View source for Richard Jones (U.S. diplomat)

{{Infobox Ambassador
|name         = Richard Jones
|image        = JonesWeb.jpg
|office       = [[United States Ambassador to Lebanon]]
|president    = [[Barack Obama]]
|term_start   = October 31, 2015<br>{{small|Acting}}
|term_end     = <!-- June 2016 -->
|predecessor  = [[David Hale (diplomat)|David Hale]]
|successor    = [[Elizabeth Holzhall Richard|Elizabeth Richard]] {{small|(Designate)}}
|president1   = [[Bill Clinton]]
|term_start1  = February 2, 1996
|term_end1    = July 8, 1998
|predecessor1 = [[Ronald L. Schlicher|Ronald Schlicher]]
|successor1   = [[David M. Satterfield|David Satterfield]]
|office2      = [[United States Ambassador to Israel]]
|president2   = [[George W. Bush]]
|term_start2  = September 26, 2005
|term_end2    = April 27, 2008
|predecessor2 = [[Daniel C. Kurtzer|Daniel Kurtzer]]
|successor2   = [[James B. Cunningham|James Cunningham]]
|office3      = Deputy Administrator for the [[Coalition Provisional Authority]]
|president3   = [[George W. Bush]]
|term_start3  = November 1, 2003
|term_end3    = June 28, 2004
|office4     = [[United States Ambassador to Kuwait]]
|president4   = [[George W. Bush]]
|term_start4  = October 1, 2001
|term_end4    = July 26, 2004
|predecessor4 = [[James Larocco]]
|successor4   = [[Richard LeBaron]]
|office5      = [[United States Ambassador to Kazakhstan]]
|president5   = [[Bill Clinton]]<br>[[George W. Bush]]
|term_start5  = January 23, 1999
|term_end5    = June 10, 2001
|predecessor5 = [[A. Elizabeth Jones|Elizabeth Jones]]
|successor5   = [[Larry C. Napper|Larry Napper]]
|birth_date   = {{birth date and age|1950|8|26}}
|birth_place  = [[Barksdale Air Force Base|Barksdale]], [[Louisiana]], U.S.
|death_date   = 
|death_place  = 
|alma_mater   = [[Harvey Mudd College]]<br>[[University of Wisconsin–Madison|University of Wisconsin, Madison]]
}}
'''Richard Henry Jones''' (born August 26, 1950) is an American [[diplomat]] and the former Deputy Executive Director of the [[International Energy Agency]]. 

Jones is a career [[Foreign Service Officer]] and member of the [[Senior Foreign Service]]. He has served as [[United States Ambassador to Israel]] (2005–2008), Senior Advisor to the [[United States Secretary of State|Secretary of State]] and Coordinator for Iraq Policy (February–September 2005), Chief Policy Officer and Deputy Administrator for the [[Coalition Provisional Authority]] in Baghdad (November 2013 - June 2014), [[United States Ambassador to Kuwait|Ambassador to Kuwait]] (2001–2004), [[United States Ambassador to Kazakhstan|Ambassador to Kazakhstan]] (1998–2000), and [[United States Ambassador to Lebanon|Ambassador to Lebanon]] (1996–1998).

==Early life and education==
Jones was born at [[Barksdale Air Force Base]] in [[Bossier Parish, Louisiana]]. He received his [[Bachelor of Science]] [[Academic degree|degree]] with distinction in [[mathematics]] from [[Harvey Mudd College]] in Claremont, California and earned a [[Master's degree|master's]] and [[doctorate]] in business/[[statistics]] from the [[University of Wisconsin, Madison]].

==Career==
Jones has been twice posted to the embassy in [[Riyadh]] and has also served in [[Embassy of the United States in Paris|Paris]] and [[Tunis]] and was director of the Division of Developed Country Trade in the Office of Egyptian Affairs (1987–1989) in the [[United States Department of State|State Department]], and later director of the Office of Egyptian Affairs. 

