"Art for art's sake is an empty phrase. Art for the sake of the true, art for the sake of the good and the beautiful, that is the faith I am searching for."
— George Sand
Robert Duemling
E-mail: rduemling2@washcoll.edu
Phone: (800) 422-1782, ext. 7874
Office: Daly 217
Biographic Note
Robert Duemling is a former career diplomat and museum director, now retired and devoting his time and energies to a variety of philanthropic projects.
Duemling was born on February 8, 1929, and spent his youth in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, and San Diego, California. He attended Yale University, earning a B.A. degree with honors in 1950, and an M.A. in 1953. For the academic year 1950-51, he was awarded a Henry Fellowship to study at Cambridge University, England. From 1953 to 1957, Duemling served as an air intelligence officer in the U.S. 3~avy, with the Pacific fleet and at a naval air station in Japan, attaining the rank of Lieutenant (senior grade).
In the fall of 1957, Duemling entered the Foreign Service of the United States, commencing a career of thirty years. He specialized in political affairs and the East Asian region, with assignments in Kuala Lumpur, Kuching (Borneo), Osaka and Tokyo. He was also executive assistant to the head of the East Asian Bureau of the State Department, and subsequently served in a similar capacity to the Deputy Secretary of State. Other postings abroad included Rome, Ottawa (deputy chief of mission, 1976-80) and as Ambassador to Suriname (1982-84).
During service in Washington, he was principal negotiator for assembling the foreign military components of the Sinai peace-keeping force (1981-82), and director of the Nicaraguan Humanitarian Assistance Organization (1985-87).
Duemling retired from the Foreign Service in 1987 in order to accept the position of President and Director of the National Building Museum in Washington, D. C., a post he held for six and one-half years.
Duemling's current philanthropic commitments include: National Gallery of Art (Vice Chairman, Trustees' Council) National Cathedral (BuiIding and Grounds Committee) National Tennis Foundation (trustee) Cafritz Foundation (Advisory Committee) Winterthur Museum and Gardens (Academic Affairs Committee) Washington National Monument Association Former associations include the boards of Washington College and the American Friends of Canada.
Duemling is a Fellow of the Royal Society for the Arts (UK), and a member of the Metropolitan and Alibi Clubs of Washington, and the Century Association of New York. He is married to the former Louisa duPont Copeland and they reslde in Washington, D. C., and Worton, Maryland.