Richard Charles Albert Holbrooke (April 24, 1941 – December 13, 2010) is an American diplomat and author.

He is the only person to have held the position of Assistant Secretary of State for two different regions of the world (Asia from 1977 to 1981 and Europe from 1994 to 1996).

From 1993 to 1994, he is U.S. Ambassador to Germany.

Long well known among journalists and in diplomatic circles, Holbrooke becomes known to the wider public when, together with former Swedish prime minister Carl Bildt, he brokers a peace agreement among the warring factions in Bosnia that lead to the signing of the Dayton Peace Accords, in 1995.

Holbrooke is a leading contender to succeed Warren Christopher as Secretary of State but is passed over in 1996 as President Bill Clinton chooses Madeleine Albright instead.

From 1999 to 2001, Holbrooke serves as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations.

He is an adviser to the Presidential campaign of Senator John Kerry in 2004.

Holbrooke next joins the Presidential campaign of Senator Hillary Clinton and becomes a top foreign policy adviser.

Holbrooke had been considered a likely candidate for Secretary of State had Kerry or Hillary Clinton been elected President.

In January 2009, Holbrooke is appointed as a special adviser on Pakistan and Afghanistan, working under President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

During his career, Holbrooke works to improve the lives of refugees, particularly the Hmong of Indochina.

On December 13, 2010, Holbrooke dies from complications of an aortic dissection.

Holbrooke's unfulfilled ambition was to become Secretary of State; he, along with George Kennan and Chip Bohlen, are considered among the most influential U.S. diplomats who never achieved that position.

Several considered Holbrooke's role in the Dayton Accords to merit the Nobel Peace Prize.