Ambassador Lafayette Harmon Diggs
SUNRISE: DECEMBER 29TH, 1931 - SUNSET: DECEMBER 13TH, 2020
The Diggs, Harmon, Greaves, Dunn, Mends-Cole, Jones, Ketter, Dennis, Bass, Darby, Williams, Yattara and Neal families regret to announce the death in his 89th year of our husband, father, brother, nephew, Uncle, Step Father, Cousin, In-law and grandfather: Ambassador Lafayette Harmon Diggs.
Ambassador Lafayette Harmon Diggs was born on December 29th, 1931, in the City of Edina, Grand Bassa County, to the union of Joseph Thomas Diggs and Annie Harmon Diggs. He grew up in a family that placed emphasis on public service…His maternal grand grandfather, a Vice President of the Republic of Liberia, would often lend money to the Liberian Government to pay salaries. His grandfather, Senator H. Lafayette Harmon was a trusted advisor and friend to President William V. S. Tubman. Senator H. Lafayette Harmon took in his care the three sons of his daughter, Annie, after her husband drowned near ELWA travelling from Buchanan to Monrovia via the ocean.
After obtaining his early education at the College of West Africa in Monrovia, and graduating from the St. John’s Episcopal High School, in Robertsport. Grand Cape Mount County, he entered the well-known Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts in the United States of America, of which he was an alumnus. He maintained relationship with some of his classmates up to the time of his death, especially Dr. Price Zimmerman, who invited him to be the Distinguished Visiting Professor of International Studies/Relations at Davidson College, in North Carolina, The United States of America.
Upon returning to Liberia, he began his illustrious journey for many years of dedicated service to his beloved Country, beginning at the Executive Mansion as Assistant Secretary to President William V.S. Tubman along with Consular Charles Brumskin. Later, he was transferred to the State Department, where he was instrumental in helping to draft the French Guinea Liberia Border Treaty, before France ceded independence to Guinea. He also helped to develop the basic protocols for the Convention on the Law of the Sea which redefined Hugo Grotius’ 1609 “Mare Liberum”, making the inner limits of the territorial sea and the outer limit of national internal waters.
Thereafter, he joined the Foreign Services of Liberia with assignments as First Secretary to the Diplomatic Missions in the Republic of Guinea. Other assignments were in Kenya, The Ivory Coast, France, the Liberian Permanent Mission to the United Nations (signing for Liberia as one of the Chatter Members of the United Nations), and finally as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Republic of Nigeria.
Returning home, he served as Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs for Administration and later as Executive Director of the nation’s preparations for the Organization of African Unity Summit Conference…Sadly many of his critical contributions to Liberia and the International Community, like those of many other notable Liberians, have not been documented nor fully recognized. Prominent among them were the celebration of the 50th, anniversary of the establishment of the OAU. Ambassador Diggs, being the last surviving Member on the Liberian Delegation for its establishment of the OAU was unable to attend its celebration; However, the Representative of the AU to Liberia did for him what his Government would/could not do.
He was predeceased by his parents and in December of 2019, a younger sibling, Arnu Clarence Diggs.
He leaves to morn his loss his wife Mrs. Otterlee Bass Diggs, three daughters (2) biological) Cerue (Uzoma), Yassira and Schen Griest (Shane); four sons Richard Freeman (Elaine), Emmett Williams (Christina) cousin turned son, Rodney Diggs (Julie) and Charwin; brothers Dr. Joseph Diggs, Sr (Rachel), J. Milton Greaves (Estalla), Edward L. Dunn, Jr,’ his sisters Joyce A. Mends-Cole and Joy Diggs. Others are
His only surviving Aunt Mrs. Catherine Ketter and his dear Cousin Mrs. Annie Diggs Neal of Charlotte, North Carolina, 8 grandchildren, many nephews, nieces, cousins and a host of other relatives and friends all around the world.
On Wednesday, December 23, 2020, a private prayer service was held in the Chapels of the Trinity Cathedral for Ambassador Lafayette Harmon Diggs.
On January 5th, at 9:30 a.m. the body will be removed from the A.B. Anderson Funeral Home on Lynch Street for a brief wake keeping, at the Trinity Cathedral followed immediately by funeral rites over his remains. Thereafter, cremation will take place. His urns will then be deposited in the River where his father entered the boat to travel to Monrovia, died on the way; and near the place where Ambassador Lafayette Diggs was born.
