Richard W. Mueller was a 32-year career Foreign Service Officer, Class of Minister-Counselor. As a capstone to his career he served as American Consul General (Chief of Mission) in Hong Kong, 1993-96, in the formative years leading up to Hong Kong's return to the PRC. Previously he wa s Deputy Executive Secretary of the Department of State under Secretary George Schultz and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs under Secretary James Baker.
Earlier in his career he worked in the office of Secretary Kissinger where he met his wife, Claire. He specialized in Asian and Chinese affairs, serving in Canberra, the American Embassy in Saigon, Taiwan, Beijing in the 1970's, Hong Kong in the 1980's, and assignments in Washington relating to China and Asia. He retired in 1998 and subsequently was Director of the Asia Society Hong Kong Center and then for fifteen years served as Head of School of three schools, Northfield Mount Hermon School in Massachusetts, Hong Kong International School, and Shanghai American School.
Richard serves on the board of trustees of the Chinese American International School in San Francisco and serves as an affiliate of the Denver University Korbel School's Center for China-US Cooperation. Richard and Claire moved from Shanghai to Golden, Colorado in 2016. They are the proud grandparents of six grandchildren in Golden and San Francisco."