Richard Eugene Hoagland is a career ambassador

Ambassador

An ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....

 in the United States Department of State

United States Department of State

The United States Department of State , is the United States federal executive department responsible for international relations of the United States, equivalent to the foreign ministries of other countries...

. As of 2009, he is the U.S. Ambassador to Kazakhstan

United States Ambassador to Kazakhstan

This is a list of Ambassadors of the United States to Kazakhstan.Kazakhstan had been a constituent SSR of the Soviet Union. Upon dissolution of the Soviet Union, Kazakhstan declared independence on December 16, 1991. It was the last of the Soviet republics to declare independence.The United States...

. He previously served as the ambassador to Tajikistan

United States Ambassador to Tajikistan

This is a list of United States ambassadors to Tajikistan.Until 1991, Tajikistan had been a constituent republic of the Soviet Union as the Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic. On December 25, 1991, following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Tajikistan declared its independence and became the...

 2003–06.

He was nominated for the United States ambassadorship to Armenia

Armenia

Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...

 on May 23, 2006. His predecessor John Marshall Evans

John Marshall Evans

John Marshall Evans served as United States ambassador to the Republic of Armenia. He was confirmed to this position by the U.S. Senate on June 25, 2004. Evans began his service on August 8, 2004, but, as confirmed by President George W...

 was recalled from his position in May 2006 after publicly speaking about the Armenian Genocide

Armenian Genocide

The Armenian Genocide—also known as the Armenian Holocaust, the Armenian Massacres and, by Armenians, as the Great Crime—refers to the deliberate and systematic destruction of the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire during and just after World War I...

. On September 12, 2006, New Jersey

New Jersey

New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...

 Senator

United States Senate

The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...

 Bob Menendez issued a hold on the confirmation vote for Hoagland, stating that "if the Bush Administration continues to refuse to acknowledge the atrocities of the Armenian Genocide, then there is certainly cause for great alarm, which is why I am placing a hold on this nominee."

With the new congress in January 2007, the stalled nomination had expired, and on January 9, 2007 Richard Hoagland was renominated as ambassador to Armenia

Armenia

Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...

.
The nomination was withdrawn by the White House on August 3, 2007

A poll from end of December, start of January 2007, conducted by the Armenian National Committee of America

Armenian National Committee of America

The Armenian National Committee of America is the largest and most influential Armenian American grassroots organization. Working in coordination with a network of offices, chapters and supporters throughout the United States and affiliated organizations around the world, the ANCA actively...

showed that 97% of American Armenians opposed Hoagland's appointment.