Joanne Herring

Joanne King Herring (born July 3, 1929) is an American socialite, businesswoman, political activist, philanthropist, diplomat, and former television talk show host.

Originally from Houston, Texas, she is best known for influencing policy through her long association and political relationship with President of Pakistan Zia-ul-Haq 1924-1988 (1977–88). Herring also served as the honorary consul at the Consulate-General of Pakistan based in Houston; on special request and favor of Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq she is also the recipient of the Jinnah Medal, one of Pakistan's highest honors.

Throughout the 1980s, Herring lobbied for United States support for the Mujahideen in Afghanistan in collaboration with U.S. Representative Charlie Wilson. These events inspired the book Charlie Wilson's War: The Extraordinary Story of the Largest Covert Operation in History; Herring is portrayed by actress Julia Roberts in the 2007 film Charlie Wilson's War. Since the September 11 attacks, Herring has stated that she "did not make al-Qaeda" and that she "cannot predict the future." Herring's second book, Diplomacy and Diamonds: My Wars from the Ballroom to the Battlefield, was released on January 1, 2011.

Life and work Herring was born Joanne Johnson in Houston, the daughter of Maelan (McGill) and William Dunlap Johnson. Herring grew up in the city's affluent River Oaks neighborhood, and her childhood acquaintances included James A. Baker, III, who would later serve as Secretary of State. She enrolled at the University of Texas at Austin, but left after her second year to marry real estate developer Robert King.

A fixture on the Houston social circuit, Herring became notorious for the lavish, decadent birthday party her husband threw for her in 1959. The "Roman orgy"-themed affair included period costumes and a mock slave auction, and was covered by Life magazine and various local news media.

Media appearances Herring appears as herself in the comic 1999 documentary feature Five Wives, Three Secretaries and Me and the 1970s German television news series V.I.P.-Schaukel. In the former—the story of a Houston businessman who marries five times—Herring playfully introduces herself by saying, "Well, my name is Joanne Johnson King Herring Davis, and I've had almost as many husbands as he's had wives." Herring has also appeared on CNN with Ali Velshi multiple times to discuss continued American involvement in Afghanistan.

Marshall Plan Charities In 2009, Herring founded Marshall Plan Charities, which seeks to "complement the ongoing U.S. military effort in Afghanistan by rapidly and effectively redeveloping normal, healthy civilian life village by village". The organization unites the efforts of various NGOs concerned with the Afghan people in hopes of providing villages with clean water, food, healthcare, schools, and jobs.

Involvement with Zia-ul-Haq Herring is known for her long association and with president of Pakistan Zia-ul-Haq. Her contacts with Zia dated back to the early 1970s, when he, as a brigadier-general, was a contingent commander of Pakistani military formations in Jordan. In 1980, Zia convened and held a dinner in honor of Robert and Joanne Herring in Islamabad. It was Herring who acquainted Charlie Wilson with Zia who later secured major funding for Pakistan's anti-communist policies. Said Foreign minister Yaqub Khan in his memoirs: "She absolutely had his ear, it was terrible!" She paid tribute to Zia in her 2011 autobiography.

Husain Haqqani, former Pakistan Ambassador and former adviser to three Pakistani prime ministers, described Herring as "known more for glamour than for political wisdom", and Zia "showered her with hospitality to use her connections". Haqqani described her as knowing "little about the country," criticizing her for inaccurately describing Pakistan as an "Arab nation" in her memoirs. Made a Dame in the Royal Order of Francis I in 2011 Inducted into the Texas Women's Hall of Fame in 2014