Richard Eugene Hoagland (born 1950,

Fort Wayne, Indiana Fort Wayne is a city in Allen County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. Located in northeastern Indiana, the city is west of the Ohio border and south of the Michigan border. The city's population was 263,886 at the 2020 census ...

) is a career

ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or so ...

in the

United States Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or simply the State Department, is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy of the United State ...

. He was Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary in State's

Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs The Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs (SCA) is an agency within the United States Department of State that is responsible for the U.S. government's relations with countries in the South and Central Asian region. The bureau is headed by t ...

from 2013-2015.State Department Bio of Hoagland
/ref> In the summer of 2016, based at the U.S. Embassy in Amman, Jordan, he was the senior U.S. liaison to the Russian Reconciliation Center at the Russian military base in Latakia, Syria. In 2017 he served as interim U.S. co-chair of the

OSCE Minsk Group The OSCE Minsk Group was created in 1992 by the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE), now Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), to encourage a peaceful, negotiated resolution to the conflict between ...

, the group appointed by the

Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is a regional security-oriented intergovernmental organization comprising member states in Europe, North America, and Asia. Its mandate includes issues such as arms control, the pr ...

to coordinate international peace-making efforts on the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Early life and education

Born in Fort Wayne, Indiana Hoagland earned a graduate degree from the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson and contains his The Lawn, Academical Village, a World H ...

and a certificate in French from the

University of Grenoble The (, ''Grenoble Alps University'', abbr. UGA) is a Grands établissements, ''grand établissement'' in Grenoble, France. Founded in 1339, it is the third largest university in France with about 60,000 students and over 3,000 researchers. Es ...

. He was an African literature professor at the

and taught English in

Zaire Zaire, officially the Republic of Zaire, was the name of the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 1971 to 18 May 1997. Located in Central Africa, it was, by area, the third-largest country in Africa after Sudan and Algeria, and the 11th-la ...

before he joined the foreign service.

Career

As a member of the

Senior Foreign Service The Senior Foreign Service (SFS) comprises the top four ranks of the United States Foreign Service. These ranks were created by the Foreign Service Act of 1980 and Executive Order 12293 in order to provide the Foreign Service with senior grades ...

(Minister-Counselor), Ambassador Hoagland's earlier assignments included Director of the Office of Public Diplomacy in the South Asia Bureau of the State Department (1999-2001) where his additional portfolio was Special Adviser to the

National Security Council A national security council (NSC) is usually an executive branch governmental body responsible for coordinating policy on national security issues and advising chief executives on matters related to national security. An NSC is often headed by a n ...

for public diplomacy on

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

. His foreign assignments have included

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

(where he was Press Spokesman for the U.S. Embassy),

Uzbekistan , image_flag = Flag of Uzbekistan.svg , image_coat = Emblem of Uzbekistan.svg , symbol_type = Emblem of Uzbekistan, Emblem , national_anthem = "State Anthem of Uzbekistan, State Anthem of the Republ ...

, and

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

twice—the first time (1986-1989) working with the Afghan Resistance during the Soviet-Afghan War. He also served in the State Department's

Bureau of Intelligence and Research The Bureau of Intelligence and Research (INR) is an intelligence agency in the United States Department of State. Its central mission is to provide all-source intelligence and analysis in support of U.S. diplomacy and foreign policy. INR is th ...

where he was the lead analyst for Afghanistan (1989-1991). Subsequently, because of his expertise on Afghanistan, he was U.S. Deputy Special Envoy for Afghanistan (1991-1992). During the course of his career, he has received multiple State Department Meritorious and Superior Honor Awards, as well as Presidential Performance Awards.

Ambassadorships

Ambassador Hoagland was Director of the Office of Caucasus and Central Asian Affairs in the

Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs The Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs (EUR) is part of the United States Department of State, charged with implementing U.S. foreign policy and promoting U.S. interests in Europe and Eurasia (which it defines as being Europe, Turkey, Cypr ...

, Department of State from June 2001-July 2003. In that position, he wrote and negotiated four of the key bilateral documents defining the Central Asian states' enhanced relationship with the United States. After September 11 2001, he initiated regular U.S.- Russia consultations in response to the mandate by Presidents Bush and

Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who has served as President of Russia since 2012, having previously served from 2000 to 2008. Putin also served as Prime Minister of Ru ...

that the two governments work together to increase their collaboration and transparency in

Central Asia Central Asia is a region of Asia consisting of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The countries as a group are also colloquially referred to as the "-stans" as all have names ending with the Persian language, Pers ...

and the

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region spanning Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is situated between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, comprising parts of Southern Russia, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. The Caucasus Mountains, i ...

