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Official portrait, 2007

15th United States Deputy Secretary of State
In office February 27, 2007 – January 23, 2009
President	George W. Bush Barack Obama
Preceded by	Robert Zoellick
Succeeded by	James Steinberg
1st Director of National Intelligence
In office April 21, 2005 – February 13, 2007
President	George W. Bush
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Mike McConnell
United States Ambassador to Iraq
In office July 29, 2004 – March 17, 2005
President	George W. Bush
Preceded by	Krzysztof Biernacki (acting)
Succeeded by	Zalmay Khalilzad
23rd United States Ambassador to the United Nations
In office September 19, 2001 – June 23, 2004
President	George W. Bush
Preceded by	Richard Holbrooke
Succeeded by	John Danforth
United States Ambassador to the Philippines
In office October 26, 1993 – August 5, 1996
President	Bill Clinton
Preceded by	Richard H. Solomon
Succeeded by	Thomas C. Hubbard
United States Ambassador to Mexico
In office July 3, 1989 – September 5, 1993
President	George H. W. Bush Bill Clinton
Preceded by	Charles J. Pilliod Jr.
Succeeded by	James R. Jones
16th United States Deputy National Security Advisor
In office November 23, 1987 – January 20, 1989
President	Ronald Reagan
Preceded by	Colin Powell
Succeeded by	Robert Gates
6th Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs
In office July 19, 1985 – November 23, 1987
President	Ronald Reagan
Preceded by	James L. Malone
Succeeded by	Frederick M. Bernthal
United States Ambassador to Honduras
In office November 11, 1981 – May 30, 1985
President	Ronald Reagan
Preceded by	Jack R. Binns
Succeeded by	John Arthur Ferch

Personal details
Born	John Dimitri Negroponte (1939-07-21) July 21, 1939 (age 85) London, England
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Diana Villiers (m. 1971)
Children	5
Education	Yale University (BA) Harvard University

John Dimitri Negroponte (born July 21, 1939) is an American diplomat. A diplomat is someone who represents their country in other nations. He has held many important roles in the U.S. government.

Negroponte was the first ever Director of National Intelligence (from 2005 to 2007). He also served as United States Deputy Secretary of State (from 2007 to 2009). Before these roles, he was a U.S. ambassador in several countries. These included Honduras, Mexico, the Philippines, Iraq, and the United Nations.

Early Life and Education
John Negroponte's Career Highlights
Personal Life
Awards and Recognition
See also

Early Life and Education

John Negroponte was born in London, United Kingdom, on July 21, 1939. His parents, Dimitri and Catherine Negroponte, were from Greece. His father was a successful shipping business owner. He also competed as a skier in the 1936 Winter Olympics.

John went to schools like the Allen-Stevenson School and The Buckley School. He then graduated from Phillips Exeter Academy in 1956. In 1960, he finished his studies at Yale University.

After a short time at Harvard Law School, Negroponte joined the United States Foreign Service in 1960. The Foreign Service is a group of people who work for the U.S. government in other countries. He worked in many different places around the world. These included countries in Asia, Europe, and Latin America. He also held important jobs at the State Department and the White House.

John Negroponte's Career Highlights

John Negroponte had a long and important career in public service. He served as an ambassador in several countries. He also held top intelligence and foreign policy jobs in the U.S. government.

Ambassador to Honduras (1981–1985)

John Negroponte at the Military Camp in Honduras in April 1984

From 1981 to 1985, Negroponte was the U.S. ambassador to Honduras. During this time, the U.S. sent much more military help to Honduras. The goal was to support groups trying to oppose the Sandinista government in Nicaragua.

Assistant Secretary for Environment (1985–1989)

From 1985 to 1987, Negroponte worked as an Assistant Secretary of State. He focused on oceans, international environment, and science. He helped create the Montreal Protocol on Ozone. This was a very successful international agreement to protect the Earth's ozone layer. He also worked on agreements with the Soviet Union. These agreements were about dealing with nuclear accidents.

Ambassador to Mexico (1989–1993)

Negroponte served as the U.S. Ambassador to Mexico from 1989 to 1993. He played a key role in starting talks for the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). This agreement helped remove trade barriers between the U.S., Mexico, and Canada. It was a very important part of his time as ambassador.

Ambassador to the UN (2001–2004)

In 2001, President George W. Bush chose Negroponte to be the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. He was approved for this job shortly after the September 11 attacks in 2001. At the UN, he represented the U.S. during a very important time. He was there when the U.S. presented its case about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.

Ambassador to Iraq (2004–2005)

John D. Negroponte's remarks at swearing in ceremony as new U.S. Ambassador to Iraq

In 2004, Negroponte became the United States Ambassador to Iraq. This was after the U.S. transferred power to a new Iraqi government. He helped organize peaceful elections in Iraq. He also advised the U.S. government on how to bring stability to the country.

First Director of National Intelligence (2005–2007)

Negroponte's swearing in ceremony as DNI.

In 2005, President George W. Bush named John Negroponte the first ever Director of National Intelligence (DNI). This was a new, very important job. The DNI is in charge of coordinating all the different U.S. intelligence agencies. These agencies collect information to protect the country.

As DNI, Negroponte worked to improve how intelligence agencies shared information. He also appointed "mission managers." These were experts who focused on major threats like terrorism and nuclear weapons. His work helped make the U.S. intelligence community more organized and effective.

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State (2007–2009)

In 2007, Negroponte became the United States Deputy Secretary of State. This is the second-highest position in the State Department. He served in this role until the end of the Bush administration in 2009.

Later Career and Public Service

Senator Jim Webb, Council on Foreign Relations President Richard N. Haass, former Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte, former Senator John Warner, and journalist Andrea Mitchell at Ronald Reagan Centennial Roundtable in 2011

After leaving government, Ambassador Negroponte continued to be involved in international affairs. He joined a firm that advises on global issues. He also serves on the Leadership Council of Concordia. This group works to promote cooperation between public and private organizations.

In recent years, he has also shared his opinions on political matters. He was one of many former officials who spoke out about the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections.

Personal Life

John Negroponte is skilled in languages. He speaks five: English, French, Greek, Spanish, and Vietnamese.

He has four brothers. One of his brothers is Nicholas Negroponte, who founded the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Media Lab. Another brother, Michel, is a filmmaker. His brother George Negroponte is an artist.

John Negroponte is married to Diana Mary Villiers. They have five adopted children: Marina, Alexandra, John, George, and Sophia. All of their children were adopted from Honduras.

Awards and Recognition

John Negroponte has received many awards for his long service. These include:

National Security Medal
Secretary's Distinguished Service Award
Lifetime Achievement Award from the World Affairs Councils of America
Raymond "Jit" Trainor Award for Diplomacy from Georgetown University
Golden Plate Award from the American Academy of Achievement
George F. Kennan Award for Public Service
Distinguished Service Award for Foreign Policy
Annenberg Award for Excellence in Diplomacy