United States Ambassador to Tajikistan
Encyclopedia
This is a list of United States ambassadors to Tajikistan
.
Until 1991, Tajikistan had been a constituent republic of the Soviet Union
as the Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic. On December 25, 1991, following the dissolution of the Soviet Union
, Tajikistan declared its independence and became the Republic of Tajikistan. The United States government recognized
Tajikistan on the same day. Diplomatic relations were established on February 19, 1992 in an announcement by President Bush. A temporary embassy was opened by Chargé d'Affaires ad interim Edmund McWilliams
on March 13, 1992 in the Avesto Hotel, pending the appointment of an ambassador. The first ranking ambassador was Stanley Tuemler Escudero
, who presented his credentials
on October 19, 1992.
On October 25, 1992, six days after Ambassador Escudero’s arrival, Embassy Dushanbe was closed and all U.S. personnel were withdrawn because of the civil war in Tajikistan. The embassy was reopened on March 11, 1993.
In 1998, after the embassy bombings in Africa
, Embassy Dushanbe American personnel were temporarily relocated to Almaty
, Kazakhstan, due to heightened Embassy security standards. American Embassy Dushanbe has since returned to full operations and in July 2006 moved into a purpose-built embassy compound.
Tajikistan
Tajikistan , officially the Republic of Tajikistan , is a mountainous landlocked country in Central Asia. Afghanistan borders it to the south, Uzbekistan to the west, Kyrgyzstan to the north, and China to the east....
.
Until 1991, Tajikistan had been a constituent republic of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
as the Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic. On December 25, 1991, following the dissolution of the Soviet Union
Dissolution of the Soviet Union
The dissolution of the Soviet Union was the disintegration of the federal political structures and central government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , resulting in the independence of all fifteen republics of the Soviet Union between March 11, 1990 and December 25, 1991...
, Tajikistan declared its independence and became the Republic of Tajikistan. The United States government 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...
Tajikistan on the same day. Diplomatic relations were established on February 19, 1992 in an announcement by President Bush. A temporary embassy was opened by Chargé d'Affaires ad interim Edmund McWilliams
Edmund McWilliams
Edmund McWilliams is an American diplomat and previous United States Ambassador to Tajikistan.McWilliams was born in Rhode Island to a father who was a mill worker and a mother who was a cafeteria aide. He majored in Southeast Asian Studies at the University of Rhode Island and joined several...
on March 13, 1992 in the Avesto Hotel, pending the appointment of an ambassador. The first ranking ambassador was Stanley Tuemler Escudero
Stanley Tuemler Escudero
Stanley Tuemler Escudero is a retired American diplomat who served in the U.S. foreign service in multiple capacities. He was U.S. Ambassador to Tajikistan, 1992-95, U.S. Ambassador to Uzbekistan, 1995-1997, and U.S. Ambassador to Azerbaijan, 1997-2000.Escudero was born in Daytona Beach, Florida...
, who presented his credentials
Letter of Credence
A letter of credence is a formal letter usually sent by one head of state to another that formally grants diplomatic accreditation to a named individual to be their ambassador in the country of the head of state receiving the letter...
on October 19, 1992.
On October 25, 1992, six days after Ambassador Escudero’s arrival, Embassy Dushanbe was closed and all U.S. personnel were withdrawn because of the civil war in Tajikistan. The embassy was reopened on March 11, 1993.
In 1998, after the embassy bombings in Africa
1998 United States embassy bombings
The 1998 United States embassy bombings were a series of attacks that occurred on August 7, 1998, in which hundreds of people were killed in simultaneous truck bomb explosions at the United States embassies in the East African capitals of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and Nairobi, Kenya. The date of the...
, Embassy Dushanbe American personnel were temporarily relocated to Almaty
Almaty
Almaty , also known by its former names Verny and Alma-Ata , is the former capital of Kazakhstan and the nation's largest city, with a population of 1,348,500...
, Kazakhstan, due to heightened Embassy security standards. American Embassy Dushanbe has since returned to full operations and in July 2006 moved into a purpose-built embassy compound.
Ambassadors
| Representative | From | Position Title | To | Appointed by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edmund McWilliams Edmund McWilliams Edmund McWilliams is an American diplomat and previous United States Ambassador to Tajikistan.McWilliams was born in Rhode Island to a father who was a mill worker and a mother who was a cafeteria aide. He majored in Southeast Asian Studies at the University of Rhode Island and joined several... |
March 13, 1992 | Chargé d'Affaires | October, 1992 | George H. W. Bush George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States . He had previously served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States , a congressman, an ambassador, and Director of Central Intelligence.Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, to... |
| Stanley Tuemler Escudero Stanley Tuemler Escudero Stanley Tuemler Escudero is a retired American diplomat who served in the U.S. foreign service in multiple capacities. He was U.S. Ambassador to Tajikistan, 1992-95, U.S. Ambassador to Uzbekistan, 1995-1997, and U.S. Ambassador to Azerbaijan, 1997-2000.Escudero was born in Daytona Beach, Florida... |
October 19, 1992 | Chargé d'Affaires; from March '93 Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | June 1, 1995 | George H. W. Bush George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States . He had previously served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States , a congressman, an ambassador, and Director of Central Intelligence.Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, to... |
| The embassy was closed October 25, 1992 – March 11, 1993. Escudero continued as the nonresident ambassador in the interim. | ||||
| R. Grant Smith R. Grant Smith R. Grant Smith is an American diplomat and previous United States Ambassador to Tajikistan.Smith, originally from New Jersey, served in the foreign service in India and Nepal and was Deputy Ambassador of the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi. He also served as Director of the South Asia Office at the U.S... |
July 31, 1995 | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | August 21, 1998 | Bill Clinton Bill Clinton William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation... |
| Robert Finn | November 11, 1998 | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | July 13, 2001 | Bill Clinton Bill Clinton William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation... |
| Franklin Pierce Huddle, Jr. Franklin Huddle Franklin Pierce "Frank" Huddle, Jr. is an American diplomat. Huddle has the nickname "Pancho."A native of California, Huddle received a bachelor of arts in linguistics from Brown University in 1965... |
October 26, 2001 | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | October 9, 2003 | George W. Bush George W. Bush George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000.... |
| Richard E. Hoagland Richard E. Hoagland Richard Eugene Hoagland is a career ambassador in the United States Department of State. As of 2009, he is the U.S. Ambassador to Kazakhstan. He previously served as the ambassador to Tajikistan 2003–06.... |
November 24, 2003 | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | August 31, 2006 | George W. Bush George W. Bush George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000.... |
| Tracey Ann Jacobson Tracey Ann Jacobson Tracey Ann Jacobson is an American diplomat and a former United States Ambassador to both Turkmenistan and Tajikistan.-Biography:Jacobson received her Bachelor of Arts from Johns Hopkins University, and her Master of Arts from the Johns Hopkins University Paul H... |
September, 2006 | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | Resigned August 2009 | George W. Bush George W. Bush George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000.... |
| Kenneth E.Gross, Jr. | August 2009 | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | Incumbent | Barack Obama Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in... |
See also
- Tajikistan – United States relations
- Foreign relations of TajikistanForeign relations of TajikistanForeign relations of Tajikistan are based on a desire to secure foreign investment and promote regional security while ensuring Tajikistan's independence...
- Ambassadors of the United States