Opening the door to people-to-people diplomacy.

75 years ago, American diplomatic history recorded the name of the first female ambassador…

Ambassador Eugenie Anderson signed the Treaty of Friendship, Commerce, and Navigation between the United States and Denmark on October 1, 1951. (Source: NMAD)

In October 1949, Eugenie Moore Anderson (1909-1997) was appointed the U.S. Ambassador to Denmark, becoming the first woman to head a U.S. diplomatic mission. Anderson later served at the U.S. diplomatic mission to Bulgaria and the United Nations, striving to develop what she described as "people-to-people diplomacy."

Sharing on ShareAmerica , Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, Head of the U.S. Mission to the United Nations, stated that, in a diplomatic environment then dominated by men, Anderson "bravely made a lasting impact on U.S.-European relations after World War II."

In January 1952, the cover of Quick magazine featured a photograph of the U.S. Ambassador to Denmark, Eugenie Anderson, with the caption: "Is Diplomacy a Woman's Job?". The article mentioned Anderson's work alongside the diplomatic careers of former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt as a delegate to the United Nations, the U.S. Ambassador to Luxembourg, Perle Mesta, and the names and titles of women holding similar positions from India, Chile, and Brazil.

The definitive answer for Quick 's readers is: Yes, diplomacy is indeed a woman's job. Take Eugenie Anderson, for example, the first American woman to hold the position of Ambassador, who achieved many outstanding accomplishments in her diplomatic career spanning over 30 years, as a leader of the Minnesota Democratic Party, Ambassador to Denmark (1949-1953), Minnesota Senate candidate in 1958, Ambassador to Bulgaria (1962-1964), and delegate to the United Nations (1965-1968).

From concerns about international issues…

Born and raised in Adair, Iowa, Anderson studied music at Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri, and Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa, before transferring to Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota. There, she met and married John Anderson in 1931.

Becoming interested in international affairs, she traveled to Europe in 1937, amidst Hitler's rise to power in Germany. She later returned home and joined the Women's Voters League in Minnesota, quickly becoming a strong advocate for international diplomacy and subsequently the establishment of the United Nations.

After being appointed the U.S. Ambassador to Denmark by President Harry Truman (1884-1972) in October 1949, Anderson learned Danish so she could travel throughout the country and converse with the local people. She established the Fulbright exchange program with Denmark to broaden understanding and friendly relations between the two countries.

Ambassador Anderson herself negotiated a mutual defense agreement and signed the Treaty of Friendship, Commerce, and Navigation between the two countries, becoming the first American woman to sign such a treaty.

Ambassador Eugenie Anderson meets with farmers in Bulgaria. (Source: NMAD)

In 1960, President John F. Kennedy (1917-1963) appointed Anderson as the U.S. Ambassador to Bulgaria. She was also the first American woman to head a diplomatic mission to a former Soviet Union country. She was also the first American diplomat to speak on Bulgarian television and radio.

Here, the American diplomat pasted wallpaper on the windows of the American delegation's office, displaying images of American life and culture for passing Bulgarians... During this time, Ms. Anderson herself negotiated the settlement of Bulgaria's outstanding debts to the United States from World War II.

Having completed her term in Bulgaria in December 1964, a year later, Anderson was appointed the U.S. delegate to the United Nations Trusteeship Council and assisted newly independent nations in Africa and Asia. She is also considered the first woman to sit on the United Nations Security Council.

Bulgarian citizens are viewing photos of Ms. Anderson and American life through the windows of the U.S. Embassy. (Source: NMAD)

Heritage remains intact .

Since Anderson's time, hundreds of women have served as U.S. ambassadors. Today, one-third of U.S. ambassadors around the world are women.

According to US Ambassador to Sri Lanka Julie Chung, many female diplomats have followed in Anderson's footsteps, bringing "diversity of ideas, solutions, and ways of connecting with the public."

As a U.S. diplomat, Ms. Chung has worked at U.S. embassies in Colombia, Iraq, and Vietnam. She regularly meets with other female ambassadors. "We think about ways we can empower young diplomats, young entrepreneurs, and Sri Lankan women," she says. "I love my job."

President John F. Kennedy receives Eugenie Anderson in the Oval Office in 1962. (Source: John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum)

As for Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield, "I wouldn't be where I am today, or who I am, without pioneers like Eugenie Moore Anderson."

Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield said she often thinks “about leaders like Madeleine Albright, Condoleezza Rice, Hillary Clinton, and above all my mother — they taught me how to move forward, be bold, and dream big.”

Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield (center), Head of the U.S. Mission to the United Nations, speaks with Haitian Foreign Minister Dominique Dupuy on July 22 in Haiti. (Source: U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince)

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/nu-dai-su-my-dau-tien-mo-canh-cua-ngoai-giao-nhan-dan-291841.html