. In July 2002, this consultative group became part of the ongoing U.S.-Russia Counterterrorism Working Group.

Tajikistan

He later served as the Ambassador to Tajikistan 2003–06, and as the Chargé d'affaires to Turkmenistan July 2007-July 2008. He then became the U.S. Ambassador to Kazakhstan from 2008 to January 2011.

Pakistan

From January 2011 to October 2013, he was the United States Deputy Ambassador to Pakistan, a title rarely used by State, but which has been used in other countries where the U.S. has a difficult diplomatic mission (notably in

Embassy of the United States, Kabul The Embassy of the United States of America in Kabul was the official diplomatic mission of the United States of America to the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. Its chancery on Great Massoud Road in the Wazir Akbar Khan neighborhood of the Afgh ...

Deputy Ambassador to Afghanistan
/ref> and in the structure of the U.S. mission to South Vietnam in the 1960s

United States Ambassador to South Vietnam Following the end of World War II in Asia, French Fourth Republic, France attempted to regain control of Vietnam, as part of French Indochina, which it had lost to Empire of Japan, Japan in 1941. At the conclusion of the First Indochina War, the ...

). The title Deputy Ambassador carries more political responsibility and weight than the more common title of

Deputy Chief of Mission A deputy chief of mission (DCM, in Europe the term deputy head of mission – DHoM or DHM is used instead) is the number-two diplomat assigned to an embassy or other diplomatic mission. The deputy chief of mission is usually considered the second ...

Nomination for Ambassadorship to Armenia

Ambassador Hoagland was nominated for the United States ambassadorship to

Armenia Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...

on May 23, 2006. His predecessor

John Marshall Evans John Marshall Evans (born 1950) is an American former diplomat who served as United States ambassador to Armenia. He was confirmed to this position by the U.S. Senate on June 25, 2004. Evans began his service on August 8, 2004, but, as confirme ...

was recalled from his position in May 2006 after publicly speaking about the

Armenian genocide The Armenian genocide was the systematic destruction of the Armenians, Armenian people and identity in the Ottoman Empire during World War I. Spearheaded by the ruling Committee of Union and Progress (CUP), it was implemented primarily t ...

.Armenian Assembly of America, May 24, 2006
"President Bush Nominates Richard Hoagland as U.S. Ambassador to Armenia"
/ref>''The Boston Globe'', August 30, 2006
“Armenians Try to Stall Appointment of U.S. Envoy”
/ref> On August 1, 2006, the

Armenian Assembly of America The Armenian Assembly of America () is the largest Washington-based nationwide organization promoting public understanding and awareness of Armenian issues. The organization aims to "strengthen United States/Armenia relations, promote Armenia's d ...

announced that

Senate Foreign Relations Committee The United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations is a standing committee of the U.S. Senate charged with leading foreign-policy legislation and debate in the Senate. It is generally responsible for authorizing and overseeing foreign a ...

Ranking Member

Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...

together with Senator

John Kerry John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician, and diplomat who served as the 68th United States secretary of state from 2013 to 2017 in the Presidency of Barack Obama#Administration, administration of Barac ...

requested a hold on Hoagland's nomination, claiming that he hoped the Administration "will find a way to acknowledge the Armenian Genocide."" Armenian Assembly of America, August 1, 2006
/ref> On September 12 2006,

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 ...

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...

Bob Menendez Robert Menendez (; born January 1, 1954) is an American former politician and lawyer who represented New Jersey in the United States Senate from 2006 until his resignation in 2024. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic ...

issued a hold on the confirmation vote for Hoagland, stating that "if the Bush Administration continues to refuse to acknowledge the atrocities of the Armenian Genocide, then there is certainly cause for great alarm, which is why I am placing a hold on this nominee."Armenian National Committee of America, September 12, 2006
“ANCA Welcomes Menendez ‘Hold’ on Hoagland Nomination”
/ref>Radio Free Europe, September 13, 2006

/ref> With the new congress in January 2007, the stalled nomination had expired, and on January 9, 2007, Richard Hoagland was renominated as ambassador to

.''Yerkir'', January 10, 2007
White House Repeatedly Offered Hoagland’s Candidacy as US Ambassador to Armenia
/ref> The nomination was withdrawn by the White House on August 3, 2007.''The White House'' August 03, 2007:

/ref>

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Hoagland, Richard E. 1950 births Living people United States Department of State officials Ambassadors of the United States to Armenia Ambassadors of the United States to Tajikistan Ambassadors of the United States to Kazakhstan Grenoble Alpes University alumni University of Virginia alumni Ambassadors of the United States to Turkmenistan American expatriates in Pakistan United States Foreign Service personnel 21st-century American diplomats