"Through our knowledge of governments in the Middle East, we are able to facilitate business development there."
As former U.S. Ambassador to the Sultanate of Oman, George Cranwell Montgomery knows the value of working with U.S. embassies on behalf of his clients in the Middle East. Diplomats always have the most up-to-date picture of the region, he says, and the most in-depth understanding of the politics and culture.
Cran, as he is known, is anything but a stranger to the region. Before helping to found the International Practice Group at Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz in 1989, he traveled widely throughout the Middle East for more than a decade, first as legislative assistant and then chief counsel to U.S. Sen. Howard H. Baker Jr., and then as ambassador to Oman. He continues to visit the region several times a year, both to maintain longstanding relationships with political and business leaders there and to build new ones.
Cran's depth of experience in the Middle East recently helped him win a major petrochemical contract in Qatar for a U.S. petroleum company. He has worked in virtually every country on the Arabian peninsula, using his knowledge of the region's governments to facilitate business development and to advise companies on strategic planning and risk assessment.
He periodically represents Middle Eastern governments in the U.S. and recently began representing Middle Eastern financial institutions seeking to invest in U.S. businesses and real estate.
As a commissioned ensign in the U.S. Navy, Cran served as an advisor to the navy of the Republic of Vietnam. He resigned his commission as lieutenant to enter law school, but continued to serve many years as captain in the Naval Reserve.
- U.S. Ambassador to the Sultanate of Oman, 1985 to 1989
- Counsel to Majority Leader Howard Baker, U.S. Senate, 1981 to 1985
- Chief Legislative Assistant to U.S. Sen. Howard Baker, Senate Foreign Relations Committee, 1977 to 1981
- Legislative Assistant for Foreign Policy and National Defense to U.S. Sen. Howard Baker, 1976 to 1977
- Lieutenant, U.S. Navy Member, Council on Foreign Relations
- Member, Board of Visitors, Georgetown University School of Foreign Service
- Member, Board of Directors, Knox Heritage
- Managing Editor, Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law
- District of Columbia, 1976
- Vanderbilt University, J.D., 1975
- University of Virginia, B.A., 1966