Paul Fisher Gardner

Paul Fisher Gardner (October 31, 1930 – August 3, 2020) was an American career diplomat who served as the U.S. ambassador to Papua New Guinea, with concurrent accreditation to the Solomon Islands. His prior postings included a directorship in the State Department and deputy chief of mission at the embassy in Jakarta.

Early life Born in San Antonio, Texas, on October 31, 1930, to Paul "Buck" Gardner and Maurine Kellogg Gardner, Gardner grew up alongside his identical twin brother, Pat, in the South Texas border town of Carrizo Springs, where he attended high school. Gardner went on to pursue higher education at the University of Texas at Austin, studying French, Russian, and German, and earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1952. Following his undergraduate studies, he attended the University of Bordeaux in France from 1952 to 1953 as a Fulbright Scholar, completing work for a master's thesis on French existentialism. He later received his Master of Arts degree from the University of Texas in 1956.

Career

Early career Before entering diplomacy, Gardner worked as an English teacher at Asherton High School in Asherton, Texas, from 1953 to 1954, and subsequently served as a first lieutenant in the United States Air Force in Alaska from 1954 to 1956.

Gardner's return to Washington in 1981 was marked with his appointment as director of regional affairs within the State Department's Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs. On June 13, 1984, Gardner, already with the diplomatic rank of minister counsellor, was nominated as ambassador to Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, with residence in Port Moresby. He was appointed on August 13, 1984 and sworn in for the ambassadorial position four days later on August 17, 1984.

Personal life Gardner was married to Judith Bearup, whom he met on a tennis court during his military service, while Bearup was working for the Australian embassy in the U.S. The two were wed in 1956 shortly after his arrival for his first posting in Tananarive, where Bearup had acquired U.S. citizenship and Gardner the wedding permit from the State Department. The couple has a daughter.

Gardner died in Fairfax, Virginia on August 30, 2020. He was 90.