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University of Wyoming

Francois Dickman

◊ Former U.S. ambassador


Wyoming Connections


Dickman was Phi Sigma Iota, Phi Beta Kappa, and Phi Kappa Phi while at UW.

He received the Distinguished UW Alumni Award in 1980 and was named the 1993 UW College of Arts and Sciences Exemplary Alumnus.

Hometown:
Laramie, Wyoming

College:
Arts and Sciences

Degree:
B.A. French

Francois Dickman is the son of Adolphe Jacques and Henriette Louise Dickman, who were distinguished faculty members in foreign languages at the University of Wyoming. After receiving a French degree from UW, Dickman earned an M.A. from the Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy in 1948. 

He went on to serve with the U.S. Army from 1943 to 1946 and then again from 1950 to 1951. He then joined the U.S. Foreign Service, where the positions he filled included Consular officer in Barranquilla, Colombia (1952-54); Economic, Commercial and Consular officer in Khartoum, Sudan (1957-1960); Egyptian-Syrian affairs desk officer, Department of State (1961-65); economic officer in Tunis, Tunisia (1965-68); and economic counselor in Jidda, Saudi Arabia (1969-1972). 

Dickman became the director of Arabian Peninsula Affairs at the Department of State (1972-76). In 1976 he was given the title of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary when he became the Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates. This position ended in 1979, when he then became the Ambassador to Kuwait, a position he held until 1983.

In 1985 Francois Dickman returned to the University of Wyoming, where he was an adjunct professor in political science until 2004. At UW, he has been a member of the International Advisory Board and the Campus Advisory Board.

Dickman has established UW's Francois Dickman Library Fund and helped fund capital improvements, memorial funds, scholarships, and several cultural programs, including the American Heritage Center, theatre and dance, and museums.

Photos courtesy of UW Photo Service and American Heritage Center