Charles E. Cobb
b. 1936 -
“Effective diplomacy has historically been one of the great strengths of our US government. It is imperative the United States has a museum of its diplomacy in order for citizens and visitors to better understand why US diplomacy has been so important and effective in our country’s history.”
Service History
US Ambassador to Iceland, 1989 – 1992
Biography
Ambassador Cobb was the US ambassador to Iceland during the George H. W. Bush administration. As ambassador to Iceland, Cobb orchestrated a reversal with Iceland on the United States and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) position of expanding antisubmarine warfare and military presence in Iceland. Before the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, the US government sought to expand its antisubmarine and military presence in Iceland. As a result of the fall of the USSR and Russia’s decreased submarine presence in the Atlantic, Cobb’s responsibility was to convince the Icelandic government that the United States and NATO should substantially reduce their military presence.
Before serving as an ambassador, Ambassador Cobb served as under secretary and assistant secretary at the US Department of Commerce during the Ronald Reagan administration. As the US assistant secretary of commerce for trade development, Cobb represented the United States in difficult trade negotiations with Japan on the country’s discrimination against US semiconductors. He also represented the United States against the European Union (EU) on unfair subsidies to Airbus and the EU’s low pricing of airplanes in competition with The Boeing Company. As under secretary of commerce for travel and tourism, Cobb successfully encouraged the Reagan administration and the US Congress to expand the VISA waiver program to increase tourism to the United States. He also led the effort for US travel and tourism executives to be part of the US Foreign Commercial Service.
In the 1950s, Ambassador Cobb served as an officer in the US Navy. Florida Governor Jeb Bush appointed Cobb as chair of Florida Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) and Gateway Florida, which was responsible for Florida’s international trade agenda. He created the Charles E. Cobb Award for Initiative and Success in Trade Development with the US Department of State to award $10,000 annually to the career ambassador who best leads US trade policy.
Ambassador Cobb is the CEO and senior managing director of Cobb Partners, Ltd., an investment firm. He was the CEO or COO of several companies and has served on their boards and other publicly-traded corporations (Arvida, Penn Central, Walt Disney, LNR Property, WCI Communities, Ameritas, Pan Am Corporation, CLC of America, and Southeast Banking) and many private corporate boards (Florida Savings, Kirkwood, Durango, Telluride, Tubac, and Observer Media Group). Cobb also serves on the University of Miami Board of Trustees as chair, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, Eisenhower Fellowships, Council of American Ambassadors, Miami Heart Research Institute, Plymouth Congregational Church Foundation, and Cobb Family Foundation. Other civic boards and memberships include the American Academy of Diplomacy, The American-Scandinavian Foundation, Council on Foreign Relations, Urban Land Institute, Orange Bowl Committee, and Council for Education Change.
Ambassador Cobb received the Order of the Falcon Grand Cross Star from the Nation of Iceland—Iceland’s highest honor to a non-Icelandic citizen—The Florida Council of 100 Governor’s Award, the National Conference for Community and Justice Silver Medallion Award, the South Florida Achievement of the Decade Award, the Junior Achievement Hall of Fame, the United Way Tocqueville Award, the Harvard Business Club of South Florida Business Statesman of the Year, the Chief Executive Officer Annual Award for the Hotel and Real Estate Industry, an Honorary Doctorate from Barry University, and the Liberty Bell Award for Florida Higher Education. He was also a member of the 1960 US Olympic Team as the alternate in the 110m high hurdles.
Ambassador Cobb has been married since 1959 to Ambassador Sue McCourt Cobb, former US ambassador to Jamaica and secretary of state of Florida.