When Pope John Paul II visited Fiji, one of the gifts Fiji's Prime Minister presented the Pontiff in honor of the historic occasion was a collection of images of Fiji by Ambassador Fred J. Eckert.

When foreign dignateries visited the Kingdom of Tonga for the festivities marking the Silver Jubilee of the King, the gift the Government of Tonga chose for marking the occasion was a book of images of Tonga by Ambassador Eckert.  He produced that book at the request of the then-Crown Prince and present King, who wrote its forward.

  The Pope, Kings and a couple of Presidents of the United States may be the best-know persons to have enjoyed the photographic art works of Ambassador Eckert, but his work has also reached millions who have seen his images in travel features that have appeared in major newspapers and magazines throughout the world and have been translated into Spanish, Chinese, Japanese and Korean.

His photographic art works have won awards in professional photography competition and have been selected for exhibition in art shows in Virginia and North Carolina.  He was awarded the State of Mississippi's Governor's Award for Travel Writer & Travel Photographer of the Year.

As an advertising and public relations executive in his early 20s he wrote photography tips for Snaps, an insert that Kodak back then included with all its film processing orders.

In his late 20s he was elected CEO of the large (pop. 85,000) Rochester, New York suburb in which he was born and raised.  He later served in the State Senate of the State of New York and in the Congress of the United States.

         His exemplary performance in public office was the subject of an admiring Reader's Digest profile and also drew accolades for his statesman stance from many other leading publications, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and every other major newspaper in New York State.

         He served as a U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, based in Rome, where he was the permanent representative of the United States to the United Nations Agencies for Food & Agriculture, including the World Food Program; and he also served as U.S. Ambassador to Fiji and other island countries of the South Pacific. The State Department awarded him the U.S. Foreign Service "Meritorious Honor Award."

         In addition to his public service as a statesman and diplomat, his unusually diverse and distinguished career includes successes as a businessman in advertising, public relations and government relations and in real estate development, as an author, as a novelist, as a nationally-syndicated and award-winning travel writer and as a professional photographer.

      He is author-photographer of three photo books -- FIJI: Pacific Paradise; FIJI: Some Enchanted Islands and TONGA: The Friendly Islands. His writing has appeared in a number of national magazines, including Outdoor Life, The Wall Street Journal and Readers’ Digest, for whom he wrote the “Unforgettable” tribute to his writing mentor, Pulitzer-prize-winning Civil War historian Bruce Catton and for whom he wrote a profile about a then much lesser known computer industry superstar named Michael Dell.

         His political satire novel, Hank Harrison for President, was aclaimed by Library Journal as "one of the best political spoofs since The Mouse That Roared" and touted by both leading Republicans (“Great political satire” – Bob Dole) and leading Democrats (“It’s funny!” – Mario Cuomo.

         Ambassador Eckert’s love of photography, enjoyment of travel, and keen intellectual curiosity has led him to explore and photograph major attractions and out-of-the-way spots on all seven continents.

He lives with his wife in Raleigh, North Carolina.  They have three grown children and four grandchildren.