Laurence Pope


Laurence Everett Pope II is an American diplomat. He was the United States Ambassador to Chad from 1993 to 1996 and former US Chargé d’Affaires to Libya. Pope held a number of senior posts in the Department of State. He was the Director for Northern Gulf Affairs, Associate Director for Counter-Terrorism, U.S. Ambassador to Chad, and Political Advisor to General Zinni USMC, Commander-in-Chief of United States Central Command.
In 2000, President Bill Clinton nominated him as Ambassador to Kuwait but his appointment was not confirmed by the Senate.
Ambassador Pope retired from the U.S. Foreign Service on October 2, 2000 after 31 years of service. He continues to consult with various institutions and is a respected arabist. A graduate of Bowdoin College, Pope also had advanced studies at Princeton University and is a graduate of the U.S. Department of State Senior Seminar, a Senior Fellow at the Armed Forces Staff College. He speaks Arabic and French, and resides in Portland, Maine.
Laurence Pope is the eldest son of Medal of Honor recipient Major Everett P. Pope, who was married to Eleanor Pope. He has a brother named Ralph H. Pope.
On Thursday, October 11, 2012, the U.S. Department of State announced that Ambassador Pope had arrived in Tripoli as the U.S Chargé d’Affaires in Libya.
On January 4, 2013 the US embassy in Tripoli announced that William Roebuck arrived in Tripoli as the new Chargé d’Affaires in Libya replacing Pope.

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