List of United States Foreign Service Career Ambassadors
Encyclopedia
Career Ambassador is a personal rank of Foreign Service Officer
s within the United States Department of State
. The rank of Career Ambassador is awarded by nomination of the President
and confirmation
by the United States Senate
. According to the Department of State:
Foreign Service Officer
A Foreign Service Officer is a commissioned member of the United States Foreign Service. As diplomats, Foreign Service Officers formulate and implement the foreign policy of the United States. FSOs spend most of their careers overseas as members of U.S. embassies, consulates, and other diplomatic...
s within 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...
. The rank of Career Ambassador is awarded by nomination of the President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
and confirmation
Advice and consent
Advice and consent is an English phrase frequently used in enacting formulae of bills and in other legal or constitutional contexts, describing a situation in which the executive branch of a government enacts something previously approved of by the legislative branch.-General:The expression is...
by the United States Senate
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...
. According to the Department of State:
List of Career Ambassadors
- Harrison Freeman Matthews (1956)
- Loy W. HendersonLoy W. HendersonLoy Wesley Henderson was a United States Foreign Service Officer and diplomat.-Early life:Henderson was born in Rogers, Arkansas in 1892 to a poor Methodist preacher. He attended college in a small town in Kansas before transferring to Northwestern University...
(1956) - Robert Daniel MurphyRobert Daniel MurphyRobert Daniel Murphy was an American diplomat.Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Murphy had begun his diplomatic career in 1917 as a member of the American Legation in Bern, Switzerland. Among the several posts he held were Vice-Consul in Zurich and Munich, American Consul in Paris from 1930 to 1936,...
(1956) - James Clement DunnJames Clement DunnJames Clement Dunn was an American diplomat and a career employee of the United States Department of State. He served as the Ambassador of the United States to Italy, France, Spain, and Brazil.-References:**...
(1956) - George V. Allen (1960)
- Raymond A. HareRaymond A. HareRaymond Arthur Hare was a United States diplomat, who was Director General of the United States Foreign Service from 1954 to 1956 and Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs from 1965 to 1966.-Early years, 1901—1939:...
(1960) - Livingston T. MerchantLivingston T. MerchantLivingston Tallmadge Merchant was a United States official and diplomat. He twice served as United States ambassador to Canada and was Under Secretary for Political Affairs from 1959 to 1961....
(1960) - James Williams Riddleberger (1960)
- Ellis Ormsbee Briggs (1960)
- Llewellyn ThompsonLlewellyn ThompsonLlewellyn E. "Tommy" Thompson Jr. , was a United States diplomat. He served in Sri Lanka, Austria, and for a lengthy period in the Soviet Union where his tenure saw some of the most significant events of the Cold War....
(1960) - Charles E. BohlenCharles E. BohlenCharles Eustis “Chip” Bohlen was a United States diplomat from 1929 to 1969 and Soviet expert, serving in Moscow before and during World War II, succeeding George F. Kennan as United States Ambassador to the Soviet Union , then ambassador to the Philippines , and to France...
(1960) - Frances Elizabeth Willis (1962)
- Walter C. DowlingWalter C. DowlingWalter Cecil Dowling was the United States Ambassador to West Germany from 1959–1963 and the US Ambassador to South Korea from 1956-1959....
(1962) - William Walton ButterworthWilliam Walton ButterworthWilliam Walton Butterworth was a U.S. diplomat. He was born in New Orleans, Orleans Parish, Louisiana, September 7, 1903.-Biography:...
(1962) - U. Alexis JohnsonU. Alexis Johnson-Background:Ural Alexis Johnson was born in Falun, Kansas into a family of Swedish descent. His mother named him for the mountain range, of which she learned from a geography book. He had a rural upbringing and schooling until 1923, when the family moved to Glendale, California. He graduated...
(1964) - Charles Woodruff YostCharles Woodruff YostCharles Woodruff Yost was a career U.S. diplomat who was assigned as his country's representative to the United Nations from 1969 to 1971.- Biography :Charles Yost was born in Watertown, New York, on November 6, 1907...
(1964) - Douglas MacArthur IIDouglas MacArthur IIDouglas MacArthur II was an American diplomat.MacArthur was the son of Captain Arthur MacArthur III and Mary McCalla MacArthur, and was named for his uncle, General Douglas MacArthur. He was born in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. He married Laura Louise Barkley on August 21, 1934, the daughter of future...
(1964) - Foy D. KohlerFoy D. KohlerFoy David Kohler was an American diplomat and career Foreign Service Officer who was Ambassador to the Soviet Union during the Cuban Missile Crisis.- Early life :...
