Philip C. Habib
Philip Charles Habib (February 25, 1920–May 25, 1992) was an American career diplomat known for work in Vietnam, South Korea and the Middle East. The New York Times in observing his passing described him as "the outstanding professional diplomat of his generation in the United States".
Habib was born in Brooklyn and raised there in section of the borough known as Bensonhurst, by Lebanese Maronite Christian parents. He worked as a shipping clerk before starting his undergraduate study at the College of Forestry and Wildlife and Range Sciences at the University of Idaho. After graduating in 1942, he served in the Army until 1946 and attained the rank of captain. He continued his education in an agricultural economics Ph.D. program at University of California, Berkeley, graduating in 1952. There he happened across a flyer advertising the State Department entrance exam, which he sat and passed.
Beginning in 1949, his foreign service career took him to Canada, New Zealand, South Korea (twice), and South Vietnam. He held the State Department position of Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs from 1967-1969 and was part of the Vietnamese peace talk delegation in 1968. Habib acquired increasingly important posts, serving as Ambassador to South Korea (1971-1974), Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs (1974-1976), and Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs (1976-1978), during which time he was the chief mediator for the US between Israel and Egypt in the Camp David Peace Accord.
Habib retired from the foreign service after suffering a second heart attack. In 1978 he accepted a teaching position (as "Diplomat-in-residence") at Stanford University but soon returned to public service in 1979, as a special advisor and, in 1981, as a special envoy sent to defuse the conflict in Lebanon by Ronald Reagan. Habib negotiated a peace that lasted long enough to avert disaster for the besieged city of Beirut. In 1982, for his efforts he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom -- the highest official honor given to an American citizen by the Government.
Early in 1986, Reagan sent Habib to the Philippines to convince President Ferdinand Marcos to step down. In March 1986, Reagan appointed Habib as a special envoy to Central America with the intention of resolving the conflict in Nicaragua. Five months later he quit the job.
In 1992, while on vacation in Puligny-Montrachet, France, Habib suffered a heart attack and died.
In 2002, John Boykin's biography of Habib, "Cursed is the Peacemaker" (: Applegate Press, Belmont, CA) was published, focusing largely upon Habib's mediation between Israel and Lebanon during their war in 1982.
In 2006, Habib was featured on a United States postage stamp, one of a block of four featuring prominent diplomats [1].
Warren Zevon wrote the song "The Envoy", from his 1982 album of the same name, in honor of Habib.
While he was the Ambassador to South Korea, Habib was the main impetus behind the building of a new Ambassador's residence, a noteworthy neo-classic Korean architectural design. The residence was later named Habib House in honor of his efforts.
References
- Molotsky, Irvin. (May 28, 1981). "Man in the News; Tireless Trouble-Shooter for the U.S.". The New York Times, p. 3.
- Manegold, Catherine S. (May 27, 1992). "Philip C. Habib, a Leading U.S. Diplomat, Dies at 72". The New York Times, p. 21.
- "Habib Remembered As a Blunt Diplomat Who Defied Clichés". (June 11, 1992). New York Times, p. 22.
- University of Idaho Alumni Hall of Fame - 1969 Philip C. Habib
