The Unexpected Diplomat: The Career of Amb. James Michel

Though Ambassador James Michel has undoubtedly led a global career over the years, the St. Louis native didn’t originally plan to focus on an international practice.

“I had only limited exposure to international law during my time at SLU,” Michel admitted. “I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do when I graduated. Eileen Searls, the Law School’s long-serving law librarian and counselor to many students, encouraged me to consider work with the U.S. Government. I was surprised to receive an offer to join the State Department’s Office of the Legal Adviser and I immediately accepted it.”

Michel was born in St. Louis, where he grew up and remained until he earned his degree at Saint Louis University School of Law in 1965. Immediately following his graduation, he took his J.D. to Washington D.C. However, this wasn’t the biggest move he would make by far.

“In the summer of 1965, I moved to Washington, bringing with me: my wife and our three children,” Michel said. Now a civil servant, Michel became acquainted with the unique culture of Washington D.C. “Compared to St. Louis, the cost of living doubled. Most people were connected to the government in one way or another. Your neighbors were mainly military officers, civil servants, Congressional staff, and employees of organizations working with the government.”

While settling into this new environment, he also settled into his new role as a State Department attorney. From 1965 to the mid-1980s, Michel was given increasing responsibilities and became the State Department’s most senior ranking career attorney. However, in 1983, Michel again left his comfort zone. 

“In 1983, Latin American issues had become very intense, especially issues of Central America,” Michel said. At this time, faced with the choice of remaining a senior government lawyer, leaving government, or becoming a diplomat, he chose the third option. He moved from being the State Department’s Principal Deputy Legal Adviser to becoming the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Inter-American Affairs. The State Department’s Bureau of Inter-American affairs overlooked all aspects of American relations with the nations of Latin America and the Caribbean and supported the U.S. embassies throughout the region.

“It was a high-stress job...I was learning about the region and the issues while going to school in the early morning to learn Spanish,” Michel said. “During the four years [before my appointment as Ambassador] I also spent a lot of time traveling to countries and meeting the people in Latin America.”

The need for a seasoned hand in Guatemala was high in 1987. The country had a new constitution, a newly elected civilian government, and was seeking to end a long civil conflict. At the same time, it was trying to overcome a history of poverty, inequality, and human rights violations. Michel was nominated as U.S. Ambassador to Guatemala by President Ronald Regan on May 7th, 1987. In his new assignment, Michel had to utilize all the skills he had gathered throughout his education and his experiences within the government. It was up to Michel to lead his team in Guatemala in representing the United States and encouraging Guatemalan aspirations for peace, stability, economic and social development, and broadly shared well-being. 

“It was our priority to promote democracy and political stability as foundations for inclusive economic and social development,” Michel said. The goal sounded straightforward, but there were citizens that didn’t agree with the 1985 democratic constitution. “I was the Ambassador for two years and there was an attempted coup in each of those years.”

Michel emphasized that it was not U.S. policy to impose American views on the people of Guatemala. “We were promoting democratic governance, economic growth, and participation within society in support of the vision set forth by Guatemalans in their own constitution.” 

After two years, Michel was offered another presidential appointment back in Washington D.C. heading the Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean in the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). “I very much welcomed this opportunity,” Michel said. “I had come to believe strongly that U.S. support for economic and social development and the values of democracy was the most important aspect of our relations with our hemispheric neighbors.”

Michel’s service with the USAID led to another extraordinary opportunity: his selection as Chair of the Development Assistance Committee of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Paris, a position of ambassadorial rank. After five years in that important international role, he returned to the USAID as a Counselor to the Agency and then retired after 35 years of government service. However, he made a brief return as USAID Counselor from 2009-2010 in support of the transition to the Obama Administration.

Due to his accomplishments, Michel is being recognized by the school where he earned his J.D. Michel will be honored with the most prestigious award Saint Louis University School of Law offers: an induction into the Order of the Fleur de Lis Hall of Fame.

For current students who may be considering international experiences, Michel spoke eagerly of the ever-increasing opportunities. “There are many more organizations that have international responsibilities and operations these days. And that means there is an expanding need for international lawyers.”

 Michel reminisced about his time as a law student and how he had been unsure of the future, considering career choices, and looking for opportunities. Michel’s advice for students who feel similarly is that “there is an unlimited range of potential of choices you can make. Consider a variety of possibilities. Some people have a specific plan, others don’t. There’s no single approach.”

- By Elliot Laurence

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