(1964)
- Winthrop Gilman Brown (1969)
- Edwin W. MartinEdwin W. MartinEdwin W. Martin was an American diplomat. After his education at Deerfield Academy, Oberlin College, and The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, he embarked upon a career in the U.S. Foreign Service. He went on to serve as consul in Hong Kong and U.S...
(1969) - Edwin M. MartinEdwin M. MartinEdwin McCammon Martin was an official in the United States Department of State and a United States diplomat.-Biography:Edwin M. Martin was born in Dayton, Ohio, on May 21, 1908. He was educated at Northwestern University, receiving a B.A. in 1929...
(1969) - Walworth BarbourWalworth BarbourWalworth Barbour was United States Ambassador to Israel from 1961 to 1973.The American International School in Even Yehuda, Israel is named after him .-Positions held in the United States Diplomatic Service:...
(1969) - Charles Burke ElbrickCharles Burke ElbrickCharles Burke Elbrick, , was a United States diplomat and career foreign service officer. During his career, he served three ambassadorships in various parts of the world, in addition to many other minor postings.Elbrick was the son of Charles Elbrick and his Irish wife, Lillian Burke...
(1969) - Alfred AthertonAlfred AthertonAlfred Leroy "Roy" Atherton Jr. was a United States Foreign Service Officer and diplomat. He served as United States Ambassador to Egypt in 1979–1983.-Early life:...
(1981) - Arthur W. Hummel, Jr.Arthur W. Hummel, Jr.Arthur William Hummel, Jr. was a United States diplomat.-Early life:He was born in Fenzhou, Shanxi, China, to Christian missionaries Arthur W. Hummel, Sr. and Ruth Bookwalter Hummel. His family moved to Beijing when he was 4. In 1927, when he was 7, the Northern Expedition forced his family to...
(1981) - Walter John Stoessel, Jr.Walter John Stoessel, Jr.Walter John Stoessel, Jr. was a U.S. diplomat.Stoessel was born in Manhattan, Kansas, and attended high school in California. He graduated from Stanford University in 1941 and later undertook graduate studies at Columbia University.Stoessel served as the U.S. ambassador to Poland from 1968 to...
(1981) - Lawrence EagleburgerLawrence EagleburgerLawrence Sidney Eagleburger was an American statesman and former career diplomat, who served briefly as the United States Secretary of State under President George H. W. Bush. Previously, he had served in lesser capacities under Presidents Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, and George H....
(1984) - Arthur A. HartmanArthur A. HartmanArthur Adair Hartman is a retired American career diplomat who served as Ambassador to France under Jimmy Carter and Ambassador to the Soviet Union under Ronald Reagan.-Career:...
(1984) - Thomas R. PickeringThomas R. PickeringThomas Reeve "Tom" Pickering , is a retired United States ambassador. Among his many diplomatic appointments, he served as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations from 1989 to 1992.-Early life:...
(1984) - Ronald I. SpiersRonald I. SpiersRonald Ian “Ron” Spiers was a former career diplomat and United States Ambassador.-Early life and military career:Spiers was born in Orange, New Jersey July 9, 1925 but grew up in Peru, London, Paris and Brussels. During World War II, he served as an Ensign in the United States Navy in the war's...
(1984) - Richard W. MurphyRichard W. MurphyRichard William Murphy is an American diplomat.After graduating from The Roxbury Latin School in 1947, he received BAs from Harvard University in 1951 and from Emmanuel College, University of Cambridge in 1953. From 1953 to 1955, he served in the U.S...
(1985) - Deane R. HintonDeane R. HintonDeane Roesch Hinton is a career U.S. diplomat and ambassador.-Biography:Hinton was born 12 March 1923 in Fort Missoula, Montana. He graduated from the University of Chicago in 1943 and joined the U. S. Army, serving as a 2nd Lt. during World War II...
(1987) - George S. VestGeorge S. VestGeorge Southall Vest is a former United States diplomat and State Department official.-Biography:George S. Vest was born in Columbia, Virginia, and educated at the University of Virginia, graduating with a B.A. in 1941. Upon leaving college, Vest joined the United States Army to serve as a...
(1987) - Terence TodmanTerence TodmanTerrance Alphonso Todman , is an American diplomat who served as the United States Ambassador to Chad, Guinea, Costa Rica, Spain, Denmark and Argentina. In 1990, he was awarded the rank of Career Ambassador....
(1989) - Morton I. AbramowitzMorton I. AbramowitzMorton Isaac Abramowitz is an American diplomat and former State Department official.-Biography:Abramowitz was born in Lakewood Township, New Jersey on January 20, 1933. He was educated at Stanford University, receiving a B.A. in 1953. He then attended Harvard University, earning an M.A. in 1955...
