ALUMNI PROFILE
Rubin Leaves State Department For Home Front
By Laura Butchy

James P. Rubin ’82 has ended his three-year run as the State Department’s main spokesman to help his wife, television reporter Christiane Amanpour, take care of their infant son, Darius, in their London home.

Rubin was the spokesman for Secretary of State Madeleine Albright during her four years as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, and moved with her to the State Department where he continued to be one of her closest advisers.

“It’s been a great honor to stand here and represent the United States,” Rubin told reporters. “It was a privilege to exchange with you difficult questions, hopefully decent answers.”

In Paris, Anne Gazeau-Secret, spokeswoman for the French foreign ministry, called Rubin’s departure “a sad day for journalists.”

Rubin, who also holds a master’s degree from SIPA, won the John Jay Award in 1998 for his work in public service. In addition to working with Albright, Rubin was director of foreign policy for the 1996 Democratic presidential campaign and senior foreign policy adviser to Sen. Joseph R. Biden.

At Rubin’s final media briefing on April 26, correspondents showered Rubin with baby toys, squeezed rattles and staged a mock walkout, returning after a few minutes to continue with the daily question-and-answer session. The briefing ended with Amanpour asking from a back-row seat if Rubin would take turns changing the baby’s diapers.

With typical diplomatic ambiguity, Rubin responded, “I will do whatever is necessary and appropriate.”