Hume Alexander Horan (August 13, 1934 – July 22, 2004) was an American diplomat and ambassador to five countries,[1] who has been described as "perhaps the most accomplished Arabic linguist to serve in the U.S. Foreign Service.
"[2] Horan was born to Margaret Robinson Hume and Abdullah Entezam in 1934 in Washington, D.C. His mother came from a well-to-do family; her grandfather served as a diplomat in President Abraham Lincoln's administration, her own father had been the mayor of Georgetown, and Stephen Vincent Benét was a cousin.
[4] Horan's diplomatic career spanned the Greater Middle East; his first requested assignment was to a post in Baghdad, a rather unusual choice at the time.
[1] During this time he traveled across Iraq with little security, and was to meet Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani before a protest in Najaf by Muqtada al-Sadr prevented it.
He was referred to by CPA head L. Paul Bremer as his "pet Bedouin,"[2] and was rewarded for his work with the Distinguished Public Service Award by the Department of Defense.