W. Patrick Murphy (born 1963) is a career U.S. diplomat. A Senior Foreign Service Officer, he served as the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs from 2018 to 2019, fulfilling the duties of Acting Assistant Secretary, and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Southeast Asia and Multilateral Affairs, 2016–2018. He previously served as Chargé d'affaires and Deputy Chief of Mission in the Kingdoms of Thailand and Lesotho. He was nominated on January 16, 2019 to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Kingdom of Cambodia. Early life and education Murphy was raised and educated in Vermont, graduating from Brattleboro Union High School (BUHS). In 1985, he obtained a B.A. from the University of Vermont in Political Science and Canadian Studies. Following his graduation from UVM, Murphy served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Cameroon and obtained an M.A. in 1991 in International Relations and Canadian Studies from the School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) at Johns Hopkins University. In 2009, Murphy received a M.S. as a distinguished graduate in National Security Strategy from the National War College. Diplomatic career Since his first mission at the U.S. Consulate General in Guangzhou, China, Murphy has completed diplomatic assignments in Thailand, Burma (Myanmar), Iraq, Lesotho, Guinea, and Mali. His experience also includes various positions in Washington, including Acting Special Representative and Policy Coordinator for Burma, Office for Mainland Southeast Asia Director, senior political advisor for the Haiti Working Group, and desk officer for Burma, and Laos. Murphy's nomination to be the U.S. ambassador to Cambodia was submitted to the Senate on August 16, 2018. He appeared before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations on December 4, but no further action was taken during the 115th Congress. Murphy's nomination was resubmitted to the 116th Congress on January 16, 2019, and reported favorably by the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations on April 3. It was confirmed by voice vote of the full Senate on August 1, 2019. Murphy presented his credentials to Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni on October 19, 2019. List of diplomatic missions 2019–present: Ambassador to Cambodia July 2018–June 2019: Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs (Acting Assistant Secretary) 2016–2018: Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Southeast Asia and Multilateral Affairs 2013–2016: Deputy Chief of Mission and Chargés d'affaires ad interim (2014-2015), Embassy