[2][3] He studied at Classical High School, where he met his future wife, Dorothy.

[3] After graduating from Brown, Irving served in the United States Army Air Corps for the remainder of World War II[4] as a navigator.

[3] After the war, he attended Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and received an M.A.

[3] Irving then joined the United States Foreign Service and worked there for 32 years.

In 1976, President Gerald Ford nominated Irving as Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs and he held this position until 1977.