Richard William Murphy (born July 29, 1929, Boston, Massachusetts) is an American diplomat.
After graduating from The Roxbury Latin School in 1947, he received BAs from Harvard University in 1951 and from Emmanuel College, University of Cambridge in 1953. From 1953 to 1955, he served in the U.S. Army.
Muphy started his career in the United States Foreign Service as Vice Consul in Salisbury, Rhodesia (1955–58). From 1959 to 1971 he worked for the Middle Eastern Bureau. He was the United States ambassador to Mauritania (1971–74), Syria (1974–78), the Philippines (1978–81), and Saudi Arabia (1981–83). He served as the United States Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs from 1983 to 1989.
From October 1, 1993 to June 30, 2004 he served as director of the Middle East Rountable at the Council on Foreign Relations.
He is married to Anne Cook and has three children.
| Diplomatic posts | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Hugh H. Smythe |
U.S. Ambassador to Syria 1974–1978 |
Succeeded by Talcott W. Seelye |
| Preceded by David D. Newsom |
United States Ambassador to the Philippines 1978–1981 |
Succeeded by Michael Armacost |
| Preceded by Robert G. Neumann |
United States Ambassador to Saudi Arabia 1981–1983 |
Succeeded by Walter Leon Cutler |
| Government offices | ||
| Preceded by Nicholas A. Veliotes |
Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs October 28, 1983 – May 15, 1989 |
Succeeded by John Hubert Kelly |
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