William Avery Crawford (January 14, 1915 – December 14, 2001) was an American diplomat who served as the last Minister and first United States Ambassador to Romania, from 1962 to 1965.^[1]

Crawford was born on January 14, 1915;^[2] the son of John Raymond Crawford, a professor of Greek and Latin at Lafayette College, and Pauline Avery.^[3]

Educated abroad in France, he studied at Haverford College, and went abroad to Spain during the Spanish Civil War.^[4] He graduated in 1936 with a Bachelor of Arts. He later studied at the Russian Institute, now known as the Harriman Institute, at Columbia University.^[1]

After graduation, Crawford worked at a department store before joining the diplomatic corps.

Crawford joined the United States Foreign Service in 1941, serving in Moscow, Paris, Havana, and Prague.^[5] Although subjected to a loyalty investigation under Executive Order 9835 in 1951,^[6] he passed,^[6] and continued his work in the Foreign Service. He was chosen to be Minister in October 1961.^[7]

In February 1962, he presented his credentials as Minister, serving until the post was upgraded to Ambassador in 1964.^[8] During this time, he helped to support Romania-United States relations in the fields of trade and cultural exchange.^[9]

He and his wife, Barbara, founded the American International School of Bucharest in 1962.^[5]

Crawford left his post in October 1965.

After Romania, Crawford was an assistant to Lyman Lemnitzer, the Supreme Allied Commander Europe, from 1965 to 1967.^[1] He retired from the Foreign Service in 1970.^[5]

He then taught at the Landon School, worked at a marketing company,^[5] finished his memoirs, and contributed to a biography on his mother.^[10]

Crawford was married twice: first to Barbara Gardner, from October 19, 1940,^[11] till her death in September 1979;^[12] and then to Gudrun Hadell.^[1]

From his first marriage, he had five children: three sons and two daughters.^[10]

Crawford died at his home on December 14, 2001, at age 86. He was survived by his children and his second wife.^[5]