John Christopher Stevens

John Christopher "Chris" Stevens was an American diplomat and lawyer who served as the U.S. Ambassador to Libya from June 2012 to September 2012.

Stevens was born on April 18, 1960 in Grass Valley, California and raised in Northern California.

He was the son of Jan S. Stevens, a former Yolo County Superior Court judge, Davis city councilman and California Assistant Attorney General

His mother Mary Commanday (née Floris), is a cellist with the Marin Symphony Orchestra.

The Stevens attended Pioneer Elementary School and Emerson Junior High in Davis, then graduated from Piedmont High School in 1978.

He earned a B.A. in history at the University of California, Berkeley in 1982.

From 1983 to 1985, he taught English as a Peace Corps volunteer in Morocco.

He graduated with a J.D. from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law in 1989.

Prior to joining the United States Foreign Service, he was an international trade lawyer based in Washington, D.C.

He was admitted as an active member of the State Bar of California on January 26, 1990, then went on inactive status on August 1, 1991 and remained an inactive member to his death.

Stevens joined the United States Foreign Service in 1991.

His previous overseas assignments included:

• Deputy Principal officer and Political Section Chief in Jerusalem;
• political officer in Damascus;
• consular/political officer in Cairo; 
• consular/economic officer in Riyadh.

In Washington, Ambassador Stevens served as:

• Director of the Office of Multilateral Nuclear and Security Affairs;
• Pearson Fellow with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee;
• special assistant to the Under Secretary for Political Affairs;
• Iran desk officer; and staff assistant in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs.

He served twice previously in Libya, as the Deputy Chief of Mission from 2007 to 2009 and as Special Representative to the National Transitional Council from March 2011 to November 2011 during the Libyan revolution.

He arrived in Tripoli in May 2012 as the U.S. Ambassador to Libya.]

In 2010  he received an M.S. degree from the National War College.

He spoke English, Arabic, and French.

He was killed when the U.S. consulate was attacked in Benghazi, Libya, on September 11, 2012.

"..It's especially tragic that Chris Stevens died in Benghazi as it's a city that he helped to save, ... With 'characteristic skill, courage and resolve, he built partnerships with Libyans... and he worked tirelessly to support this young democracy...He was a role model to those who worked with him and to the young diplomats who strive to follow in his footsteps...I have no doubt that his legacy will live on.'.. U.S. President  Barack Obama