Joseph Wilson: 1949-2019

An American hero passed away September 27 from organ failure at his home in Santa Fe, New Mexico. 

The designation of American hero for Joseph Charles Wilson IV is not mine alone. The term was bestowed upon him by the 41st President of the United States, George Herbert Walker Bush. In the days leading up to the war with Iraq in 1991, Wilson was the primary diplomatic representative of the United States in Baghdad. He was the last American to negotiate face to face with Saddam Hussein before the U.S. embassy closed.

At the time, Hussein threatened execution for anyone harboring foreigners in Baghdad. Wilson not only continued to shelter 100 individuals, but he arrived at a press conference with a noose around his neck, stating, “If the choice is between allowing American citizens to be taken hostage or execution, I will bring my own fucking rope.”