Michael Hayden Armacost 

1937-2025

This obituary first appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle.

Michael Hayden Armacost, a distinguished American diplomat, scholar, and public servant, passed away peacefully in his home on March 8, 2025, at the age of 87. Born on April 15, 1937, in Cleveland, Ohio, Armacost's career spanned academia, diplomacy, and leadership in policy research, leaving an indelible mark on U.S. foreign relations, particularly in Asia.

Armacost was the son of George H. Armacost, president of the University of Redlands, and Verda Gay Armacost. He pursued higher education at Carleton College, earning a Bachelor of Arts in 1958. He furthered his studies at Columbia University, obtaining a Master of Arts in 1961 and a Ph.D. in 1965.

Before entering the diplomatic arena, Armacost taught government at Pomona College from 1962 to 1968. He served as a visiting professor of international relations at the International Christian University in Tokyo from 1968 to 1969 and later lectured at Johns Hopkins University and Georgetown University. He became a White House Fellow in 1969, then transitioned into government service.

Armacost shaped US diplomatic and security relations with Asia through a variety of roles, including the Department of State's Policy Planning Staff (1969-72, 1974-77), Special Assistant to the Ambassador in Tokyo (1972-74), National Security Council (1977-78), Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (1978-80), and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs (1980-82).

In 1982, President Reagan appointed him as U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines, where he negotiated a successful five-year extension of the Military Bases Agreement, a key component of the overall U.S. Far East strategy at the time. He then became Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs from 1984 to 1989 under George Schultz. In 1989, President George H.W. Bush appointed Armacost to be U.S. Ambassador to Japan during a critical time in US-Japan relations.

His exemplary service earned him the President's Distinguished Service Award, the Defense Department's Distinguished Civilian Service Award, and the Secretary of State's Distinguished Service Award. In 2007, Japan honored him with the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun.

After retiring from diplomatic service, Armacost became president of the Brookings Institution from 1995 to 2002, enhancing its role in policy research. He later joined Stanford University's Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center as a fellow, contributing to academic discourse on international relations until his retirement in 2021. He served on several corporate boards, including TRW Inc., AFLAC Inc., Applied Materials Inc., USEC Inc., and Cargill Inc, as well as a number of non-profit boards. He chaired the boards of Carleton College and the Asia Foundation and was an active member of the Council on Foreign Relations for 48 years.

Armacost authored four books, including "Friends or Rivals?: The Insider's Account of U.S. – Japan Relations" (1996) and "Ballots, Bullets, and Bargains: American Foreign Policy and Presidential Elections" (2015).

In his personal life, Armacost was an avid and versatile athlete. He helped Carleton College win Midwest Conference titles in basketball, baseball, and cross country. He captained both the baseball and basketball teams and started in every game of both sports during his tenure at Carleton. At the time of graduation, he ranked 2nd in career points with 1,045. As an adult, Armacost was a formidable opponent in both tennis and golf. The NCAA named him the 91st most influential student-athlete of its first hundred years.

For all of his accomplishments, he was most importantly a wonderful man. He was kind, humble, and always more interested in listening to what was "new with you" than talking about himself. He had the ability to throw out one-liners with a comedic timing that left everyone in stitches. His devotion to his wife, Bonny, was an inspiration to anyone who witnessed it. An amazing father and grandfather who was deeply loved, he will be missed by his entire family.

Armacost is survived by his wife of 66 years, Roberta "Bonny" Armacost; their three children, Scott (Miho), Tim (Niki), and Chris (Becky); six grandchildren, Samantha, Zachary, Grace, Colson, Audrey, and Lily; and his three siblings, Peter Armacost (Mary Linda), Samuel Armacost (Mary Jane) and Mary Hulst (Jack).

A celebration of his life will be held at 11 a.m. on April 26th at Congregational Church of San Mateo, 225 Tilton Avenue, San Mateo, CA 94401.