Edward R. Kane 12/15/1929 - 04/14/2019
Ed was born in Massachusetts on December 15, 1929. He was valedictorian of his Rockland High School class, and was awarded a full scholarship to Harvard College from which he graduated Cum Laude in 1951. From 1951-52, Ed was the first Fulbright Scholar at the law school of the University of Istanbul. He used that year to achieve fluency in Turkish and was increasingly drawn to a life of public service.
In 1952 he began his career as an officer with the CIA, serving in Ankara, Cairo, Baghdad, Tripoli, Daker, Algiers and Lisbon. In Washington he became Chief of the African Division. He retired in 1982 as a member of the Senior Intelligence Service.
Ed returned to Harvard to take the Advanced Management course at the Harvard Business School and then established his own international consulting office in Lisbon.
From 1983-93, Ed was president of the American Club of Lisbon. Shortly before leaving Portugal, he was honored in a ceremony at the Presidential Palace by then-President Mario Soares, who named him a Knight Commander in the Order of Prince Henry the Navigator.
In the late 1993, Ed returned to Washington where from 1994-98 he was a Senior Associate in the African Studies program at the Center for Strategic & International Studies. As a member of the Cosmos Club, he was active in their International Affairs Committee and in 2007 was elected to the Board of Management.
He was also a member of the Washington Institute for Foreign Affairs and enjoyed teaching English to immigrants at the Washington English Center. He spoke Turkish, Arabic, French and Portuguese.
Ed is survived by his wife of 66 years Phyllis, son Geoffrey Kane, daughter Emily Kane, granddaughter Katherine Kane and son-in-law Bret Schmiege. He was predeceased by his son Peter Kane.
Arrangements by the Blanchard Funeral Chapel, for full obituary, online condolences and directions, please visit www.blanchardfc.com