Thomas Sutherland (May 3, 1931 – July 22, 2016),
Dean of Agriculture at the
American University of Beirut
The American University of Beirut (AUB) ( ar, الجامعة الأميركية في بيروت) is a private, non-sectarian, and independent university chartered in New York with its campus in Beirut, Lebanon. AUB is governed by a private, aut ...
in
Lebanon
Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...
, was kidnapped by
Islamic Jihad members near his Beirut home on June 9, 1985.
["Those who remain in captivity; John McCarthy release", ''The Times'', 9 August 1991] He was released on November 18, 1991 at the same time as
Terry Waite
Terence Hardy Waite (born 31 May 1939) is an English humanitarian and author.
Waite was the Assistant for Anglican Communion Affairs for the then Archbishop of Canterbury, Robert Runcie, in the 1980s. As an envoy for the Church of England, he ...
, having been held hostage for 2,353 days.
Early life and kidnapping
Born in
Falkirk
Falkirk ( gd, An Eaglais Bhreac, sco, Fawkirk) is a large town in the Central Lowlands of Scotland, historically within the county of Stirlingshire. It lies in the Forth Valley, northwest of Edinburgh and northeast of Glasgow.
Falkirk had a ...
, Scotland on May 3, 1931,
Sutherland was signed as a 17-year-old by
Rangers F.C.
Rangers Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in the Govan district of Glasgow which plays in the Scottish Premiership. Although not its official name, it is often referred to as Glasgow Rangers outside Scotland. The fou ...
Sutherland obtained a BSc in
Agriculture
Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...
from the
University of Glasgow
, image = UofG Coat of Arms.png
, image_size = 150px
, caption = Coat of arms
Flag
, latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis
, motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita
, ...
, and moved to the United States in the 1950s.
["Joy and sadness in family as American hostage is freed; Release of Tom Sutherland", ''The Times'' 19 November 1991"] He received a master's degree and PhD in animal breeding from
Iowa State University
Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a public land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm, Iowa State became one of the n ...
, then taught animal science at
Colorado State University
Colorado State University (Colorado State or CSU) is a public land-grant research university in Fort Collins, Colorado. It is the flagship university of the Colorado State University System. Colorado State University is classified among "R1: ...
for 26 years.
He moved to Beirut in 1983 for a three-year term as dean of the faculty of agriculture and food science in the
American University in Beirut
The American University of Beirut (AUB) ( ar, الجامعة الأميركية في بيروت) is a private, non-sectarian, and independent university chartered in New York with its campus in Beirut, Lebanon. AUB is governed by a private, au ...
. Despite the assassination of University President
Malcolm H. Kerr
Malcolm Hooper Kerr (October 8, 1931 – January 18, 1984) was a university professor specializing in the Middle East and the Arab world. An American citizen, he was born and raised in Beirut, Lebanon, where he died. He served as president o ...
and the kidnapping of Professor
Frank Reiger in 1984, and despite being warned repeatedly by the State Department to leave, Sutherland remained at the University. Two weeks after
David P. Jacobsen was abducted, Sutherland was also kidnapped while using the
limousine
A limousine ( or ), or limo () for short, is a large, chauffeur-driven luxury vehicle with a partition between the driver compartment and the passenger compartment.
A very long wheelbase luxury sedan (with more than four doors) driven by a prof ...
of University President
Calvin Plimpton
Calvin Hastings Plimpton (7 October 1918 – 30 January 2007) was an American physician and educator, who served as president of Amherst College and American University of Beirut. He is known for appointing a commission in 1970 whose findings re ...
. Upon his release, Sutherland claimed that the kidnappers mistook him for Plimpton.
Aftermath
He was the second-longest held captive after
Terry Anderson.
["Beirut hostage wins damages of $323 million", ''The Times'', 27 June 2001] His memories of the experience were published in a book co-authored by his wife Jean, ''At Your Own Risk'' (). He claims to have attempted suicide a number of times and to have spent a substantial amount of time in solitary confinement.
In June 2001, the Sutherland family won a $323 million verdict in a lawsuit against the frozen assets of the government of
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
, because of evidence that Iran had directed terrorists to kidnap Americans in Lebanon.
[Sutherland v. Islamic Republic of Iran, 151 F.Supp.2d 27 (D.D.C. 2001))] In accordance with Section 2002 of the
Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000
The Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000 (TVPA) is a federal statute passed into law in 2000 by the U.S. Congress and signed by President Clinton. The law was later reauthorized by presidents Bush, Obama, and Trump. In additi ...
, , Sutherland and his family received $35,041,877.36 (including interest) and the
lien
A lien ( or ) is a form of security interest granted over an item of property to secure the payment of a debt or performance of some other obligation. The owner of the property, who grants the lien, is referred to as the ''lienee'' and the pers ...
for the rest of the original settlement is now held by the US Government.
Sutherland died on July 22, 2016 in
Fort Collins, Colorado
Fort Collins is a home rule municipality that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Larimer County, Colorado
Larimer County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 359 ...
, aged 85.
See also
*
Lebanon hostage crisis
The Lebanon hostage crisis was the kidnapping in Lebanon of 104 foreign hostages between 1982 and 1992, when the Lebanese Civil War was at its height. The hostages were mostly US, Americans and Western Europeans, but 21 national origins were repr ...
*
List of kidnappings
The following is a list of kidnappings summarizing the events of each individual case, including instances of celebrity abductions, claimed hoaxes, suspected kidnappings, extradition abductions, and mass kidnappings.
Before 1900
1900–1949
...
*
List of solved missing person cases
Lists of solved missing person cases include:
* List of solved missing person cases: pre-2000
* List of solved missing person cases: post-2000
See also
* List of kidnappings
* List of murder convictions without a body
* List of people who dis ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sutherland, Thomas
1931 births
1980s missing person cases
2016 deaths
American people taken hostage
American University of Beirut faculty
Alumni of the University of Glasgow
Formerly missing people
Iowa State University alumni
Colorado State University faculty
Kidnappings by Islamists
Kidnappings in Lebanon
Missing person cases in Lebanon