Ford M. Fraker (1948 – September 4, 2017) was an American diplomat who served as U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia. He was president of the

Middle East Policy Council The Middle East Policy Council (MEPC) is a Washington, D.C.-based 501(c)3 non-profit organization that produces analysis and commentary on issues impacting U.S. national interests in the Middle East. It was founded in 1981 under the stated missi ...

and chairman, Merrill Lynch Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Career highlights

Prior to his nomination, Fraker was serving as chairman of the Trinity Group Limited, a private investment banking firm in the United Kingdom, and as a consultant for Intercontinental Real Estate Corporation in

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

. Fraker graduated

cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sout ...

from

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

in 1971 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. He served as a banker in the Middle East for more than thirty years. He began his career with

Chemical Bank Chemical Bank, headquartered in New York City, was the principal operating subsidiary of Chemical Banking Corporation, a bank holding company. In 1996, it acquired Chase Bank, adopted the Chase name, and became the largest bank in the United Stat ...

, where he worked from 1972 to 1979. He worked in

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

, the

UAE The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a federal elective monarchy made up of seven emirates, with Abu Dhabi serving as i ...

, and

Bahrain Bahrain, officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, is an island country in West Asia. Situated on the Persian Gulf, it comprises a small archipelago of 50 natural islands and an additional 33 artificial islands, centered on Bahrain Island, which mak ...

, ending as a vice president and Regional Manager for the bank's Bahrain office. He joined the Saudi International Bank in 1979, and worked for SIB until 1991, holding positions of increasing management responsibility in the bank's General Banking, Credit and Client Development units. When he left SIB in 1991, Fraker was serving on the bank's Management Committee. He founded Fraker & Co. in 1991, and in 1993, he joined MeesPierson Investment Finance (UK) Limited, where he was the managing director responsible for placing U.S. and European investment products with European and Middle Eastern institutional and private investors. In 1997, he co-founded Trinity Group Limited, and continued to serve as managing director and chairman until his nomination by President Bush. In 2009, he was named a senior advisor at private equity firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR) and in 2013 he joined the Board of Directors of the

Personal and family

As of 1990, Fraker has been married for 33 years and has three children. He was born in

Princeton Princeton University is a private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the Unit ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

, and spoke French and Arabic.

References

External links

Boston Globe, February 13, 2007Passing of Ford M. Fraker
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fraker, Ford M. 1948 births 2017 deaths Harvard University alumni Ambassadors of the United States to Saudi Arabia People from Princeton, New Jersey