Richard Holbrooke

Richard Holbrooke
United States Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan
In office January 22, 2009 – December 13, 2010
President	Barack Obama
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Marc Grossman
22nd United States Ambassador to the United Nations
In office September 7, 1999 – January 20, 2001
President	Bill Clinton
Preceded by	Peter Burleigh (acting)
Succeeded by	John Negroponte
Assistant Secretary of State for European and Canadian Affairs
In office September 13, 1994 – February 21, 1996
President	Bill Clinton
Preceded by	Stephen A. Oxman
Succeeded by	John C. Kornblum
United States Ambassador to Germany
In office October 19, 1993 – September 12, 1994
President	Bill Clinton
Preceded by	Robert M. Kimmitt
Succeeded by	Charles E. Redman
Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs
In office March 31, 1977 – January 20, 1981
President	Jimmy Carter
Preceded by	Arthur W. Hummel Jr.
Succeeded by	John H. Holdridge
Personal details
Born	Richard Charles Albert Holbrooke (1941-04-24)April 24, 1941 New York City, U.S.
Died	December 13, 2010(2010-12-13) (aged 69) Washington, D.C., U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouses	Larrine Sullivan ​ ​ (m. 1964; div. 1972)​ Blythe Babyak ​ ​ (m. 1977; div. 1978)​ Kati Marton ​ (m. 1995)​
Children	2
Education	Brown University (BA)

Richard Charles Albert Holbrooke (April 24, 1941 – December 13, 2010) was an American diplomat and author. He was the only person to have held the position of Assistant Secretary of State for two different regions of the world (Asia from 1977 to 1981 and Europe from 1994 to 1996).

From 1993 to 1994, he was U.S. Ambassador to Germany. He was long well-known among journalists and in diplomatic circles. Holbrooke became familiar to the wider public in 1995 when he, together with former Swedish prime minister Carl Bildt, brokered a peace agreement among the warring factions in Bosnia leading to the signing of the Dayton Peace Accords. Holbrooke was a prime contender to succeed Warren Christopher as Secretary of State but was passed over in 1996 as President Bill Clinton chose Madeleine Albright instead.

From 1999 to 2001, Holbrooke served as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. He was an adviser to the presidential campaign of Senator John Kerry in 2004. Holbrooke then joined the 2008 presidential campaign of Senator Hillary Clinton and became a top foreign policy adviser. Holbrooke was considered a likely candidate for Secretary of State had Kerry or Hillary Clinton been elected president. In January 2009, Holbrooke was appointed as a special adviser on Pakistan and Afghanistan, working under President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.^[1] During his career, Holbrooke worked to improve the lives of refugees, particularly the Hmong of Indochina.^[2] On December 13, 2010, Holbrooke died from complications of an aortic dissection.^[3]

Holbrooke's unfulfilled ambition was to become Secretary of State; he, along with George Kennan and Chip Bohlen, were considered among the most influential U.S. diplomats who never achieved that position. Several considered Holbrooke's role in the Dayton Accords to merit the Nobel Peace Prize.^[4][5][6][7]