Nomination of William H. Twaddell To Be United States Ambassador to Mauritania

The President today announced his intention to nominate William H. Twaddell, of Rhode Island, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Counselor, as Ambassador to the Islamic Republic of Mauritania. He would succeed Robert L. Pugh.

Mr. Twaddell was a member of the United States Peace Corps from 1963 to 1965. From 1968 to 1969, he was a reporter for the New York Daily News in Washington, DC. He entered the Foreign Service in 1969, and was a consular officer for the American consulate general in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, 1970-1972. He was an economic-commercial officer for the American Embassy in Caracas, Venezuela, 1973-1975, and an economic analyst in the Bureau of Intelligence and Research, 1975-1976. He was an operations officer in the Operations Center at the Department of State, 1976-1977, and then Special Assistant to the Secretary of State, 1977-1980. Mr. Twaddell has served as deputy chief of mission and Charge d'Affaires at the American Embassy in Maputo, Mozambique, 1980-1983; instructor in the department of humanities at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, 1983-1985; and deputy chief of mission for the American Embassy in Bamako, Mali, 1985-1987. Since 1987 he has been attending the senior seminar at the Foreign Service Institute.

Mr. Twaddell attended Brown University (B.A., 1963). He was born January 25, 1941, in Madison, WI. He served in the United States Army, 1965-1967. Mr. Twaddell has two children and currently resides in Washington, DC.