Robert Krueger (born September 19, 1935), American politician, is a former U.S. Representative and U.S. Senator from Texas, a former U.S. Ambassador, and a member of the Democratic Party. Born in New Braunfels, Texas, Krueger earned a B.A. from Southern Methodist University in 1957 and an M.A. from Duke University in 1958. He went to Oxford University (Merton College) earning an D.Phil. in English literature in 1964. He was then a professor and dean at Duke University. His edition of the poems of Sir John Davies was published by the Clarendon Press, Oxford in 1975.
Krueger was elected as a Democrat to the Ninety-fourth and Ninety-fifth United States Congresses, serving from January 3, 1975 to January 3, 1979. He was an unsuccessful candidate for the U.S. Senate from Texas in 1978 losing to incumbent John Tower. From 1979-1981, he was Ambassador-at-Large and Coordinator for Mexican Affairs at the Department of State. In 1993, Governor Ann Richards appointed him to the U.S. Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Lloyd Bentsen, who became Secretary of the Treasury in President Clinton's cabinet. He served from January 21, 1993 until June 14, 1993. He lost the June 1993 special election for the remainder of the term ending January 4, 1995 to Republican Kay Bailey Hutchison.
President Clinton appointed Krueger U.S. Ambassador to Burundi in 1994. Krueger was given the choice between the ambassadorships to Burundi and New Zealand, and chose Burundi. He served in Burundi until 1995, when his convoy was ambushed in Cibitoke province. In 1996, he was appointed U.S. Ambassador to Botswana and concurrently Special Representative of the Secretary of State to the Southern African Development Community. He held those posts until 2000, when he became a Visiting Fellow at Merton College, Oxford and began to write a memoir of his time in Burundi. It was published as Cry from the Heart of Africa by the University of Texas Press in 2006.
Before serving in the Senate, Krueger was a professor of business and government relations at the University of Texas at Austin from 1985-1986 and a professor of public affairs at Rice University from 1986-1988. He served as Texas Railroad Commissioner from 1991-1993, the body in charge of oil and gas regulation in Texas.
Several years ago, Krueger and his family were the victims of a stalker. Their plight led to the passage of anti-stalking legislation in Texas.
