Rodney O'Gliasain Kennedy-Minott (sometimes spelled Rodney Glisan Kennedy-Minott;^[1] June 1, 1928^[2] – December 15, 2004)^[3] was an American diplomat, Democratic Party activist and professor.

Quick Facts United States Ambassador to Sweden, President ...

Rodney O'Gliasain Kennedy-Minott
United States Ambassador to Sweden
In office September 29, 1977 – September 26, 1980
President	Jimmy Carter
Preceded by	David S. Smith
Succeeded by	William Cowles Hamilton
Personal details
Born	(1928-06-01)June 1, 1928 Portland, Oregon, U.S.
Died	December 15, 2004(2004-12-15) (aged 76) Monterey, California, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Alma mater	Stanford University
Profession	Professor Historian Advisor
Military service
Allegiance	United States of America
Branch/service	United States Army
Years of service	1946–52
Rank	Sergeant

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Rodney Glisan Minott was born to Joseph Albert Minott and wife Gainor Owen Baird, in Portland, Oregon, on June 1, 1928. His great-grandfather was Dr. Rodney Glisan. He served as a United States Army sergeant in Japan from 1946 until 52.^[2][4] He then studied at Stanford University, receiving his bachelor's in 1953, master's in 1956, and doctorate in 1960.^[2]

From 1960 until 1965, Kennedy-Minott was assistant director of the Western civilization history program at Stanford University, before becoming associate professor at Portland State University. In 1966, he became associate dean of instruction at California State University, where he became a full professor of U.S. history in 1969.^[2] He was a senior lecturer in national security affairs at the Naval Postgraduate School until his retirement in 2002.^[3]

From 1971 until 1973, he advised Thames Television on European emigration to the United States, and served as a researcher for The World at War.^[5]

Kennedy-Minott worked on the 1964 United States Senate campaign of Pierre Salinger and the 1972 presidential campaign of George McGovern.^[6]

In 1976, Kennedy-Minott was chairman for the Northern California portion of Jimmy Carter's presidential campaign.^[3] In August 1977, Carter appointed him ambassador to Sweden, which he served as until September 1980.^[7] Carter was a close friend of Kennedy-Minott, and a frequent guest at his home in Atherton, California.^[6]

Kennedy-Minott was married to Polly Fitzhugh Kennedy (1929-1997), but they had divorced before her death.^[8] They had two daughters (Katherine Pardow and Polly Berry) and a son (Rodney Glisan).^[2] Kennedy-Minott had three grandchildren (Cambria Minott-Gaines, William Weihnacht and Joseph Minott). He died from complications of pancreatitis on December 15, 2004.^[9]

• Peerless Patriots: the Organized Veterans and the Spirit of Patriotism (1962)^[5]
• The Fortress That Never Was: the Myth of Hitler's Bavarian Stronghold (1964)^[5]
• The Sinking of the Lollipop: Shirley Temple vs. Pete McCloskey (1968)^[3]
• U.S. Regional Force Application: the Maritime Strategy and its Effect on Nordic Stability (1988, Hoover Institution)^[10]