King Hussein I
Political Leader
Said to be a direct descendant of the prophet Muhammad, Hussein was the longtime ruler of the nation of Jordan. Schooled in Egypt and at the British Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst, the 18-year-old Hussein took the throne in 1953 following the death of his grandfather, King Abdullah. After some difficult years early in his reign, Hussein became known as a moderating force in the Middle East, with strong ties to many Arab leaders and to western nations. In 1998-99, the king spent six months in the U.S. being treated for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma; he succumbed to the disease in February of 1999, leaving his eldest son Abdullah II as his successor.Extra credit: Hussein was an amateur ("ham") radio buff; his call sign was JY1.
King Hussein also appears in our Who2 loop Almost Assassinated!
Blog posts mentioning King Hussein I:
Four Good Links
Remembering King Hussein
PBS provides great background, interviews and audio files
Office of King Hussein
Handsome official site; fine bio and photos
The Royal Family of Jordan
Plenty of historical background from a big site on royalty
King Hussein Obituary
CNN recaps his life; good extra links, too
Vital Stats
Birth
Birthplace
Death
7 February 1999
(Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, age 63)
Best Known As
Stability-building Middle East ruler
