Richard Ivan Queen (August 7, 1951 – August 14, 2002) was born in

Washington D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, Na ...

and worked for the U.S. State Department as Vice Consul at the U.S. Embassy in

Tehran, Iran Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most pop ...

. On November 4, 1979, he was among the 66 hostages taken by Islamic militants calling themselves the

Muslim Student Followers of the Imam's Line The Muslim Student Followers of the Imam's Line ( fa, دانشجویان مسلمان پیرو خط امام ''Dânešjuyân-e Mosalmân-e peyrov-e Xatt-e Emâm''), also called the Muslim Students of the Imam Khomeini Line, was an Iranian student g ...

, an event commonly known as the

Iran hostage crisis On November 4, 1979, 52 United States diplomats and citizens were held hostage after a group of militarized Iranian college students belonging to the Muslim Student Followers of the Imam's Line, who supported the Iranian Revolution, took over ...

Time as a hostage and release

Richard Queen began to physically deteriorate fairly early during his confinement. While the hostage takers were aware of his ailment, the doctor they provided repeatedly misdiagnosed his ailment as a "Twisted Spine". As his illness progressed and it became increasingly difficult for Queen to stand or walk, he was finally taken to a local hospital where he was examined by the neurologist Dr Mehryar for a more thorough evaluation. After Mehryar's consultation the hostage takers determined that Queen's illness required they release him. Queen was later diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. He was held hostage for 250 days and released on July 11, 1980. Thirteen hostages had been released on November 20, 1979 (after 16 days). The remaining 52 hostages were released on January 20, 1981 (after 444 days). Richard Queen died on August 14, 2002, in Falls Church, Virginia, due to complications from multiple sclerosis. He was a graduate of Edgemont High School, class of 1969 and

Hamilton College Hamilton College is a private liberal arts college in Clinton, Oneida County, New York. It was founded as Hamilton-Oneida Academy in 1793 and was chartered as Hamilton College in 1812 in honor of inaugural trustee Alexander Hamilton, following ...

, class of 1973.

External links

"Ex-Hostage Richard Queen Says He's Feeling Better, Thank You – but Hold the Lobster"
People, August 18, 1980
"Appreciation: Richard I. Queen, 1951-2002"
Foreign Service Journal, October 2002, an obituary of Queen in five parts, by Ambassador

Bruce Laingen Lowell Bruce Laingen (August 6, 1922 – July 15, 2019) was an American diplomat who served as the United States Ambassador to Malta from 1977 to 1979. Laingen is best known for having been the most senior American official held hostage during th ...

(fellow hostage),

Richard Morefield Richard Henry Morefield (September 9, 1929 – October 11, 2010) was an American diplomat who served in the United States Foreign Service. He was one of the 66 staff members at the American embassy in Tehran who were taken captive by a militan ...

(foreign service officer and fellow hostage), John Limbert (Ambassador to Mauritania and fellow hostage), Ambassador Ruth A. Davis (Director General of the Foreign Service) and Colin L. Powell (U.S. Secretary of State).
"A Hostage Comes Home"
Time, July 28, 1980. *

{{DEFAULTSORT:Queen, Richard 1951 births 1970s missing person cases 2002 deaths American expatriates in Iran American diplomats American people taken hostage Deaths from multiple sclerosis Edgemont Junior – Senior High School alumni Formerly missing people Hamilton College (New York) alumni Iran hostage crisis Missing person cases in Iran Neurological disease deaths in Virginia

Time as a hostage and release

See also

External links