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J. Christopher Stevens

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Christopher Stevens
10th United States Ambassador to Libya
In office
June 7, 2012 – September 11, 2012
PresidentBarack Obama
Preceded byGene Cretz
Succeeded byVacant
Personal details
Born
John Christopher Stevens

April 18, 1960[1]
Grass Valley, Nevada County, California, United States
DiedSeptember 11, 2012(2012-09-11) (aged 52)
Benghazi, Libya
Alma materUniversity of California at Berkeley
University of California
National War College
ProfessionDiplomat, lawyer

John Christopher "Chris" Stevens (April 18, 1960 – September 11, 2012) was an American diplomat and lawyer who served as the U.S. Ambassador to Libya from June 2012 to September 2012.[2][3] He was killed when the U.S. consulate was attacked in Benghazi, Libya, on September 11, 2012.[4][2]

Early life and education

Stevens was born on April 18, 1960 in Grass Valley, California[5][6][7] and raised in Northern California, the son of Jan S. Stevens, a former Yolo County Superior Court judge, Davis city councilman[8] and California Assistant Attorney General[9] and his mother Mary Commanday (née Floris), a cellist with the Marin Symphony Orchestra.[10] The younger Stevens attended Pioneer Elementary School and Emerson Junior High in Davis, then graduated from Piedmont High School in 1978. He earned a B.A. in history at the University of California, Berkeley in 1982. From 1983 to 1985, he taught English as a Peace Corps volunteer in Morocco. He graduated with a J.D. from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law in 1989, and received an M.S. degree from the National War College in 2010. He spoke English, Arabic, and French.

Prior to joining the United States Foreign Service, he was an international trade lawyer based in Washington, D.C.[3] He was admitted as an active member of the State Bar of California on January 26, 1990, then went on inactive status on August 1, 1991 and remained an inactive member to his death.[11]

U.S. Foreign Service

Stevens joined the United States Foreign Service in 1991. His previous overseas assignments included: Deputy Principal officer and Political Section Chief in Jerusalem; political officer in Damascus; consular/political officer in Cairo; and consular/economic officer in Riyadh. In Washington, Ambassador Stevens served as Director of the Office of Multilateral Nuclear and Security Affairs; Pearson Fellow with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee; special assistant to the Under Secretary for Political Affairs; Iran desk officer; and staff assistant in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs.

He served twice previously in Libya, as the Deputy Chief of Mission from 2007 to 2009 and as Special Representative to the National Transitional Council from March 2011 to November 2011 during the Libyan revolution. He arrived in Tripoli in May 2012 as the U.S. Ambassador to Libya.[3]

Death

Main article: 2012 U.S. diplomatic missions attacks

Initial reports were that a group of violent Libyan protesters attacked the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya.[12] Some of the attackers were reportedly enraged over the film Innocence of Muslims, which the attackers believed to have insulted the Islamic Prophet Muhammad.[2] However, with the attack on the consulate coming on the anniversary of the September 11th Attacks there has been concern as to whether it too was a motive for the attacks. U.S. officials are currently investigating.[13]

According to Wanis al-Sharef, a Libyan Interior Ministry official in Benghazi, Stevens and other officials were moved to a second building that was deemed safer after the initial protests.[14]

A rocket propelled grenade attack reportedly created a fire in the consulate building. Stevens then became separated from his staff while trying to escape to the roof and was ultimately overcome by smoke inhalation.[15][16] Two other Americans who were sent to the area when the disturbance began also died, along with Sean Smith, who was employed as an information management officer.[17][18] Reports differ about the identity of the other two Americans, with some sources reporting that they were U.S. Marines, but others citing off-the-record Marine Corps sources as saying that they were not.[19]

Stevens was the first sitting U.S. ambassador to be killed in office since Arnold Lewis Raphel in Pakistan in 1988, and is the eighth U.S. Ambassador to be killed in the line of duty.[20]

See also

References

  1. ^ "California birth index search". FamilyTreeLegends.com. Retrieved September 12, 2012.
  2. ^ a b c "US ambassador 'killed in Libya'". BBC News. September 12, 2012. Retrieved September 12, 2012.
  3. ^ a b c "Stevens, J. Christopher". U.S. Department of State. Retrieved September 12, 2012.
  4. ^ Margaret Coker (September 12, 2012). "U.S. Ambassador to Libya Is Killed". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved September 12, 2012.
  5. ^ Matt Bewig (March 18, 2012). "Ambassador to Libya: Who Is Chris Stevens?". allgov.com. Retrieved September 12, 2012.
  6. ^ "US Ambassador Chris Stevens was 'courageous and exemplary,' Obama says". NBC News. September 12, 2012.
  7. ^ "Slain Ambassador Chris Stevens was `A Very Smart, Very Funny Guy' says Cal Roommate Austin Tichenor". Napa Patch. September 12, 2012.
  8. ^ Slain U.S. Ambassador to Libya Chris Stevens had ties to Davis and UC Berkeley
  9. ^ "Stevens Remembered as a Man Who Cared Deeply for Libya". Salt Lake City Tribune. September 12, 2012.
  10. ^ The death of Chris Stevens, U.S. Ambassador to Libya, hits close to home.
  11. ^ State Bar of California, Attorney Profile for John Christopher Stevens - #145822. Retrieved September 13, 2012.
  12. ^ CBS/AP. "U.S. officials: Deadly Libya attack likely planned". CBS News. Retrieved September 12, 2012.
  13. ^ Fox News. "US officials investigate whether strike on Benghazi post 'coordinated,' timed for 9/11 anniversary". Foxnews.com. Retrieved September 12, 2012.
  14. ^ "Assault on U.S. consulate in Benghazi leaves 4 dead, including U.S. Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens". CBS News. Retrieved September 12, 2012. According to al-Sharef, members of the Libyan security team seem to have indicated to the protesters the building to which the American officials had been relocated, and that building then came under attack.
  15. ^ Ambassador, victims got separated trying to escape to roof during attack, officials say CNN September 12, 2012
  16. ^ Kevin Dolak, Dean Schabner, Enjoli Francis and Anthony Castellano (September 12, 2012). "Ambassador to Libya Killed By 'Small and Savage Group'". ABC News. Retrieved September 12, 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  17. ^ Libya: Assault on U.S. consulate in Benghazi leaves 4 dead, including U.S. Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens CBS News September 12, 2012
  18. ^ US confirms ambassador killed in Benghazi Libya BBC News September 12, 2012
  19. ^ Spencer Ackerman (September 12, 2012). "Marines Head to Libya After Mob Kills Ambassador". Wired. Retrieved September 12, 2012.
  20. ^ "US ambassadors killed in the line of duty". Boston.com. Retrieved September 12, 2012.
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