THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

       PRESIDENT ANNOUNCES INTENT TO NOMINATE RAYMOND EDWIN MABUS
              AS AMBASSADOR TO THE KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA

The President today announced his intent to nominate Raymond Edwin Mabus, Jr., of Mississippi, as Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

"Ray is a good friend who I had the honor of serving with as a fellow governor. As Governor of Mississippi, he represented the people of that state with distinction," the President said. "He brings the leadership and vision he has demonstrated throughout his years of public service to this critical assignment. I am pleased to nominate him as my personal representative to Saudi Arabia. "

Mr. Mabus served as Mississippi's Governor from 1988 to 1992. He also served as State Auditor of Mississippi and on the staff of a previous governor. For the past two years, he has managed his own timber business, worked as a consultant on job training and telecommunications, and was the Chairman of the Commission of the Future of the South.

He received the Martin Luther King Social Responsibility Award and the National Wildlife Federation Conservation Achievement Award. Governor Mabus was Chairman of the Southern Governor's Association, the Southern Regional Education Board, the Southern Growth Policies Board, the Council of State Governors, and the Democratic Governor's Association.

Mabus is a fourth generation Mississippian, born in Starkville, Mississippi. He is a graduate of Ackerman Public High School. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Political Science, summa cum laude, from the University of Mississippi; a Master's Degree in Political Science from the Johns Hopkins University; and a law degree, magna cum laude, from the Harvard Law School. He served in the Navy aboard the guided missile cruiser, USS Little Rock.

Mr. Mabus is married to Julie Hines Mabus. They have two children, Elizabeth, born in 1990, and Annie, born in 1992.

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