He received the US Department of Defense Distinguished Public Service Medal twice, as well as eight foreign decorations, including France’s Légion d’honneur.
Robert served on Wesleyan’s Board of Trustees from 1980 to 1983 and again from 1984 to 1990, when he was elected trustee emeritus. He received Wesleyan’s Distinguished Alumnus Award in 1992.
Robert is survived by his wife, Dr. Shireen Hunter, to whom we extend our deepest sympathies. May his memory be a blessing and may his example of service inspire future generations.
