In 1978 , Edmondson was appointed by President Jimmy Carter as the U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of South Africa . His appointment came at a time of major political and social upheaval in that country , following the Soweto uprising and the murder of student activist Steve Biko . It also came at a time of high tension between the white minority South African government and the Carter Administration . As U.S. envoy , Edmondson was the public face of what many conservative South African whites considered to be a hostile American government , given the U.S. government 's condemnation of apartheid in South Africa and its vocal support for civil and political rights and democratic reform leading to majority rule . His service in South Africa effectively voiced those policies . His departure , six months into Ronald Reagan 's Administration , was heralded by the Afrikaans press and the white National Party , both of which hoped for better relations with the new administration . ( In fact , the Reagan Administration 's subsequent adoption of the policy of constructive engagement in many ways rewarded those hopes , until that policy was ended by the enactment of economic sanctions by the U.S. Congress in 1986 , overriding President Reagan 's veto . ) Following the completion of his service as the American Ambassador to South Africa in 1981 , Edmondson served in the Inspector General ’s Office at the U.S. Department of State , eventually as Deputy Inspector General . He retired from the State Department in 1986
Soweto uprising
Soweto uprising
William B. Edmondson