Roy Richard Rubottom, Jr.

Roy R. Rubottom Jr.
Rubottom in 1961
Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs
In office June 18, 1957 – August 27, 1960
President	Dwight D. Eisenhower
Preceded by	Henry F. Holland
Succeeded by	Thomas C. Mann
United States Ambassador to Argentina
In office August 27, 1960 – October 19, 1961
President	Dwight D. Eisenhower
Preceded by	Willard L. Beaulac
Succeeded by	Robert M. McClintock
Personal details
Born	(1912-02-13)February 13, 1912 Brownwood, Texas, U.S.
Died	December 6, 2010(2010-12-06) (aged 98) Austin, Texas, U.S.
Nationality	American
Spouse(s)	Billy Ruth Young
Alma mater	Southern Methodist University University of Texas at Austin
Profession	Diplomat

Roy Richard "Dick" Rubottom Jr. (February 13, 1912 – December 6, 2010) was a United States diplomat, most notable for being Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs from 1957 to 1960, a post in which he played a major role in engineering the United States' response to the Cuban Revolution.

Rubottom was born in Brownwood, Texas on February 13, 1912. His parents ran a boarding house. He was educated at Southern Methodist University, graduating in 1933. There he was a member of the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity and in 1933, he became the fraternity's seventh full-time traveling secretary (educational leadership consultant) from 1933 to 1935. In 1937, he became dean of student life at the University of Texas at Austin. He married a student, Billy Ruth Young of Corsicana, Texas, in 1938, and together the couple would have three children: a daughter, Eleanor Ann (Rubottom) Odden and two sons, Frank Richard Rubottom and John William Rubottom. During his time at the University of Texas, he also did graduate level studies from 1939 to 1941. In fall 1941, Rubottom joined the United States Navy with the rank of Lieutenant (junior grade). He was initially posted to New Orleans, where he was responsible for recruiting and training. After serving additional assignments in Manzanillo, Colima, Mexico and Asunción, Paraguay he left the Navy in 1946, having achieved the rank of Commander.

Rubottom joined the United States Foreign Service in 1947. His first posting as a Foreign Service Officer was Second Secretary in Bogotá. He then moved to the United States Department of State in Washington, D.C. to become Officer-in-Charge of Mexican Affairs, and later Director of the Office of Middle American Affairs. He then returned to the field, serving in the United States Embassy in Madrid, first as Counselor, then as Director of the United States Operations Mission in Spain. In 1956, he returned to Washington, D.C. and became Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs.