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Philip C. Habib
American diplomat (1920–1992) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Philip Charles Habib (February 25, 1920 – May 25, 1992) was an American career diplomat active from 1949 to 1987.[5]
Amb. Philip Habib | |
---|---|
![]() Habib in Lebanon in December 1982 | |
9th Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs | |
In office July 1, 1976 – April 1, 1978 | |
President | Gerald Ford Jimmy Carter |
Preceded by | Joseph J. Sisco |
Succeeded by | David D. Newsom |
12th Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs | |
In office September 27, 1974 – June 30, 1976 | |
President | Gerald Ford |
Preceded by | Robert S. Ingersoll |
Succeeded by | Arthur W. Hummel Jr. |
9th United States Ambassador to Korea | |
In office October 10, 1971 – August 19, 1974 | |
President | Richard Nixon Gerald Ford |
Preceded by | William J. Porter |
Succeeded by | Richard Sneider |
Personal details | |
Born | Philip Charles Habib (1920-02-25)February 25, 1920 Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
Died | May 25, 1992(1992-05-25) (aged 72) Puligny-Montrachet, France |
Cause of death | Cardiac arrhythmia |
Resting place | Golden Gate National Cemetery, San Bruno, California |
Spouse(s) | Marjorie W. Slightam[1] (m. 1943–1992, his death)[2] |
Children | 2 daughters |
Parent | Iskander (Alex) Habib Jamous & Miriam (Mary) Spiridon Habib |
Residence | Belmont, California |
Alma mater | University of Idaho (B.S.) University of California, Berkeley (Ph.D.) |
Occupation | Diplomat |
Known for | Shuttle diplomacy |
Awards | ![]() Medal of Freedom, (Diplomacy, 1982)[3] Légion d'Honneur (France, 1988)[4] |
Military service | |
Allegiance | ![]() |
Branch/service | ![]() |
Years of service | 1942–1946 |
Rank | ![]() |
During his 30-year career as a Foreign Service Officer, he had mostly specialized in Asia. In 1968, he was working to prevent the escalation of U.S. involvement in Vietnam.[6][7]
Habib later became known for his work as Ronald Reagan's special envoy to the Middle East from 1981 to 1983. In that role, he negotiated numerous cease-fire agreements between the various parties involved in the Lebanese Civil War.
He came out of retirement to take two assignments as U.S. special envoy; one to the Philippines in 1986, and another to Central America in 1986–87. In the latter assignment, he helped Costa Rican president Oscar Arias propose a peace plan to end the region's civil wars.
Habib was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1982—the highest official honor given to a U.S. citizen by the U.S. government.[3]