Richard W. Murphy
- November 22, 2024
- 95 years
About Richard W. Murphy
Richard W. Murphy, 95, American diplomat, four-time ambassador and assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern and South Asian affairs (1983–1989).
Explore other notable deaths in 2024 or deaths in November 2024.
The Deaths Archive presents
How well do you know Richard W. Murphy?
Explore their life. Test your knowledge. Beat the challenge.
10 questions · One legacy · How much do you really know?
Challenge your friends
Play together in real-time.
Advertisement
Full Biography
|Richard William Murphy (July 29, 1929 – November 22, 2024) was an American diplomat and career member of the foreign service. He served as the 14th Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs from 1983 to 1989 during the Ronald Reagan administration.
Early life
Richard William Murphy was born on July 29, 1929, in Boston, Massachusetts. After graduating from Phillips Exeter Academy in 1947, he received BAs from Harvard University in 1951 and from Emmanuel College, Cambridge in 1953. From 1953 to 1955, he served in the U.S. Army.
Career
He started his career in the United States Foreign Service as Vice Consul in Salisbury, Rhodesia (1955–1958). From 1959 to 1971, he worked for the Middle Eastern Bureau. He was the United States ambassador to Mauritania from 1971 to 1974, to Syria from 1974 to 1978, to the Philippines from 1978 to 1981, and to Saudi Arabia from 1981 to 1983. He served as the United States Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs from 1983 to 1989.
Murphy is often credited with brokering the Taif Agreement in 1990, which led to the end of the 15-year Lebanon war. Starting in the 1993, and until 2004, he served as senior fellow for the Middle East Council for Foreign Relations, and as chairman of the Foreign Student Service Council, the Middle East Institute, and Chatham House Foundation.
He served on the board of directors of UNRWA USA, a Washington–DC based 501c3 nonprofit which aims to educate the general American public about the situation of Palestine refugees and generate support for UNRWA's work.
He was a two-time recipient of the State Department's Superior Honor Award, and a three-time recipient of the President's Distinguished Service Award.
From 2003 to 2005 he was a Director of Middle East International, a London based bi-monthly magazine providing news and analysis of events in the Middle East.
Personal life
Murphy married to Anne Cook in 1955. They raised three children, and have seven grandchildren.
Murphy died on November 22, 2024 at a hospital in Manhattan, New York City at the age of 95.
Content from Wikipedia — licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
Interactive
Test Your Knowledge – Trivia Challenge
How well do you know this person's life and legacy?
No account needed to play. Sign in to keep your score on the leaderboard.
Articles & News
Reported coverage of Richard W. Murphy; each link opens the original article on the publisher's own site.
Books & Media
Find books, audiobooks and films about Richard W. Murphy on Amazon.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.
Sources
- Wikipedia
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_W._Murphy
- CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sep 26, 2026
- View article
- Sep 26, 2026
Trivia & Knowledge· 9 questions
Questions drawn from Richard W. Murphy's archived record and the sources above.
1.In which year did Richard W. Murphy die?
- A.2017
- B.2015
- C.2024correct
- D.2011
Richard W. Murphy died in 2024.
Source: Profile: year of death: ": age at death 95. Archive record: place of birth Boston. Archive record: place of death Manhattan. Archive record: occupation diplomat. Archive record: nationality
2.How old was Richard W. Murphy when they died?
- A.84
- B.95correct
- C.87
- D.100
Richard W. Murphy was 95 years old at the time of death.
Source: Profile: age at death: "l Library Middle East Rountable[link removed], at the Council on Foreign Relations Appearances on C-SPAN Archive record: year of death 2024. Archive record: year of b
3.In which year was Richard W. Murphy born?
- A.1929correct
- B.1917
- C.1923
- D.1920
Richard W. Murphy was born in 1929.
Source: Profile: year of birth: "at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library Middle East Rountable[link removed], at the Council on Foreign Relations Appearances on C-SPAN Archive record: year of deat
4.In which month did Richard W. Murphy die?
- A.February
- B.December
- C.January
- D.Novembercorrect
Richard W. Murphy died in November.
Source: Archive record: date of death: "ve record: age at death 95. Archive record: place of birth Boston. Archive record: place of death Manhattan. Archive record: occupation diplomat. Archive reco
5.On which day of the month did Richard W. Murphy die?
- A.22correct
- B.21
- C.23
- D.24
Richard W. Murphy died on day 22 of the month.
Source: Archive record: date of death: "chive record: age at death 95. Archive record: place of birth Boston. Archive record: place of death Manhattan. Archive record: occupation diplomat. Archive r
6.Where was Richard W. Murphy born?
- A.Bostoncorrect
- B.Marseille
- C.Kraków
- D.Turin
Richard W. Murphy was born in Boston.
Source: Biography: place of birth: "ink removed], at the Council on Foreign Relations Appearances on C-SPAN Archive record: year of death 2024. Archive record: year of birth 1929. Archive record: ag
7.Where did Richard W. Murphy die?
- A.Kraków
- B.Marseille
- C.Turin
- D.Manhattancorrect
Richard W. Murphy died in Manhattan.
Source: Biography: place of death: "gn Relations Appearances on C-SPAN Archive record: year of death 2024. Archive record: year of birth 1929. Archive record: age at death 95. Archive record: place
8.In which field was Richard W. Murphy known?
- A.diplomatcorrect
- B.novelist
- C.chemist
- D.architect
The biography describes Richard W. Murphy as a diplomat.
Source: Profile: occupation: "Archive record: year of death 2024. Archive record: year of birth 1929. Archive record: age at death 95. Archive record: place of birth Boston. Archive record: place of
9.What nationality was Richard W. Murphy?
- A.Americancorrect
- B.Austrian
- C.Argentine
- D.Australian
Richard W. Murphy is recorded as American.
Source: Profile: nationality: "Archive record: year of birth 1929. Archive record: age at death 95. Archive record: place of birth Boston. Archive record: place of death Manhattan. Archive record: o
Explore the archive
People who died on November 22
Spotted an error?
Help us keep the archive accurate. Report a correction with a source.
Report an error for Richard W. Murphy →Advertisement
