Joseph Ghougassian (born 1944) is a former American ambassador to
Qatar
Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it sh ...
(1985-1989).
He was the first naturalized United States citizen from the
Middle East
The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...
to become a
U.S. Ambassador.
Ghougassian received his bachelor's and master's degrees from
Gregorian University
The Pontifical Gregorian University ( it, Pontificia Università Gregoriana; also known as the Gregorian or Gregoriana,) is a higher education ecclesiastical school (pontifical university) located in Rome, Italy.
The Gregorian originated as ...
in Rome, a PhD in philosophy from the
University of Louvain
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...
, Belgium and a JD and an MA in international relations from the
University of San Diego
The University of San Diego (USD) is a private Roman Catholic research university in San Diego, California. Chartered in July 1949 as the independent San Diego College for Women and San Diego University (comprising the College for Men and Schoo ...
.
He founded the
American School of Doha
The American School of Doha (ASD) is located in Doha, Qatar. The school was founded in 1988 by United States Ambassador Joseph Ghougassian to serve the needs of the American community in Qatar. Sponsored by the US Embassy, it operated until 199 ...
.
[ASD History http://www.asd.edu.qa/page.cfm?p=360 ]
References
1944 births
Living people
Ambassadors of the United States to Qatar
Pontifical Gregorian University alumni
University of San Diego alumni
Naturalized citizens of the United States
20th-century American diplomats
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