# Philo Dibble

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**Philo Louis Dibble** (September 10, 1951 – October 1, 2011) was an American diplomat.

## Early life

Dibble was born on September 10, 1951, in [Alexandria](/source/Alexandria), [Egypt](/source/Egypt).[1][2] He was named for his father, Philo Tolman Dibble, who was also a diplomat.[1][2]

Dibble attended the [Sidwell Friends School](/source/Sidwell_Friends_School) and graduated from the [Woodrow Wilson High School](/source/Woodrow_Wilson_High_School_(Washington,_D.C.)).[2] He graduated from [St. John's College](/source/St._John's_College_(Annapolis/Santa_Fe)) in 1976.[1][2] He went to graduate school at [Johns Hopkins University](/source/Johns_Hopkins_University), where he earned a master's degree in international studies in 1980.[1][2]

## Career

Dibble joined the [United States Foreign Service](/source/United_States_Foreign_Service) in 1980.[1][2] He served as a diplomat in [Saudi Arabia](/source/Saudi_Arabia), [Tunisia](/source/Tunisia), [Pakistan](/source/Pakistan), [Syria](/source/Syria) and [Lebanon](/source/Lebanon). He served in Lebanon shortly after the [1983 United States embassy bombing](/source/1983_United_States_embassy_bombing).[1] He was retired from 2006 to 2010.[2]

Dibble returned to the Foreign Service in September 2010, when he was appointed as the deputy assistant secretary of state for [Iran](/source/Iran) for the [Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs](/source/Bureau_of_Near_Eastern_Affairs).[2] Dibble was instrumental in the release, in September 2011, of two American hikers who had been held in Iran for two years.[2] [Shane Bauer](/source/Shane_Bauer) and [Joshua Fattal](/source/Joshua_Fattal) were released from Iranian capture after two years in September 2011. Dibble, along with a team of [U.S. Department of State](/source/U.S._Department_of_State) officials negotiated their release. He used his connections with diplomats from Oman and Switzerland to secure their release.[1]

## Personal life and death

Dibble was married to [Elizabeth Dibble](/source/Elizabeth_Dibble), née Elizabeth Link.[1] They had three daughters.[2] They resided in [McLean, Virginia](/source/McLean,_Virginia).[2]

Dibble died of a heart attack on October 1, 2011, aged 60.[1][2] His funeral, held at the [Holy Trinity Catholic Church](/source/Holy_Trinity_Catholic_Church_(Washington,_D.C.)), was attended by hundreds of people, including U.S. Secretary of State, [Hillary Clinton](/source/Hillary_Clinton).[1][3]

## References

1. ["Philo Dibble, Diplomat and Iran Expert, Dies at 60"](https://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/14/world/middleeast/philo-dibble-diplomat-and-iran-expert-dies-at-60.html?ref=obituaries). *[New York Times](/source/New_York_Times)*. 2011-10-13. Retrieved 2011-10-25.

1. ["Philo Dibble, diplomat who helped free U.S. hikers from Iran, dies at 60"](https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/philo-l-dibble-us-diplomat-who-helped-secure-hikers-release-from-iran-dies-at-60/2011/10/11/gIQAzsq3fL_story.html). *The Washington Post*. October 12, 2011. Retrieved July 3, 2018.

1. Rogin, Josh (October 6, 2011). ["State Department turns out to honor Philo Dibble"](https://foreignpolicy.com/2011/10/06/state-department-turns-out-to-honor-philo-dibble/). *Foreign Policy*. Retrieved July 3, 2018.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Philo Dibble](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philo_Dibble) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philo_Dibble?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.