Jones served as ambassador to Lebanon from February 1996 until July 1998 and ambassador to Kazakhstan from December 1998 until July 2001. He served as ambassador to Kuwait from September 2001 until July 2004. From November 2003 until June 2004, Jones served concurrently as Chief Policy Officer and Deputy Administrator for the [[Coalition Provisional Authority]] in [[Baghdad]]. He worked in [[Kuwait]] to enlisting Kuwaiti support for the [[Iraq War]] and worked under [[L. Paul Bremer]] to implement the [[U.S.-Iraq Status of Forces Agreement|November 15, 2003 Agreement]] with the [[Iraqi Governing Council]]. Jones was a senior fellow at the [[Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs]] at [[Harvard University|Harvard University's]] [[John F. Kennedy School of Government]] from September 2004 until January 2005. 

In February 2005 Jones was named Senior Advisor to the Secretary of State and Coordinator for Iraq Policy (S/I) the highest-ranking State Department post focused entirely on [[Iraq]] policy. Jones chaired an [[Under Secretary of State]]-level interagency steering group charged with reviewing and developing Iraq policy and led U.S. diplomatic efforts on Iraq with the international community, including preparations for the June 22, 2005 Iraq International Conference in [[Brussels]].

Jones was sworn in as ambassador to Israel by [[United States Deputy Secretary of State|Deputy Secretary of State]] [[Robert Zoellick]] on September 6, 2005. He left that position on August 1, 2008.

Jones served as the deputy executive director of the International Energy Agency, based in [[Paris]] from 1 October 2008 until end of September 2013.

Jones most recently served as Chargé d'affaires ad interim at the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon from November 2015 until June 2016.

==Personal life==
He is fluent in [[Arabic language|Arabic]], [[French language|French]], [[German language|German]], and [[Russian language|Russian]]. He served two terms on the board of the [[Saudi Arabian International School]] in [[Riyadh]]. He enjoys hiking and bicycling, as well as winter and [[racquet sport]]s.

Jones married Joan Wiener in 1973 and has four children: Josh (1977), Vera (1980), Ben (1991), and Hope (1992).

==External links==
{{Commons category|Richard Henry Jones}}
*[http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ho/po/11552.htm#Jones Entry] at the [[United States Department of State]] directory
*[http://iea.org/journalists/jones1.html CV of Richard H. Jones (IEA website)]
*{{C-SPAN|Richard H Jones}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-dip}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Ronald L. Schlicher|Ronald Schlicher]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[United States Ambassador to Lebanon]]|years=1996–1998}}
{{s-aft|after=[[David M. Satterfield|David Satterfield]]}}
|-
{{s-bef|before=[[A. Elizabeth Jones|Elizabeth Jones]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[United States Ambassador to Kazakhstan]]|years=1999–2001}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Larry C. Napper|Larry Napper]]}}
|-
{{s-bef|before=[[James Larocco]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[United States Ambassador to Kuwait]]|years=2001–2004}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Richard LeBaron]]}}
|-
{{s-bef|before=[[Daniel C. Kurtzer|Daniel Kurtzer]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[United States Ambassador to Israel]]|years=2005–2008}}
{{s-aft|after=[[James B. Cunningham|James Cunningham]]}}
|-
{{s-bef|before=[[David Hale (diplomat)|David Hale]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[United States Ambassador to Lebanon]]<br>{{small|Acting}}|years=2015–2016}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Elizabeth Holzhall Richard|Elizabeth Richard]]<br>{{small|Designate}}}}
{{s-end}}

{{US Ambassadors to Israel}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Richard}}
[[Category:1950 births]]
[[Category:Ambassadors of the United States to Israel]]
[[Category:Ambassadors of the United States to Kazakhstan]]
[[Category:Ambassadors of the United States to Kuwait]]
[[Category:Ambassadors of the United States to Lebanon]]
[[Category:American diplomats]]
[[Category:Harvey Mudd College alumni]]
[[Category:International Energy Agency officials]]
[[Category:John F. Kennedy School of Government people]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:People from Bossier Parish, Louisiana]]
[[Category:University of Wisconsin&ndash;Madison alumni]]