About
The Savage Endowment for International Relations and Peace (“Endowment”) was established to bring to the University of Oregon campus outstanding national and international experts (“visitors”) whose service on campus will enhance the educational offerings of the university in the fields of humanities and social sciences, focusing primarily on the international relations, peace, and the United Nations. The program is managed by the Global Justice Committee, a group of faculty and staff committed to peace and justice.
Carlton Savage’s Biography
Born in Salem, Oregon, Carlton Savage graduated from the University of Oregon in 1921. In 1927 he joined the U.S. Department of State, beginning a distinguished career in diplomacy and international affairs. In 1945, Savage was in the U.S. delegation to the San Francisco Conference that established the United Nations. After retiring from the State Department, Savage taught international relations at the University of Utah and American University.
Establishment of the Chair and Endowment
In 1987, Carlton Raymond Savage gave a generous gift of $500,000 on his own behalf and in memory of his late wife, Wilberta Ripley Savage, to the university to endow a visiting professorship in international relations and peace. In 1990, the Oregon State Legislature, through its new Endowment for Excellence Program, matched the original endowment with an equal grant of state funds. With this additional financial support, the Savage endowment has become a centerpiece in the University of Oregon’s growing reputation as a leader in the fields of international relations and peace.
Carlton Savage’s Vision
Through his decades of work in the Department of State, Carlton Savage developed his strong belief that “war is the most terrible of all calamities.” He devoted his life to world peace and the promotion of human rights, and he hoped for the abolition of war as an instrument of policy. Savage also had a special interest in the Pacific Basin and its critical role in an era of peaceful, cooperative international relations. He viewed the protection of human rights and the strengthening of international organizations as central to the cause of world peace and harmony.
Carlton Savage intended the Endowment to “inspire” students to make their own contribution to the development of reasonableness as a substitute for violence and hate in personal, national and international affairs. To achieve this goal, he hoped that we would bring outstanding people to campus in order to teach the campus community how to use reason as a substitute for violence and hate.
