Arnold Lewis Raphel (March 16, 1943 – August 17, 1988) was an American diplomat who served as the 18th United States Ambassador to Pakistan.

Early life and education

Raphel was born March 16, 1943, in

Troy, New York Troy is a city in and the county seat of Rensselaer County, New York, United States. It is located on the western edge of the county, on the eastern bank of the Hudson River just northeast of the capital city of Albany, New York, Albany. At the ...

, into a Jewish family, the son of Harry and Sarah (Rote-Rosen) Raphel. As a boy, Raphel was already interested in diplomacy and international affairs. At age 12, he wrote to the then Secretary of State,

John Foster Dulles John Foster Dulles (February 25, 1888 – May 24, 1959) was an American politician, lawyer, and diplomat who served as United States secretary of state under President Dwight D. Eisenhower from 1953 until his resignation in 1959. A member of the ...

, regarding his interest in diplomacy. Dulles wrote back in reply, advising him to "study hard, work hard and we’ll see you in ten years." Raphel graduated from

Hamilton College Hamilton College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Clinton, Oneida County, New York, Clinton, New York. It was established as the Hamilton-Oneida Academy in 1793 and received its c ...

(B.A., 1964) and the Maxwell School at

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York, United States. It was established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church but has been nonsectarian since 1920 ...

(M.A., 1966).

Career

Raphel joined the

US State Department The United States Department of State (DOS), or simply the State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs o ...

in 1966. He held a variety of positions throughout his career until his death in 1988. He was mainly a diplomat for the US Government.

Iran hostage crisis

In 1979, Raphel was a key member of the State Department's Special Operations Group set up to free the American hostages seized by Iranian militants at the United States Embassy in Tehran.

Office of United States Secretary of State

In 1981, Raphel served as the Special Assistant to Secretary of State Edmund Muskie. Afterward, he became the Deputy Assistant to the

United States Secretary of State The United States secretary of state (SecState) is a member of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States and the head of the U.S. Department of State. The secretary of state serves as the principal advisor to the ...

in 1985.

Ambassador to Pakistan

Raphel was nominated by President

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...

and succeeded Dean Roesch Hinton as US Ambassador to Pakistan in January 1987.

Awards

Presidential Citizens Medal The Presidential Citizens Medal is an award bestowed by the president of the United States. It is the second-highest civilian award in the United States and is second only to the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Established by executive order on N ...

(1989)

Personal life

Raphel was married three times. His first wife was Myrna Feigenbaum, by whom he had one daughter, Stephanie. In 1978, he married fellow diplomat Robin Raphel; the marriage, which was childless, ended in divorce two years later. In 1987, he married another fellow diplomat, Nancy Halliday Ely-Raphel. They had been married for around a year when he died in an aircrash in August 1988.

Death

Raphel was serving as US ambassador to Pakistan, and was traveling in the plane with President Zia-ul-Haq on August 17, 1988, when the plane crashed, resulting in the death of 30 people, including him and President Zia. Raphel was 45 years old. He was survived by both his parents, who were living in retirement by then in Atlantic City, N.J., and by his only daughter Stephanie, who was living with her mother, Myrna Feigenbaum, in

Orlando, Florida Orlando ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Orange County, Florida, United States. The city proper had a population of 307,573 at the 2020 census, making it the fourth-most populous city in Florida behind Jacksonville, Florida, Jacksonville ...

. Raphel was also survived by his third wife, Nancy.

References

External links

Former US Ambassadors to Pakistan

* ttp://www.reagan.utexas.edu/archives/speeches/1986/101586b.htm Nomination of Arnold Lewis Raphel To Be United States Ambassador to Pakistan
Arnold L. Raphel, United States Ambassador
Arlington National Cemetery
Congressional gold medal to the family of Arnold Raphel

A resolution to express the deep regret of the Senate regarding the death of Ambassador Arnold Lewis Raphel
{{DEFAULTSORT:Raphel, Arnold Lewis 1943 births 1988 deaths 20th-century American diplomats 20th-century American translators Ambassadors of the United States to Pakistan American expatriates in Pakistan American scholars of Pakistan studies Assassinated American diplomats Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Conservatism in Pakistan English–Urdu translators Hamilton College (New York) alumni Jewish American government officials Jews and Judaism in Pakistan Syracuse University alumni Translators from Urdu 20th-century Urdu-language writers Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1988 Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in Pakistan 20th-century American Jews