United States Ambassador to Guinea-Bissau
Encyclopedia
The United States Ambassador to Guinea-Bissau is the official representative of the President of the United States to the head of state
of Guinea-Bissau
. The U.S. Ambassador to Senegal
is concurrently commissioned to Senegal and Guinea-Bissau.
Until 1974, Guinea-Bissau had been a colony of the Portugese Empire as Portuguese Guinea
. After a period of revolutionary warfare, Guinea-Bissau unilaterally declared its independence on on September 24, 1973. Following the April 1974 Carnation Revolution
in Portugal, it granted independence to Guinea-Bissau on September 10, 1974. The United States recognized
the Republic of Guinea-Bissau on the same day. The U.S. Embassy Bissau
was established on June 30, 1976, with Dean Curran as Chargé d'Affaires
ad interim
.
The first three ambassadors to Guinea-Bissau were concurrently commissioned to Cape Verde
while resident in Bissau
. From 1983 until 1998, U.S. ambassadors were solely commissioned to Guinea-Bissau. In 1998 the U.S. embassy in Bissau was closed, and there has been no U.S. embassy in Bissau since then. Since 2002, the U.S. ambassador to Senegal has also been commissioned as the ambassador to Guinea-Bissau, while resident in Dakar
.
Note: Barbara C. Maslak served as Chargé d'Affaires ad interim, Jan 1985-Aug 1986.
Head of State
A head of state is the individual that serves as the chief public representative of a monarchy, republic, federation, commonwealth or other kind of state. His or her role generally includes legitimizing the state and exercising the political powers, functions, and duties granted to the head of...
of Guinea-Bissau
Guinea-Bissau
The Republic of Guinea-Bissau is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Senegal to the north, and Guinea to the south and east, with the Atlantic Ocean to its west....
. The U.S. Ambassador to Senegal
United States Ambassador to Senegal
The United States Ambassador to Senegal is the official representative of the President of the United States to the head of state of Senegal. The ambassador is concurrently the ambassador to Guinea-Bissau, while resident in Dakar, Senegal....
is concurrently commissioned to Senegal and Guinea-Bissau.
Until 1974, Guinea-Bissau had been a colony of the Portugese Empire as Portuguese Guinea
Portuguese Guinea
Portuguese Guinea was the name for what is today Guinea-Bissau from 1446 to September 10, 1974.-History:...
. After a period of revolutionary warfare, Guinea-Bissau unilaterally declared its independence on on September 24, 1973. Following the April 1974 Carnation Revolution
Carnation Revolution
The Carnation Revolution , also referred to as the 25 de Abril , was a military coup started on 25 April 1974, in Lisbon, Portugal, coupled with an unanticipated and extensive campaign of civil resistance...
in Portugal, it granted independence to Guinea-Bissau on September 10, 1974. The United States recognized
Diplomatic recognition
Diplomatic recognition in international law is a unilateral political act with domestic and international legal consequences, whereby a state acknowledges an act or status of another state or government in control of a state...
the Republic of Guinea-Bissau on the same day. The U.S. Embassy Bissau
Bissau
Bissau is the capital city of Guinea-Bissau. The city's borders are conterminous with the Bissau Autonomous Sector. In 2007, the city had an estimated population of 407,424 according to the Instituto Nacional de Estatística e Censos...
was established on June 30, 1976, with Dean Curran as Chargé d'Affaires
Chargé d'affaires
In diplomacy, chargé d’affaires , often shortened to simply chargé, is the title of two classes of diplomatic agents who head a diplomatic mission, either on a temporary basis or when no more senior diplomat has been accredited.-Chargés d’affaires:Chargés d’affaires , who were...
ad interim
Ad interim
The Latin phrase ad interim literally means "in the time between" denotes the meaning of "in the meantime", "for an intervening time" or "temporarily" in the English language...
.
The first three ambassadors to Guinea-Bissau were concurrently commissioned to Cape Verde
United States Ambassador to Cape Verde
Cape Verde had been a Portuguese colony for more than 500 years since 1456. in 1974 Portugal and the Cape Verdeans signed an agreement to form a transitional government, and Cape Verde gained full independence from Portugal on July 5, 1975....
while resident in Bissau
Bissau
Bissau is the capital city of Guinea-Bissau. The city's borders are conterminous with the Bissau Autonomous Sector. In 2007, the city had an estimated population of 407,424 according to the Instituto Nacional de Estatística e Censos...
