September 1, 1937 – December 27, 2022
Miami, Florida – Ambler H. Moss Jr. passed away peacefully at his home in Coral Gables, Florida on December 27th, 2022 where he and Serena Welles Moss, his beloved wife who has been the wind in his sails throughout 52 years of marriage, have lived since they moved here from Panama in 1982. He is survived by his wife, and by four children, Ambler H. Moss III, Benjamin S. Moss, Serena M. Moss, and Nicholas G.O. Moss. The couple also have three grandchildren, Slater Serle Moss, Acadia Serle Moss, and Oliver Moss. He was born in Baltimore, MD in 1937.
Mr. Moss had been a Professor of International Studies at the University of Miami since 1984. He was the founding Dean of the Graduate School of International Studies at the University of Miami, and held that position from 1984 to 1994. He was the Director of the Dante B. Fascell North-South Center from 1984 to 2004.
From 1977 to 1978 he was involved with the negotiation of the U.S.-Panama Canal Treaties and their ratification, and was Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Congressional Relations. He served as Ambassador to Panama from 1978 until 1982, having been appointed successively by Presidents Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan. He also served as a member of the U.S.-Panama Consultative Committee from 1978 to 1982 and from 1995 to 2001. Previously, as a member of the career Foreign Service, he served in Spain, in the U.S. Delegation to the Organization of American States, and as Spanish Desk Officer in the Department of State.
Mr. Moss received his B.A. from Yale University in 1960 and J.D. in 1970 from the George Washington University. He was an officer in the United States Navy (submarines) and was a life member of the American Legion and Navy League. He was a member of the Bars of Florida and the District of Columbia. From 1972 to 1976 he was a resident attorney with the law firm of Coudert Brothers in Brussels (Belgium) and practiced in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, European anti-trust law, international sales transactions, and international franchising transactions. He was of counsel to the law firm of Greenberg Traurig in Miami from 1994 to 2010.
He was a member of the Board of Espirito Santo Bank in Miami and a member of the Board of Caucedo Investments, a container port operation in the Dominican Republic. He was a member of the Steering Committee for the first Summit of the Americas in Miami (December 1994).
He has written numerous articles and book chapters and has spoken on subjects relating to Inter-American affairs and European Union-U.S. relations, and has taught courses at the University of Miami on Major Issues in U.S.-Latin American Relations, Analysis of U.S. Foreign Policy, the United Nations, and Diplomatic Negotiation. He was awarded a Fulbright Senior Lectureship to teach at the University of Barcelona and the Autonomous University of Barcelona from January to June 2009.
He was a member of the Council of Foreign Relations (New York), Royal Institute of International Affairs (London), the International Institute of Strategic Studies (London), and the Institute of Catalan Studies (Barcelona). He has received decorations from the governments of Catalonia, Spain, Panama, and Argentina. He has also received the Harold Weill Medal from New York University School of Law, and the U.S. Department of the Army Commander’s Award for public service. He was also awarded the “Lawyer of the Americas” citation by the Inter-American Law Review of the University of Miami. His latest publications are a monograph, Catalunya en el marc de les actuals relacions internacionals (Barcelona, Institut d’Estudis Catalans, 2009), book, (Quatre) Barres I Estrelles: Memòries d’un ambaixador nord-americà a Catalunya (Barcelona: Símbol Editors, 2006) and a chapter in Millet et al Latin American Democracy: Emerging Reality or Endangered Species (2009).
Mr. Moss was fluent in Catalan, Spanish, and French. He was an avid reader, a sailor, and a masterful paella chef. He was a Roman Catholic, member of St. Augustine Parish, in Coral Gables, Florida.
A celebration of life will be arranged in the coming weeks.