Joseph W. Prueher

Joseph Wilson Prueher (born November 25, 1942) is a retired admiral of the United States Navy who was the United States ambassador to the People's Republic of China from 1999 to 2001. He was succeeded as ambassador by Clark T. Randt Jr.

Early life Prueher was a native of Tennessee, where he was born in 1942. He attended Montgomery Bell Academy in Nashville and graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy. He also obtained a master's degree in international affairs from George Washington University's Elliott School of International Affairs.

Career

Prueher started his career in the United States Navy as a midshipman at the U.S. Naval Academy in 1960. He flew an A-6 Intruder in the Vietnam War. In the latter part of his career, he was the seventy-third commandant of midshipmen at the U.S. Naval Academy.

Prueher attained the rank of admiral of Commander Carrier Group One in 1991. He was appointed commander of the U.S. Sixth Fleet from 1993 to 1995. He was vice chief of Naval Operations from 1995 to 1996, and commander-in-chief of the United States Pacific Command from 1996 to 1999.

Prueher was posted as ambassador to China from November 1999 to May 2001. He negotiated the settlement and delivered the "letter of the two sorries," which defused the Hainan Island incident in 2001.

He joined Stanford University's Institute of International Studies as consulting professor in 2001.

Prueher is currently the James R. Schlesinger Distinguished Professor at the Miller Center of the University of Virginia, as well as senior advisor to the Stanford-Harvard Preventive Defense Project, working on dialogue for US-China security matters.

Awards and decorations

Naval Aviator BadgeDefense Distinguished Service MedalNavy Distinguished Service MedalLegion of Merit with four gold award starsDistinguished Flying Cross with award starDefense Meritorious Service MedalMeritorious Service Medal with two award starsAir Medal with Combat V, gold award numeral 3 and bronze strike/flight numeral 8Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with Combat V and two award starsNavy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal with Combat V and two award starsNavy Presidential Unit CitationJoint Meritorious Unit AwardNavy Unit Commendation with one bronze service starNavy Meritorious Unit Commendation with service starNavy E Ribbon with two Battle E'sNavy Expeditionary Medal with service starNational Defense Service Medal with service starVietnam Service Medal with five service starsNavy Sea Service Deployment Ribbon with service starOrder of Australia, Honorary Officer (Military Division)Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit CitationVietnam Campaign MedalNavy Expert Pistol Shot MedalJoint Chiefs of Staff Identification Badge

In December 1998, Prueher was appointed an honorary Officer of the Order of Australia "for distinguished service in the promotion of Australian and United States of America Defence relations".

In 1997, he was honored with the Naval War College Distinguished Graduate Leadership Award and, in 2001, the Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award by George Washington University.

Post-government career Prueher is a director of Fluor Corporation, Irving, Texas; Emerson Electric Co., St. Louis, Missouri; and AMERIGROUP Corporation, Virginia Beach, Virginia.