Armacost was born in
Ohio on April 15, 1937. In the 1960s, Armacost taught international relations and foreign policy at
Pomona College. Armacost was a
White House Fellow in 1969–1970. Founded in 1964, the White House Fellowship is one of America’s most prestigious programs for leadership and public service. The Fellowship, awarded on a strictly non-partisan basis, offers exceptional young leaders first-hand experience working at the highest levels of federal government. In January 1977, Armacost was selected as a member of the
National Security Council to handle
East Asian and
Chinese affairs under the
Carter administration until July 1978, when he was replaced by
Nicholas Platt. Years later, he was appointed to be the
United States Ambassador to Japan from 1989 to 1993,
Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs from 1984 to 1989, and
United States Ambassador to the Philippines from 1982 to 1984, during a critical period of political upheaval during the
Ferdinand Marcos presidency. Armacost served as Acting
Secretary of State from January 20, 1989, to January 25, 1989. Between 1995 and 2002, he served as president of the
Brookings Institution. Armacost had received the President's Distinguished Service Award, the Defense Department's Distinguished Civilian Service Award, and the Secretary of State's Distinguished Services Award. Armacost was the author of three books, the most recent of which,
Friends or Rivals?, was published in 1996 and draws on his tenure as ambassador. He also co-edited, with Daniel Okimoto, ''The Future of America's Alliances in Northeast Asia'', published in 2004 by
Stanford Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center. Armacost has served on numerous corporate and nonprofit boards, including
TRW,
AFLAC,
Applied Materials,
USEC, Inc.,
Cargill, Inc,
Carleton College, and
The Asia Foundation. Armacost received a
Bachelor of Arts in
international relations (1958) and an honorary degree (1989) from Carleton College. He was an international fellow of the
School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University in 1961. He earned his Ph.D. from
Columbia University in 1965. Armacost was a Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration. He was chairman of Carleton College's board of trustees from 2004 to 2008. Armacost died at his home near San Francisco, on March 8, 2025, at the age of 87. ==Honors==