Smith Hempstone

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Smith Hempstone (February 1, 1929 – November 19, 2006) was a journalist and the United States ambassador to Kenya in 1989–93. He was a vocal proponent of democracy, fighting for free elections in Kenya in 1991.

Hempstone graduated from University of the South and served as a Marine in the Korean War. He worked as the Africa correspondent for The Chicago Daily News, wrote several books, and wrote a synidicated column carried by 90 newspapers. In 1982, he began working as top editor of The Washington Times, a position he held until 1985.

He was appointed ambassador to Kenya by George H. W. Bush in 1989, a time when the United States was beginning to push African countries toward democracy and human rights. Hempstone worked toward these goals by fighting for multi-party elections in Kenya in 1991, nine years after Kenyan president Daniel arap Moi had banned all parties except his. The administration derided him, saying he failed to understand that strong, unified government was necessary to keep Kenya's tribal groups from splitting the country. He aided dissidents and befriended opponents of the administration, causing the African press to describe his style as "bulldozer diplomacy". The Kenyan government isolated him, and as recorded by Hempstone in his bok Rogue Ambassador: An African Memoir, attempted to kill him twice. Multi-party elections were ultimately held in 1992, and were won by Moi with 36% of the vote.

Hempstone died in 2006 in his home in Bethesda, Maryland, from complications with diabetes.