John W. O'Connell (August 18, 1921 – July 12, 2010) was an American intelligence official, lawyer, diplomat, and author.Shapiro, T. Rees (July 18, 2010).
Jack O'Connell, 88, dies; diplomatic adviser to Jordan's King Hussein.
''

Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'' He was a key adviser and confidant to

King Hussein of Jordan Hussein bin Talal (14 November 1935 – 7 February 1999) was King of Jordan from 1952 until his death in 1999. As a member of the Hashemite dynasty, the royal family of Jordan since 1921, Hussein was traditionally considered a 40th-generatio ...

Life and career

O'Connell was born in Flandreau, South Dakota. He attended

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac (known simply as Notre Dame; ; ND) is a Private university, private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, United States. Founded in 1842 by members of the Congregation of Holy Cross, a Cathol ...

on a football scholarship. Unable to play after being injured in a car accident, he transferred to

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private Jesuit research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic higher education, Ca ...

. He left school to serve in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. In 1946, he graduated from the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown. He earned a law degree at Georgetown in 1948 and joined the

Central Intelligence Agency The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA; ) is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States tasked with advancing national security through collecting and analyzing intelligence from around the world and ...

(CIA) that year. He was sent to

University of the Punjab The University of the Punjab (UoP) is a public university, public research university in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab, Pakistan. Founded in 1882, its international influence has made it one of the most prestigious universities in South As ...

in Pakistan on a

Fulbright scholarship The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States cultural exchange programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people ...

, receiving a master's degree in

Islamic law Sharia, Sharī'ah, Shari'a, or Shariah () is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition based on scriptures of Islam, particularly the Qur'an and hadith. In Islamic terminology ''sharīʿah'' refers to immutable, intan ...

in 1952. He returned to Georgetown and received a PhD in

international law International law, also known as public international law and the law of nations, is the set of Rule of law, rules, norms, Customary law, legal customs and standards that State (polity), states and other actors feel an obligation to, and generall ...

in 1958. He served as the CIA station chief in

Amman Amman ( , ; , ) is the capital and the largest city of Jordan, and the country's economic, political, and cultural center. With a population of four million as of 2021, Amman is Jordan's primate city and is the largest city in the Levant ...

Jordan Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and Israel and the occupied Palestinian ter ...

from 1963 to 1971. His first CIA assignment led to the uncovering of a

military coup A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a d ...

against King Hussein. After becoming a confidant to King Hussein, O'Connell then became Hussein's attorney and diplomatic counselor in Washington for three decades. His first wife Katherine MacDonald O'Connell, died in 1972. His second wife Syble McKenzie O'Connell died in 1990. O'Connell died of

congestive heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome caused by an impairment in the heart's ability to fill with and pump blood. Although symptoms vary based on which side of the heart is affected, HF typically pr ...

at the Virginia Hospital Center in

Arlington County, Virginia Arlington County, or simply Arlington, is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Virginia. The county is located in Northern Virginia on the southwestern bank of the Potomac River directly across from Washington, D.C., the nati ...

. His memoir ''King's Counsel: A Memoir of War, Espionage, and Diplomacy in the Middle East'', written with Vernon Loeb, was published posthumously in 2011.O'Connell, Jack, with Vernon Loeb (2011). ''King's Counsel: A Memoir of War, Espionage, and Diplomacy in the Middle East.'' W. W. Norton & Company,

References

External links

Jack O'Connell
via W.W. Norton & Company 1921 births 2010 deaths People from Flandreau, South Dakota United States Navy personnel of World War II University of Notre Dame alumni Georgetown University alumni American expatriates in Pakistan American expatriates in Jordan {{US-diplomat-stub