Walter N. Davenport Jr. was born in New Orleans. He earned an MA from Syracuse University, a BA from the University of Maryland, and an AA degree from Prince Georges Community College in Maryland. He is a U.S. Army veteran and served as a police officer with the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, D.C. He entered the U.S. Department of State’s Foreign Diplomatic Service in 1976, serving until his retirement in 1997. The author has lived in many countries and has traveled extensively. Married to a Dutch National, he resides in The Netherlands.