Eduardo Aguirre (diplomat)
Eduardo Aguirre | |
---|---|
United States Ambassador to Spain | |
In office 24 June 2005 – 20 January 2009 | |
President | George W. Bush Barack Obama |
Preceded by | George Argyros |
Succeeded by | Alan Solomont |
Director of United States Citizenship and Immigration Services | |
In office August 15, 2003 – June 16, 2005 | |
President | George W. Bush |
Preceded by | Immigration and Naturalization Service |
Succeeded by | Emilio T. Gonzalez |
Personal details | |
Born | Cuba | July 30, 1946
Political party | Republican |
Alma mater | Louisiana State University |
Profession | Businessman, Diplomat, Agency Director |
Eduardo Aguirre Reyes, Jr. (born July 30, 1946) is a Cuban-born American diplomat, with Atlantic Partners, an international consulting firm based in Houston.
Until January 20, 2009, he was the
Background
Aguirre was born in Cuba in 1946,[1] and emigrated to the US in 1961 via Operation Peter Pan.[3]
Aguirre holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Louisiana State University. He is a graduate of the American Bankers Association's National Commercial Lending Graduate School. He has received honorary doctorates from the University of Connecticut, the University of Houston, and the Universidad Tecnológica de Santiago in the Dominican Republic.[2][4]
Aguirre and his wife Tere each emigrated from Cuba as unaccompanied minors at the age of 15. They maintain their permanent home in Houston, where they have lived for three decades. The Aguirres have two grown children, Eddy and Tessie.[1]
Career in banking
Aguirre joined the Department of Homeland Security from the
In Texas
In 1990, the
Aguirre was appointed by then Governor George W. Bush to the Board of Regents of the University of Houston System for a six-year term, serving from 1996 to 1998 as chairman. Former President George H. W. Bush appointed him to the National Commission for Employment Policy.[2][4]
Government service
Before his appointment as ambassador, Aguirre served, beginning February 7, 2003, as the first Director of
Aguirre was the author of one of the first classified U.S. Dept. of State cables released by Wikileaks on Nov. 28, 2010, in which he described, among other issues, U.S. embassy efforts to derail the legal proceedings against U.S. soldiers accused of killing Spanish journalist José Couso.
Honors
Aguirre was bestowed the
Aguirre is a member of the Delta Sigma Pi fraternity and received the Delta Sigma Pi Career Achievement Award in 2000. He will receive his Order of the Golden Helmet for 50 years of service with Delta Sigma Pi in March 2019.
References
- ^ a b c d e "Ambassador Eduardo Aguirre, Jr". Embassy of the United States - Spain. 2006-08-04. Archived from the original on 2006-09-02. Retrieved 2006-08-13.
- ^ a b c d e f "Eduardo Aguirre, Jr". US Department of State. 2006-07-05. Retrieved 2006-08-13.
- ^ Miamiherald.com, Eduardo Aguirre Reyes, accessed 2 August 2009
- ^ E.J. Ourso College of Business at LSU. 2003-10-24. Retrieved 2008-06-05.
- ^ a b "Eduardo Aguirre Biography". US Citizenship and Immigration Services. 2006-03-03. Archived from the original on February 10, 2006. Retrieved 2006-08-13.
External links
Media related to Eduardo Aguirre at Wikimedia Commons