10 Facts About Bruce Laingen

Lowell Bruce Laingen was an American diplomat who served as the United States Ambassador to Malta from 1977 to 1979.

Bruce Laingen was born on a farm near Butterfield and Odin in Watonwan County, Minnesota.

Bruce Laingen studied at the National War College in 1968.

Bruce Laingen served at posts in Germany, Iran, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, and was then appointed Ambassador to Malta by President Gerald Ford in 1977.

Bruce Laingen remains the last American head of mission to Iran, as direct bilateral diplomatic relations between the two governments were severed following the seizure of the embassy and have not been restored since.

Bruce Laingen was awarded the State Department's Award for Valor along with several other recognitions.

Bruce Laingen retired from the Foreign Service in 1987 after 38 years of service.

Bruce Laingen previously served as the President of the American Academy of Diplomacy.

In 2010 Bruce Laingen was presented the Lifetime Contributions to American Diplomacy Award by the American Foreign Service Association.

Bruce Laingen died on July 15,2019, at an assisted living facility in Bethesda, Maryland, at the age of 96 from complications of Parkinson's disease.