William Henry Gleysteen

William Henry Gleysteen Jr. (May 8, 1926 – December 6, 2002) was an American diplomat. Born and raised in Beijing, China, Gleysteen graduated from Yale University and began working for the United States Department of State in 1951. He served as United States' Ambassador to South Korea between 1978 and 1981.

Early life Gleysteen was born in Peking, China, to American parents who were Presbyterian missionaries, Theodora (Culver) and William Henry Gleysteen. His paternal grandparents were Dutch. Gleysteen grew up in Beijing and attended the Peking American School. At the end of the war, Gleysteen attended Yale University, where he majored in European intellectual history. He remained at Yale to complete a master's degree in international relations. Gleysteen subsequently served in Taiwan (twice), Japan, British Hong Kong, and South Korea, along with several assignments in Washington, DC. This issue was still being investigated when Gleysteen arrived in Seoul in 1978. One of Gleysteen's first tasks as Ambassador was to convey a request from House Speaker Tip O’Neill, which would give two House members access to former South Korean ambassador to the United States Kim Dong-jo and alleged South Korean agent Park Tong-sun. The furor died down several months later following the 1978 U.S. elections. Gleysteen opposed the withdrawal and persuaded President Carter to reconsider the policy in a famous exchange in the President's limousine during a 1979 presidential visit to Seoul. In his memoirs, Gleysteen said the Gwangju Uprising took place in the context of the long-running democratization movement as well as regional rivalry between the Jeolla Province and Park Chung-hee's native Gyeongsang Province. The proximate cause of the incident was a renewed and extended nationwide state of martial law declared by Chun, along with the arrest of democratization leaders, including Jeolla native Kim Dae-jung. The uprising began on May 18 with a protest by approximately 200 students at the Chonnam National University. A series of violent skirmishes with the police quickly increased the number of protestors, and by May 20 the number of protesters had grown to 10,000. On May 21 a group of students, workers, and other citizens of Gwangju attacked government buildings, seizing weapons and ammunition. President Choi made a speech in June expressing regret for the violent turn of events, but he did not offer an apology, although Gleysteen said that he had encouraged him to do so.

Personal life Gleysteen married his first wife, Zoe Clubb, in December 1952. They had three children together: Thea Clarke, Guy Gleysteen, and Michael Gleysteen. He married his second wife, Marilyn Wong Gleysteen, in 1981. They had one child together: Anna Wong Gleysteen.

Later career and death Gleysteen retired from the State Department shortly after stepping down as ambassador. He was subsequently named director of studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. Gleysteen died of leukemia on December 6, 2002, at the Washington Hospice.