A. Vernon Weaver
Former U.S. Ambassador to the EU A. Vernon Weaver. Photo: State Dept.
Ambassador A. Vernon Weaver was sworn in on July 16, 1996, as U.S. Representative to the European Union. His nomination, announced by President Bill Clinton on June 14, 1996, was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on June 27. At the time of his nomination, Ambassador Weaver was Assistant to the Chairman of the Board of Stephens Group and Stephens Inc., an investment banking firm of Little Rock, Arkansas.
During his 32 years with Stephens and its affiliates, he directed
several companies owned by the group. He supervised Stephens Inc.’s
operations in Europe and, as President and Chief Executive Officer
of Stephens Overseas Services, he directed financial institutions in
Indonesia, Singapore, and Hong Kong.
From 1977-1981, he served as Administrator of the U.S. Small
Business Administration (SBA) under President Jimmy Carter. Among
the highlights of his tenure there were the Certified Bank Program
transferring administration of government-guaranteed small business
loans from the SBA to certified private banks, and the inauguration
of special loan programs for disadvantaged and women-owned
businesses.
Ambassador Weaver was President of Union Life Insurance of Little
Rock, Arkansas (1964-1977). A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy at
Annapolis, he served as an officer in the U.S. Navy 1946-1953, and
as a member of the Naval Academy’s Board of Visitors (1994-1996). He
is married to Joyce McCoy Weaver and has three daughters, Valerie
McNeese, Vanessa Weaver, and Daphne Weaver.