(1989) - Herman Jay CohenHerman Jay CohenHerman Jay "Hank" Cohen served as the United States Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs from 1989 to 1993. His lobbying firm, Cohen and Woods International, has represented the governments of Angola and Zimbabwe...
(1992)
- Frank G. WisnerFrank G. WisnerFrank George Wisner II is an American businessman and former diplomat. He is the son of Frank Wisner . On 31 January 2011, he was sent to Egypt by President Barack Obama to negotiate a resolution to the popular protests against the regime that have swept the country...
(1995) - J. Stapleton RoyJ. Stapleton RoyJ. Stapleton Roy was a senior United States diplomat specializing in Asian affairs. A fluent Chinese speaker, Roy spent much of his career in East Asia, where his assignments included Bangkok , Hong Kong, Taipei, Beijing , Singapore, and Jakarta...
(1996) - Mary A. RyanMary A. RyanMary A. Ryan is a retired United States career diplomat who served as United States Ambassador to Swaziland from 1988 to 1990 and as Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs from 1993 to 2002.-Biography:...
(1999) - George MooseGeorge MooseGeorge Edward Moose is an American diplomat who served as Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Ambassador to the UN agencies in Geneva, and as Ambassador to the Republics of Benin and Senegal...
(2002) - Ruth A. DavisRuth A. DavisRuth A. Davis, . Ambassador Davis is the 24th Director General of the United States Foreign Service. She holds the distinction of being the first woman of color to be appointed as Director General of the Foreign Service and the first African-American Director of the Foreign Service Institute...
(2002) - Jeffrey DavidowJeffrey DavidowJeffrey Davidow is a career foreign service officer from the U.S. state of Virginia. Davidow has served as a member of the Senior Foreign Service, as well as having been the U.S. Ambassador to Zambia, Venezuela, and Mexico....
(2002) - A. Elizabeth JonesA. Elizabeth JonesA. Elizabeth Jones served as the U.S. Ambassador to Kazakhstan, from 1995 to 1997. She served as the U.S. assistant secretary of state for Europe and Eurasia in 2003. She was promoted to the rank of Career Ambassador in 2004....
(2004) - Johnny YoungJohnny Young (diplomat)Johnny Young was born on February 6, 1940 in Savannah, Georgia and grew up in Philadelphia. He graduated from Temple University with a bachelor's degree in 1966 and later went into the American Academy of Diplomacy before joing the U.S. State Department...
(2004) - Alan LarsonAlan LarsonAlan Philip Larson is a diplomat and a former United States Ambassador to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development . He served as US Undersecretary of State for Economic, Business, and Agricultural Affairs and is a member of the American Academy of Diplomacy.-References:...
(2004) - Ryan CrockerRyan CrockerRyan Clark Crocker is a Career Ambassador within the United States Foreign Service and a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He currently is the United States Ambassador to Afghanistan. He was the United States Ambassador to Iraq until 2009; he previously served as the U.S...
(2004) - Marc GrossmanMarc GrossmanMarc Grossman is the United States Special Envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan. He served as United States Ambassador to Turkey, Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs, and Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs....
(2004) - Richard BoucherRichard BoucherRichard A. Boucher is Deputy Secretary-General of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development . He took up post on 5 November 2009. Prior to joining OECD, he was the Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs, a post he took up on February 21, 2006...
(2008) - David WelchDavid WelchCharles David Welch is an American diplomat who served as Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs in the United States Department of State from 2005 through 2008...
(2008) - Anne W. PattersonAnne W. PattersonAnne Woods Patterson is an American diplomat and career Foreign Service Officer. She currently serves as the United States Ambassador to Egypt. She previously served as acting United States Ambassador to the United Nations in 2005 and as United States Ambassador to Pakistan from July 2007 to...
(2008) - William Joseph BurnsWilliam Joseph BurnsWilliam J. Burns , an American diplomat, is the current Deputy Secretary of State and the highest ranked Foreign Service Officer in the United States. He is only the second serving career diplomat in U.S. history to become Deputy Secretary...
(2008) - James Franklin JeffreyJames Franklin JeffreyJames Franklin Jeffrey is an American diplomat and the current United States Ambassador to Iraq.He was serving as the Deputy National Security Advisor in the administration of George W. Bush before being appointed to Turkey.-Biography:...
(2010) - Nancy Jo PowellNancy Jo PowellNancy Jo Powell assumed the position of Director General of the United States Foreign Service on August 3, 2009 after serving as the American ambassador for Nepal. Powell is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service...
(2010) - Earl Anthony WayneEarl Anthony WayneEarl Anthony Wayne is a United States international policy maker and diplomat. In June, 2011, Wayne was nominated by President Barack Obama to be ambassador to Mexico.-Life and education:...
(2010)