Richard William Murphy (July 29, 1929 – November 22, 2024) was a career U.S. Foreign Service officer renowned for his expertise in Middle Eastern affairs and Arabic language proficiency. A graduate of Harvard College (A.B., 1951), he entered the Foreign Service in 1956, with early assignments in Jerusalem, Jidda, Amman, and Damascus. Murphy advanced through key diplomatic roles, including U.S. Ambassador to Mauritania (1967-1969), Syria (1971-1974), Saudi Arabia (1974-1978), and the Philippines (1978-1981), honing his skills in complex geopolitical environments. During the Reagan administration, he served as the 14th Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs (1983-1986), later expanded to Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs until 1989. Post-retirement, he directed the Senior Seminar at the Foreign Service Institute, served on the U.S. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy, and contributed to think tanks like the Council on Foreign Relations. Fluent in Arabic, he was a respected Arabist whose career spanned critical Cold War-era postings. Murphy died at age 95.