. From 1983 until 1998, U.S. ambassadors were solely commissioned to Guinea-Bissau. In 1998 the U.S. embassy in Bissau was closed, and there has been no U.S. embassy in Bissau since then. Since 2002, the U.S. ambassador to Senegal has also been commissioned as the ambassador to Guinea-Bissau, while resident in Dakar
Dakar
Dakar is the capital city and largest city of Senegal. It is located on the Cap-Vert Peninsula on the Atlantic coast and is the westernmost city on the African mainland...
.
Ambassadors and chiefs of mission
- Melissa F. WellsMelissa F. WellsMelissa Foelsch Wells is a diplomat and former United States Ambassador to Cape Verde and Guinea-Bissau , Mozambique , Congo-Kinshasa , and Estonia . She is a member of the American Academy of Diplomacy.Wells is the daughter of opera singer and film actress Miliza Korjus .-References:...
- Career FSO- Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
- Appointment: Sep 16, 1976
- Presentation of Credentials: Nov 29, 1976
- Termination of Mission: Left post Mar 29, 1977
- Edward Marks - Career FSO
- Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
- Appointment: Sep 16, 1977
- Presentation of Credentials: Oct 31, 1977
- Termination of Mission: Left post Jul 11, 1980
- Peter J. de Vos - Career FSO
- Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
- Appointment: Aug 27, 1980
- Presentation of Credentials: Sep 22, 1980
- Termination of Mission: Left post Mar 30, 1983
- Wesley William Egan, Jr. - Career FSO
- Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
- Appointment: Mar 18, 1983
- Presentation of Credentials: May 12, 1983
- Termination of Mission: Left post Jan 7, 1985
Note: Barbara C. Maslak served as Chargé d'Affaires ad interim, Jan 1985-Aug 1986.
- John Dale Blacken - Career FSO
- Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
- Appointment: Jun 16, 1986
- Presentation of Credentials: Aug 27, 1986
- Termination of Mission: Left post Sep 29, 1989
- William H. Jacobsen, Jr. - Career FSO
- Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
- Appointment: Oct 10, 1989
- Presentation of Credentials: Nov 13, 1989
- Termination of Mission: Left post Aug 25, 1992
- Roger A. McGuire - Career FSO
- Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
- Appointment: Jun 15, 1992
- Presentation of Credentials: Oct 14, 1992
- Termination of Mission: Left post Aug 28, 1995
- Peggy Blackford - Career FSO
- Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
- Appointment: Oct 3, 1995
- Presentation of Credentials: Nov 4, 1995
- Termination of Mission: Embassy suspended operations Jun 14, 1998
- Richard Allan Roth - Career FSO
- Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
- Appointment: Nov 15, 2002
- Presentation of Credentials: Feb 13, 2004
- Termination of Mission: Left Dakar, Aug 4, 2005
- Janice L. JacobsJanice L. JacobsJanice Lee Jacobs is a United States career diplomat who was United States Ambassador to Senegal and United States Ambassador to Guinea-Bissau in 2006 and 2007 and who is the current Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs, having held that office since June 2008.-Biography:Janice L....
- Career FSO- Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
- Appointment: Feb 21, 2006
- Presentation of Credentials: May 9, 2006
- Termination of Mission: Left Dakar, Jul 15, 2007.
- Marcia S. B. Bernicat - Career FSO
- Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
- Appointment: June 16, 2008
- Presentation of Credentials: Unknown
- Termination of Mission: ca. June 2011
- Robert T. Yamate
- Chargé d’Affaires a.i. June–August 2011
- Lewis A. Lukens – Career FSO
- Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
- Appointment: July 11, 2011
- Presentation of Credentials: Unknown
- Termination of Mission: Incumbent
See also
- Guinea-Bissau – United States relations
- Foreign relations of Guinea-BissauForeign relations of Guinea-BissauThe Republic of Guinea-Bissau follows a nonaligned foreign policy and seeks friendly and cooperative relations with a wide variety of states and organizations...
- Ambassadors of the United States