James Lilley was born on January 15, 1928 in Qingdao, Shandong Province, China. He was married to Sally Booth. He died on November 12, 2009 in Washington, District of Columbia, USA.
He is survived by his sister, Elinore Lilley Washburn of Andover, Massachusetts.
He is survived by three sons, Jeffrey Lilley of Silver Spring, Maryland; Douglas Lilley of Washington DC; and Michael Lilley of Rumson, New Jersey.
He taught Chinese Economics at John Hopkins School for Advanced International Studies and was a business consultant for corporations doing business in China.
He served as United States Ambassador to South Korea in 1987.
His feeling for China: The country had defined my family's life since 1916 when my father stepped off a boat in Shanghai harbor to work for Standard Oil.
I wanted to make the point that the United States had to stay engaged with China for strategic reasons. America I insisted could contribute in constructive ways to a more open China.