Richard Goodwin Capen Jr. (born July 16, 1934) is an American businessman and former

United States Ambassador to Spain The most recent ambassador was Julissa Reynoso Pantaleón, she was sworn in by United States Vice President, Vice President Kamala Harris on January 7, 2022, and presented her credentials on February 2, 2022. This is a list of Ambassadors of t ...

from 1992 to 1993.

Biography

Capen was born in

Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...

on July 16, 1934. He graduated from Columbia College in 1956 on a

Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps The Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps (NROTC) program is a college-based, commissioned officer training program of the United States Navy and the United States Marine Corps. Origins A pilot Naval Reserve unit was established in September 1924 ...

scholarship and served in the

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest displacement, at 4.5 million tons in 2021. It has the world's largest aircraft ...

after college from 1956 to 1959. He served as the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs from 1969-1970 and the

Assistant Secretary of Defense for Legislative Affairs The Assistant Secretary of Defense for Legislative Affairs, or ASD(LA), is the head of the Office of the Secretary of Defense for Legislative Affairs, responsible for providing support to the United States Secretary of Defense, Secretary of Defen ...

from 1970 to 1971 responding to

Secretary of Defense A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divided ...

Melvin Laird Melvin Robert Laird Jr. (September 1, 1922 – November 16, 2016) was an American politician, writer and statesman. He was a U.S. congressman from Wisconsin from 1953 to 1969 before serving as Secretary of Defense from 1969 to 1973 under Pres ...

. He is a recipient of the

Defense Distinguished Service Medal The Defense Distinguished Service Medal is a military decoration of the United States Department of Defense, which is presented to United States Armed Forces service members for exceptionally distinguished performance of duty contributing to the ...

in 1971. Before being nominated for ambassadorship, he was vice chairman of the second largest domestic newspaper publisher

Knight Ridder Knight Ridder was an American media company, specializing in newspaper and Internet publishing. It was bought by McClatchy on June 27, 2006, allowing the latter to become the second largest newspaper publisher in the United States at the time ...

from 1989 to 1991 and chairman and publisher of ''

The Miami Herald The ''Miami Herald'' is an American daily newspaper owned by The McClatchy Company and headquartered in Miami-Dade County, Florida. Founded in 1903, it is the fifth-largest newspaper in Florida, serving Miami-Dade, Broward, and Monroe countie ...

'' from 1983 to 1989. Under Capen's stewardship, the newspaper won five Pulitzer Prizes. He also served as the senior vice president of

Copley Newspapers Copley Press was a privately held newspaper business, founded in Illinois but later based in La Jolla, California. Its flagship paper was ''The San Diego Union-Tribune''. History Founder Ira Clifton Copley launched Copley Press c. 1905, eventua ...

. In 1984, he received the

John Jay Award The John Jay Award is presented annually by Columbia College of Columbia University to its alumni for distinguished professional achievement. It is named for Founding Father of the United States John Jay, Columbia College Class of 1764. The first ...

from Columbia College for distinguished professional achievement. He served as a director of American Funds and Capital Guardian from 1994-2018. Capen has been a long-time resident of

La Jolla, California La Jolla ( , ) is a hilly, seaside neighborhood in San Diego, California, occupying of curving coastline along the Pacific Ocean. The population reported in the 2010 census was 46,781. The climate is mild, with an average daily temperature o ...

is former executive with Copley Newspapers (1961–1979) and newspaper columnist. He is the author of ''Finish Strong'', published in 1996, and ''Empowered by Faith'', published in 2004. He is a retired director emeritus of the

Billy Graham Evangelistic Association The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) is a non-profit Christian outreach organization that promotes multimedia evangelism, conducts evangelistic crusades, and engages in disaster response. The BGEA operates the Billy Graham Train ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Capen, Jr., Richard G. 1934 births Living people Columbia College (New York) alumni 21st-century American businesspeople Ambassadors of the United States to Spain Knight Ridder Miami Herald people 20th-century American newspaper publishers (people) Recipients of the Defense Distinguished Service Medal 20th-century American diplomats Carnival Corporation & plc people United States Navy sailors People from La Jolla, San Diego The San Diego Union-Tribune people