David Adelman has been called a lot of things in his life -- a son, a father, an attorney, a state senator.
On Friday, he added “Mr. Ambassador” to that list.
A Democratic state lawmaker from DeKalb County and an early supporter of President Barack Obama, the 45-year-old Adelman was officially confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the new U.S. ambassador to Singapore, a plum assignment in the diplomatic corps.
He and his wife, Caroline, and their three children will soon depart Atlanta for their new embassy home half a world away at the tip of the Malay Peninsula in a country Adelman has never visited.
"I am humbled by the confidence the president and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have in me and grateful to the U.S. Senate for confirming me,” Adelman said. "Singapore has been a great friend to the United States for many years, and I intend to build on that friendship to promote the mutual security and prosperity of the people of both of our countries."
Ambassador Adelman hopes to be en route within a few weeks after a formal swearing-in ceremony at the old DeKalb County Courthouse in Decatur, a location he selected so his friends and family -- including his 90-something grandmother, Sue Dahab -- can attend.
Though English is the official language of Singapore, 70 percent of its residents also speak Mandarin. Adelman has been taking crash courses in the Chinese language to prepare for his new post.
“I’ve got a little speech I can give in Mandarin,” he said. “Caroline is learning Mandarin, and I want the kids to learn it, too. We are going to throw ourselves at this.”
Singapore has only 5 million citizens, but it is a business crossroads and a major military force in Southeast Asia. U.S. aircraft carriers frequently dock there -- its port is one of the world’s busiest. Singapore’s navy has recently taken on a major role in the battle against seaborne piracy.
“Singapore is a country that punches above its weight,” Adelman said. “They are a relatively small country, but they have a very powerful economy.”
Adelman has served in the state Senate for eight years and leaves as the Democratic whip in the upper chamber, where his party is in the minority. He also serves as chairman of the Urban Affairs Committee. A special election will be held to fill his Senate seat.
First elected in 2002, the same year the Democratic Party leadership was devastated in Georgia, Adelman was known for reaching across the political aisle.
Senate Majority Leader Chip Rogers (R-Woodstock) said he and Adelman often found themselves on different sides of many political issues. But Rogers applauded Adelman’s Senate service and called his ambassadorship “a fantastic appointment.”
“He’s very thoughtful,” Rogers said. “He’s very intelligent, and he’s a very hard worker. Knowing he’s representing the U.S. in Singapore makes me proud to be an American.”
Adelman’s family moved to metro Atlanta from New York when he was 5. His dad ran a business that sold hardware, and his mother worked as a nurse at Crawford Long Hospital. The family lived in an area that later became Sandy Springs.
“I’m an unlikely politician. I was not the seventh-grade president or the fraternity social chairman or any of that stuff,” Adelman said.
He studied journalism at the University of Georgia (he met his wife there and managed the student-run radio station) and then got a law degree from Emory.
He went to work for Mike Bowers, who was then attorney general, and then moved on to private law with his current firm, Sutherland Asbill & Brennan LLP, specializing in business law.
Then came the razor-close election of 2000 between George W. Bush and Al Gore. Adelman was pulled into the fray when one of his law partners got involved in the federal case spawned by the disputed presidential election. Adelman said he became especially concerned when the Florida Legislature called a special session to try to end the dispute, which he felt was an attempt to undermine the rule of law.
“I came home that night, and I was really upset,” he said. “I started talking with my wife about it, and during that conversation, I said, ‘I’m going to run for the Georgia General Assembly.”
As the election of 2008 was approaching, Adelman made another crucial decision. Adelman and his wife threw their support behind Obama, then considered a long shot, before Obama officially announced.
“I felt a generational connection with him,” Adelman said. “I felt it was our turn. It was time for a young family like my family to be leaders.”
He campaigned for Obama from Pennsylvania to Texas to Iowa to South Carolina and Georgia.
Adelman helped deliver a knock-out victory for Obama in the Georgia Democratic primary. Adelman also was on Obama’s national finance committee, and his wife served as Obama’s press liaison in Georgia.
When the White House called to see if Adelman was interested in going to Singapore as the U.S. chief of mission there (the official ambassador’s title), Adelman and his wife jumped.
“There was no hesitation,” he said. “We felt there could be no greater honor than to represent the U.S. in another country.”
Ambassadors serve at the pleasure of the president. Terms normally run about three or four years. Adelman said he has not thought about the next chapter in his life.
“I want to do a great job as ambassador and take it one step at a time,” he said. “If I do a good job, the other things will fall into place.”
Bio box
Name: David Adelman
Title: U.S. ambassador to Singapore
Former job: Democratic state senator from DeKalb County
Family: Wife, Caroline, and three children, ages 8 to 14
Education: UGA, 1986; Emory Law School, 1989; Georgia State University, 1995
Adelman factoid: To celebrate his wife’s 40th birthday, the couple climbed Mount Whitney, the highest peak in the lower 48 states.
About the Author
