​The U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP) mourns the loss of Samuel W. Lewis, distinguished diplomat and the Institute's second president, who devoted his life to national service and resolving conflict through nonviolent means. 

Sam Lewis served as the Institute's president for five years beginning in 1987, just three years after President Ronald Reagan signed into law the creation of USIP.  The Institute's first president, Robert Turner, served from 1986 to 1987.

USIP Board Chairman Stephen J. Hadley commented on Lewis's continued involvement in recent years: "Sam's commitment to USIP was limitless. A seasoned diplomat, he was an active and consistent contributor to many USIP efforts, including the Senior Working Group on Middle East Peace from its earliest days, making himself available to participate from near and far.  His consistent ability to translate decades of diplomatic experience into new approaches to resolving the Arab-Israeli conflict was inspiring.  There will be a notably empty seat at USIP tables for years to come. Sam's wisdom and strong presence will be missed."

Former Institute President Richard H. Solomon (1993 to 2012) recalled how Lewis, together with USIP's first Board Chairman John Norton Moore, worked with the politically diverse group of the first directors to make the Institute a functioning, professionalized organization. They developed the Institute's foundational operating procedures, as well as the Institute's first substantive programs, such as the National Peace Essay Contest for students, and a well-received TV series on the history of the Cold War, "Breaking the Mold."

"Sam's approach to developing a totally new national institution with a unique Congressional mandate was to draw on his own keen insights about politics and diplomacy and the perspectives on conflict resolution embodied in the hearings of Senator Spark Matsunaga that inspired the legislation establishing the Institute," Solomon said.

USIP Acting President Kristin Lord said:

"Long after his tenure as president, Sam remained a consistent presence – and stalwart friend and advocate – of the Institute.  His contribution to our programs and policy analysis, specifically related to the Arab-Israeli conflict and more broadly to the field of peacebuilding, will endure for decades to come.  Sam never fatigued; his passion and endless determination for resolving seemingly intractable conflicts were inspiring.  With his sharp mind, he brought new insights to the table.  He held a quiet presence that made a powerful impression on all those around him.  He will be missed and remembered."

USIP Vice President David Smock, who started working at the Institute in 1990, said, "Sam put the Institute on the map."  

Before joining USIP, Lewis had served as ambassador to Israel for eight years under Presidents Carter and Reagan, during which he was a direct participant in the Israel-Egypt peace negotiations at Camp David and the subsequent 1979 Peace Treaty.

Dan Kurtzer, former ambassador to Israel and Egypt and chair of USIP's Study Group on Arab-Israeli Peacemaking, said, "Sam Lewis was my boss, mentor, and colleague.  I served in Tel Aviv during his tenure as Ambassador and learned how an effective Ambassador operates.  Sam was not only a wise diplomat, but also a subtle practitioner of politics—American and Israeli…His appetite for diplomatic insights was voracious, and he had a feel for how to 'educate' Washington about what policymakers needed to know."

Chester Crocker, former chair of USIP's board and longtime board member, recalled that "Sam was the critical link between the Institute's start-up phase and its full flowering as a national and global resource for research and practice in peacemaking. His gravitas as a veteran practitioner and peacemaker enabled the Institute to emerge as a convening center for outstanding scholars and practitioners alike. Sam's determined realism and focus on practical results brought the Institute into the foreign affairs mainstream and built synergy between the diverse fields and schools that form part of the peacemaker universe. We will greatly miss one of our founding fathers."

Tara Sonenshine, former executive vice president of the Institute, said, "He was a peacemaker—a man who bridged cultures, religions, histories and believed deeply in the power of negotiations to end stalemates and deadlocks.  He devoted his life to the Middle East and resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and he understood the power of people to move policies."

Lewis's career in the U.S. Foreign Service spanned more than three decades, with positions that included assistant secretary of state for international organization affairs, deputy director for policy planning for Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, senior National Security Council staff member for Latin America under President Lyndon Johnson and senior assistant to Undersecretary of State Chester Bowles.

Lewis's overseas assignments included service as acting U.S. ambassador in Kabul, Afghanistan, during the upheaval surrounding the 1973 coup d'etat that ousted King Zahir Shah, as well as posts with both the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development in Brazil and Italy.

Lewis left USIP in 1993 to join the Clinton administration as director of policy planning for Secretary of State Warren Christopher. During that time, he played an active role in the U.S. diplomatic team that helped mediate the successful launch of the Oslo Peace Accords between Israel and the Palestinians in 1993 and 1994.

After his retirement from the State Department, he remained active in support of the Institute, including his participation in the USIP Senior Working Group on Middle East Peace, co-chaired by Hadley and Samuel R. Berger, both former National Security Advisors.

Lewis also taught at Georgetown University and the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, held an appointment as visiting professor on three occasions at Hamilton College and served as a board member or senior advisor for a range of nonprofit organizations and think tanks concerned with the pursuit of peace between Israelis and Arabs and with broader issues of U.S. foreign policy.

Lewis has been closely affiliated with organizations including the Washington Institute for Near East Policy as counselor, the Brookings Institution, the Johns Hopkins Foreign Policy Institute, and with research centers at Tel Aviv University and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.  Ambassador Lewis received six honorary doctoral degrees and numerous other honors and awards.

He is survived by his wife, Sallie, and his two children, Richard and Grace.