E. Allan Lightner Jr.
E. Allan Lightner Jr. | |
|---|---|
| US Ambassador to Libya | |
| In office May 3, 1963 – June 30, 1965 | |
| President | John F. Kennedy |
| Preceded by | John Wesley Jones |
| Succeeded by | David D. Newsom |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Edwin Allan Lightner Jr. December 7, 1907 New York City, U.S. |
| Died | September 15, 1990 (aged 82) Belfast, Maine, U.S. |
| Resting place | Rock Creek Cemetery |
| Spouse | Dorothy M. Boyce |
| Children | 3 |
Edwin Allan Lightner Jr. (December 7, 1907 - September 15, 1990) was an American diplomat and academic. He served as Ambassador to Libya from 1963 to 1965. In 1961 while serving as assistant chief of the U.S. Mission in Berlin, Lightner was detained twice by East German border guards in October 1961 when he crossed into East Berlin to underscore the United States' determination to have unrestricted access to all occupation zones in Berlin. He also participated in the Berlin exchange of Francis Gary Powers, the American U-2 pilot shot down during a reconnaissance flight over the Soviet Union in 1960.