Richard Alan Boucher

Ambassador Richard Alan Boucher, a seasoned American diplomat, devoted father and grandfather, and mentor of the next generation of diplomats, died on June 27 of cancer. Richard was a true citizen of the world– fluent in Mandarin Chinese and French, but also proficient in German, Italian, Russian, and Wolof (spoken in Senegal and Gambia). During his 32-year career in the foreign service, Richard rose to the highest rank of Career Ambassador and became the longest serving spokesperson in the history of the U.S. State Department, serving under secretaries of state James Baker, Lawrence Eagleburger, Warren Christopher, Madeleine Albright, Colin Powell, Condoleezza Rice and Hillary Clinton before retiring in 2009.

Richard’s parents, Melville Boucher and Ellen Kaufmann met at Camp Ritchie, Maryland, during WWII. Richard was born in Maryland in 1951 and spent his early childhood in France (in his own words, he “was virtually a little French boy”). He grew up in Rockville, Maryland; France; Germany; and hitchhiked around Europe before he attended and graduated from Tufts University in 1973. Chasing adventure and enchanted by the stories of his grandfather (Hiram Boucher, another career diplomat), he joined the Peace Corps, spending 2 years in Senegal and a year with USAID in Guinea before joining the State Department in 1977.

Richard met Carolyn Brehm, an international business executive who shared his love of travel and adventure, at the Canton Trade Fair in Guangzhou in 1980. Richard and Carolyn’s loving marriage produced two children, Madeleine Brehm Boucher (married to Lane Sell) in 1987 and Peter Brehm Boucher (married to Whitney Westmorland) in 1991. He was the doting grandfather of Harry Boucher Sell, born in 2020. He also leaves his siblings, Douglas and Anita Boucher.

He served as U.S. Ambassador to Cyprus (1993-1996) and U.S. Consul General in Hong Kong (1996-1999). He was subsequently senior U.S. official for Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (1999-2000), assistant secretary for public affairs (2001-2005), and assistant secretary for South and Central Asia (2006-2009).

Richard left an indelible mark on the State Department. Despite having left it sixteen years ago, his tongue-in-cheek rules and guidelines for speaking publicly and writing memos, enshrined as Boucher’s “Words of Wisdom,” still adorn the front office of the Bureau of Public Affairs. A dedicated public servant known for his quirky sense of humor and ability to connect with people, he was much beloved and deeply admired by the many employees with whom he worked.

After leaving the foreign service, he took the opportunity to reconnect with the France of his youth and moved to Paris to serve as Deputy Secretary-General of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). After eating his way through the restaurants, boulangeries, and fromageries of France, he retired from the OECD and moved back to the states in 2013 to become a visiting professor, working to inspire the next generation of diplomats at several universities.

Richard spent his recent years travelling, playing with his beloved grandson, Harry, and reconnecting with nature. He traveled the world with his wife, friends, and family: scuba diving in Indonesia, chasing the Northern Lights into northern Canada and Iceland, and hiking and tracking animals through his 100-acres of West Virginian woods (see Richard’s wildlife videos-->https://www.youtube.com/@richardb389).

A celebration of his life is being planned for the Fall- details to follow. In lieu of flowers, Richard’s family suggests a donation in his memory to the University of New Haven Model UN Program, or the Cacapon and Lost Rivers Land Trust.