Richard Queen
Encyclopedia
Richard Ivan Queen was born in Washington D.C. and worked for the U.S. State Department as Vice Consul at the U.S. Embassasy in Tehran, Iran. On November 4, 1979, he was among the 66 hostages taken by Islamic militants calling themselves the Muslim Student Followers of the Imam's Line
; an event commonly known as the Iran Hostage Crisis
.
Richard Queen began to physically deteriorate fairly early during his confinement. While the hostage takers were aware of his ailment, the doctor they provided repeatedly misdiagnosed his ailment as a “Twisted Spine”. As his illness progressed and it became increasingly difficult for Mr. Queen to stand or walk, he was finally taken to a local hospital where he was examined by the neurologist Dr. Mehryar for a more thorough evaluation. After Dr. Mehryar's consultation the hostage takers determined that Mr. Queen’s illness required they release him. Richard Queen was later diagnosed with multiple sclerosis
. He was held hostage for 250 days and released on July 11, 1980. Thirteen hostages had been released on November 20, 1979 (16 days). The remaining 52 hostages were released on January 20, 1981 (444 days).
Richard Queen died on August 14, 2002 in Falls Church City, Virginia due to complications from multiple sclerosis
.
He was a graduate of Hamilton College, class of 1973.
Muslim Student Followers of the Imam's Line
Muslim Student Followers of the Imam's Line , also translated as Muslim Students of the Imam Khomeini Line, was an Iranian student group that occupied the U.S. embassy in Tehran on 4 November 1979...
; an event commonly known as the Iran Hostage Crisis
Iran hostage crisis
The Iran hostage crisis was a diplomatic crisis between Iran and the United States where 52 Americans were held hostage for 444 days from November 4, 1979 to January 20, 1981, after a group of Islamist students and militants took over the American Embassy in Tehran in support of the Iranian...
.
Richard Queen began to physically deteriorate fairly early during his confinement. While the hostage takers were aware of his ailment, the doctor they provided repeatedly misdiagnosed his ailment as a “Twisted Spine”. As his illness progressed and it became increasingly difficult for Mr. Queen to stand or walk, he was finally taken to a local hospital where he was examined by the neurologist Dr. Mehryar for a more thorough evaluation. After Dr. Mehryar's consultation the hostage takers determined that Mr. Queen’s illness required they release him. Richard Queen was later diagnosed with multiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis is an inflammatory disease in which the fatty myelin sheaths around the axons of the brain and spinal cord are damaged, leading to demyelination and scarring as well as a broad spectrum of signs and symptoms...
. He was held hostage for 250 days and released on July 11, 1980. Thirteen hostages had been released on November 20, 1979 (16 days). The remaining 52 hostages were released on January 20, 1981 (444 days).
Richard Queen died on August 14, 2002 in Falls Church City, Virginia due to complications from multiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis is an inflammatory disease in which the fatty myelin sheaths around the axons of the brain and spinal cord are damaged, leading to demyelination and scarring as well as a broad spectrum of signs and symptoms...
.
He was a graduate of Hamilton College, class of 1973.
External links
- "Appreciation: Richard I. Queen, 1951-2002", Foreign Service Journal, October 2002, an obituary of Queen in five parts, by Ambassador Bruce LaingenBruce LaingenLowell Bruce Laingen was the senior American official held hostage during the Iran hostage crisis.-Biography:Laingen, born on a farm in southern Minnesota, graduated from St. Olaf College. He also studied at the National War College, and received a M.A. in International Relations from the...
(fellow hostage), Richard MorefieldRichard MorefieldRichard Henry Morefield served in the United States Foreign Service and was one of the 66 staff members at the American embassy in Teheran who were taken captive by a militant Islamist student group called the Muslim Student Followers of the Imam's Line on November 4, 1979, as part of what became...
(foreign service officer and fellow hostage), John LimbertJohn LimbertAmbassador John W. Limbert is the former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Iran in the State Department's Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs. He is a veteran U.S. diplomat and a former official at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, where he was held captive during the Iran hostage...
(Ambassador to Mauritania and fellow hostage), Ambassador Ruth A. DavisRuth A. DavisRuth A. Davis, . Ambassador Davis is the 24th Director General of the United States Foreign Service. She holds the distinction of being the first woman of color to be appointed as Director General of the Foreign Service and the first African-American Director of the Foreign Service Institute...
(Director General of the Foreign Service) and Colin L. Powell (U.S. Secretary of State). - "A Hostage Comes Home", Time, July 28, 1980.
- Richard Queen at Find-A-Grave