Craig Roberts Stapleton served as United States Ambassador to France from 2005 to 2009. Previously, he served as Ambassador to the Czech Republic from 2001 to 2004.
Ambassador Stapleton is currently serving as a trustee of the George W. Bush Library and Foundation and the 9/11 Memorial Foundation. He has served on the Visiting Committee for Harvard College and the Committee on University Resources and Athletics.
He serves as a senior advisor to Stone Point Capital in Greenwich, Connecticut, and is lead director on the board of Abercrombie and Fitch. He was a partner of George W. Bush in the ownership of the Texas Rangers baseball team from 1989-1998. In July 2009, he joined in the ownership of the St. Louis Cardinals.
Ambassador Stapleton is president of the Vaclav Havel Foundation in the United States. He was awarded the Jan Masaryk Medal for service to the Czech Republic. He served on the board of the Peace Corps under President George H. W. Bush.
He has been a strong supporter of the Sister Cities programs and has been named an honorary citizen of the French towns Deauville, Chateauneuf du Pape, Rocamadour, and Vienne. He also recently published a book entitled Where Liberty Dwells, There is My Country, a history of twentieth-century American ambassadors to France. In May 2009, President Nicolas Sarkozy named Ambassador Stapleton a Commandeur of the Legion of Honor – France’s highest recognition.