Nicholas Rey | Ex-Polish envoy, 70
Nicholas Rey, 70, who was evacuated from Poland as a toddler after German troops invaded in 1939 and who later returned to Warsaw as U.S. ambassador, died Jan. 14 of lung cancer at home in Washington.
Nicholas Rey, 70, who was evacuated from Poland as a toddler after German troops invaded in 1939 and who later returned to Warsaw as U.S. ambassador, died Jan. 14 of lung cancer at home in Washington.
Mr. Rey grew up in the Philadelphia region after fleeing Poland. His son Michael said U.S. Ambassador Anthony J. Drexel Biddle Jr. had helped gain permission for the family to join a diplomatic convoy out of Poland. They ended up in Eagle in Chester County and then Haverford in Delaware County. Mr. Rey graduated from Episcopal Academy in Merion and earned a bachelor's degree from Princeton University.
In 1993, President Bill Clinton appointed Mr. Rey ambassador to Poland. During his service, Poland joined NATO, and the country solidified its turn toward full democracy through elections.
He is survived by his wife, Louisa; a daughter; and two sons.
- AP