The White House has appointed veteran diplomat Laurence Pope ’67 the senior American envoy in Libya. Having retired from the Foreign Service 12 years ago, Pope will serve as the top ranking U.S. diplomat in Libya until the Obama administration nominates a new ambassador.

The appointment comes a month after Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens was killed in an attack on the diplomatic compound in Benghazi. Pope is a son of decorated World War II hero Everett P. Pope ’41 and the brother of Ralph H. Pope ’69.