Nancy Ostrander

Nancy Ostrander (October 25, 1925 – February 8, 2024) was an American diplomat who served as the U.S. Ambassador to Suriname during the Surinamese Coup in 1980.

Early life and education Ostrander was born on October 25, 1925 in Indianapolis, Indiana. She went on to graduate from Butler University in 1947, with a bachelor's degree in Spanish.

Career

Early career The summer after graduating, Ostrander traveled to Cuba with her friends to visit an uncle who lived there. She held clerical and personnel positions in Havana, The Hague, Antwerp, Mexico City, and Kingston from 1947 to 1972.

She attended the National War College in 1973 to 1974 and climbed the ranks of the Foreign Service. In 1980, she attended the Senior Seminar in Foreign Policy.

Suriname

After taking over the role from J. Owen Zurhellen, Jr., Ostrander got to work reporting on the complicated political situation in Suriname. At the time, the country was led by Prime Minister Henck Arron.

The defining moments of Ostrander's time as ambassador to Suriname occurred in the wake of the 1980 coup against Arron's government. In January, mere months before an election campaign, sergeants in the Dutch-created Surinamese military organized a strike to force the government into approving their labor union. However, their demands were largely ignored.

During the coup, Ostrander recalled hearing gunshots in the streets but did not believe she was in significant danger. She then served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Populations Affairs until her retirement in 1989. One award was given for her contributions to the Department's task force investigating the TWA Flight 847 hijacking.

Death Ostrander died at her Indianapolis home in February 2024; she was 98.