Samuel Z. Westerfield, Jr.’s biography, net worth, fact, career, awards and life story

Intro Liberian diplomat
Was Diplomat 
From Liberia 
Type Politics 
Gender male
Birth 15 November 1919, Chicago, USA
Death 19 July 1972, Monrovia, Liberia
(aged 52 years)
Star sign Scorpio
Education
Harvard University

Samuel Z. Westerfield Jr. (November 15, 1919, Chicago, Illinois – July 19, 1972, Monrovia, Liberia) was a career foreign services officer who was appointed American ambassador to Liberia on July 8, 1969.

Early life

Westerfield’s parents were Dr. Samuel Z.C. Westerfield and Rachael Weddleton Colquitt. His father was the first black student to graduate with a Ph.D. in Engineering from the University of Nebraska.

Westerfield graduated magna cum laude from Howard University in 1939 and continued his education to earn a master’s degree from Harvard University in 1949 and his doctorate from Harvard in 1950.

Career

His career in economics included teaching at Lincoln University and serving as dean of the school of business administration at Clark Atlanta University as well as being a visiting professor in the Harvard Business School. Transitioning to government service, he was associate director of the treasury during the Kennedy administration before he became deputy director of the Treasury Department. He went on to become the deputy director of the Debt Analysis Staff and deputy director of the office of International Affairs.

He was one of the first black economists to join the diplomatic service and was considered an authority on the economic plight of Africa.

Personal life

In 1945, he married Helene Bryant, an educator and graduate of Spelman College. They had two children, Shelia and Samuel Z. Westerfield III.

Death

Westerfield suffered a fatal heart attack on July 19, 1972 at the embassy in Monrovia at the age of 52. He was returning from a dinner party when he became ill. The officially reported cause of death was coronary thrombosis.

Legacy

The National Economic Association (NEA) awards the “Samuel Z. Westerfield Jr. Award” every 3–5 years to African-American economists in recognition of outstanding scholarship, distinguished service, and overall excellence. This is the most prestigious award of the NEA. The award was presented first, posthumously, to Ambassador Westerfield.

You May Also Like

Stephen Hillenburg’s net worth, biography, fact, career, awards and life story

Stephen Hillenburg net worth and salary: Stephen Hillenburg was an American director, animator, writer, producer, voice artist, and marine biologist who had a net worth of $120 million at the time of his death in 2018. He was best known for creating the television series SpongeBob SquarePants. Stephen McDannell Hillenburg was born in Lawton, Oklahoma in August 1961. He attended Humboldt State for undergrad and then held a series of nature-related jobs. He eventually landed a job teaching marine biology at the Orange County Marine Institute in Dana Point, California. While working at the Marine Institute he created a sea-related comic for his students called The Intertidal Zone. The comic included a character named “Bob the Sponge”, a precursor to SpongeBob. He attempted to get the comic published widely but was rejected. Realizing that his career ambitions were larger than teaching at the Institute, in 1992 he perused a degree in animation at CalArts. After graduating he landed a job at the cartoon Rocko’s Modern Life. One of the writers on Rocko encouraged Stephen to continue developing his Intertidal concept in his free time. SpongeBob Squarepants premiered in 1999. By November 2018 the show had aired more than 240 episodes across 12 seasons. The 2004 SponeBob SquarePants Movie was also directed, produced and written by Hillenburg, as was the 2015 film sequel The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie: Sponge Out of Water. The first film grossed more than $140 million at the box office. During his career Stephen Hillenburg won two Emmys. The show itself won six Emms and 17 Annie Awards.  Stephen was married to chef Karen Umland for many years. Together the had a son named Clay. Tragically, Stephen Hillenburg died on November 27, 2018 at the age of 57 after suffering from ALS.
Read More