List of ambassadors of the United States to Ethiopia

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ambassador of the United States to Ethiopia
Seal of the United States Department of State
Incumbent
Ervin Jose Massinga
since October 3, 2023[1][2]
NominatorThe President of the United States
AppointerThe President
with Senate advice and consent
Inaugural holderHoffman Philip
as Minister Resident/Consul General
FormationJuly 20, 1908
WebsiteU.S. Embassy - Addis Ababa

The United States established diplomatic relations with Ethiopia in 1903 and commissioned its first ambassador to Ethiopia, Hoffman Philip, in 1908. Relations continued uninterrupted until 1980. In July 1980, the U.S. Ambassador to Ethiopia was recalled at the request of the Ethiopian Government, and the U.S. Embassy in Ethiopia and the Ethiopian Embassy in the United States were headed by chargés d’affaires. After the defeat of the Derg regime in 1991 and installation of a new government, the current chargé was commissioned as the new ambassador. The U.S. has had good relations with the Ethiopian government since that time.

Ambassadors[edit]

U.S. diplomatic terms

Career FSO
After 1915, The United States Department of State began classifying ambassadors as career Foreign Service Officers (FSOs) for those who have served in the Foreign Service for a specified amount of time.

Political appointee
A person who is not a career foreign service officer, but is appointed by the president (often as a reward to political friends).

Appointed
The date that the ambassador took the oath of office; also known as "commissioning". It follows confirmation of a presidential appointment by the Senate, or a Congressional recess appointment by the president. In the case of a recess appointment, the ambassador requires subsequent confirmation by the Senate to remain in office.

Presented credentials
The date that the ambassador presented his letter of credence to the head of state or appropriate authority of the receiving nation. At this time the ambassador officially becomes the representative of his country. This would normally occur a short time after the ambassador's arrival on station. The host nation may reject the ambassador by not receiving the ambassador's letter, but this occurs only rarely.

Terminated mission
Usually the date that the ambassador left the country. In some cases a letter of recall is presented, ending the ambassador's commission, either as a means of diplomatic protest or because the diplomat is being reassigned elsewhere and replaced by another envoy.

Chargé d'affaires
The person in charge of the business of the embassy when there is no ambassador commissioned to the host country.

Ad interim
Latin phrase meaning "for the time being", "in the meantime".
Name Title Appointed Presented credentials Terminated mission Notes
Hoffman Philip[3] Minister Resident/Consul General July 20, 1908 July 6, 1909 February 8, 1910
Addison E. Southard – Career FSO[4] October 12, 1927 March 1, 1928 October 26, 1934
Cornelius Van H. Engert – Career FSO[5] February 7, 1936 April 30, 1936 May 4, 1937 The U. S. Legation in Addis Ababa was closed and diplomatic personnel were withdrawn following the Italian occupation of Ethiopia in 1937. The U. S. never recognized Italian authority in Ethiopia. The legation was reopened and a new Minister Resident/Consul was appointed in 1943.
John K. Caldwell – Career FSO[6] April 14, 1943 August 31, 1943 December 9, 1943
John K. Caldwell – Career FSO[6] Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary October 7, 1943 December 9, 1943 August 26, 1945
Felix Cole – Career FSO February 20, 1945 October 5, 1945 October 8, 1947
George R. Merrell – Career FSO[7] May 15, 1947 January 1, 1948 May 21, 1949
George R. Merrell – Career FSO[7] Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary May 21, 1949 June 28, 1949 March 17, 1951
J. Rives Childs – Career FSO April 19, 1951 May 14, 1951 January 19, 1953
Joseph Simonson – Political appointee July 22, 1953 October 6, 1953 May 1, 1957
Don C. Bliss – Career FSO May 20, 1957 June 22, 1957 June 4, 1960
Arthur L. Richards – Career FSO June 24, 1960 August 26, 1960 Left Ethiopia, November 25, 1962
Edward M. Korry – Political appointee March 9, 1963 April 20, 1963 September 22, 1967
William O. Hall – Career FSO September 13, 1967 October 27, 1967 May 15, 1971
E. Ross Adair – Political appointee May 11, 1971 July 8, 1971 February 12, 1974
Arthur W. Hummel, Jr. – Career FSO February 20, 1975 April 3, 1975 July 6, 1976
Frederic L. Chapin – Career FSO[8] June 27, 1978 July 21, 1978 July 29, 1980 The U.S. ambassador was recalled in July 1980 and a series of chargés maintained the embassy until June 1992.
Owen W. Roberts Chargé d'Affaires July 29, 1980 Unknown May 1982
David A. Korn June 1982 July 1985
James Cheek July 1985 August 1988
Robert G. Houdek August 1988 June 1991
Marc Allen Baas – Career FSO[9] June 1991 June 24, 1992
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary June 15, 1992 June 24, 1992 July 8, 1994
Irvin Hicks – Career FSO May 9, 1994 July 22, 1994 June 26, 1996
David H. Shinn – Career FSO June 6, 1996 July 2, 1996 August 14, 1999
Tibor P. Nagy – Career FSO August 9, 1999 October 12, 1999 July 19, 2002
Aurelia E. Brazeal – Career FSO October 3, 2002 November 20, 2002 September 2, 2005
Vicki J. Huddleston Chargé d'Affaires September 2, 2005 Unknown November 9, 2006
Donald Yamamoto – Career FSO Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary November 9, 2006 December 6, 2006 July 28, 2009
Donald E. Booth – Career FSO April 2, 2010 May 2, 2010 August 16, 2013
Patricia M. Haslach – Career FSO August 14, 2013 September 25, 2013 August 31, 2016
Peter H. Vrooman Chargé d'Affaires September 1, 2016 Unknown July 2017
Michael A. Raynor – Career FSO Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary August 3, 2017 September 29, 2017 January 20, 2021[10]
David Renz – Career FSO[11] Chargé d'Affaires January 20, 2021 Unknown March 5, 2021
Geeta Pasi – Career FSO Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary December 22, 2020 March 5, 2021[12] February 25, 2022
Tracey Ann Jacobson – Career FSO Chargé d'Affaires February 25, 2022 September 25, 2023
Gwendolyn Green – Career FSO Chargé d'Affaires September 26, 2023 October 3, 2023
Ervin Jose Massinga Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary July 23, 2023 October 3, 2023 Incumbent

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=632570845700415&set=a.167504332207071
  2. ^ https://m.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=632570845700415&set=a.167504332207071&type=3
  3. ^ Philip was commissioned during a recess of the Senate and recommissioned after confirmation on December 9, 1908. He was commissioned to Abyssinia, but did not serve under this recess appointment.
  4. ^ Southard was commissioned during a recess of the Senate and recommissioned after confirmation on December 19, 1927
  5. ^ Engert’s mission was terminated when Italian forces occupied Addis Ababa, May 6, 1936.
  6. ^ a b Caldwell’s mission was terminated on October 7, 1943, when the mission was promoted to Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary. Caldwell was recommissioned with the new title on the same date.
  7. ^ a b Merrell’s mission was terminated on May 21, 1949, when the mission was promoted to Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary. Merrell was recommissioned with the new title on the same date.
  8. ^ Ambassador Chapin was recalled at the request of the Ethiopian government on July 29, 1980.
  9. ^ Baas was commissioned as chargé d’affaires in 1982 and promoted to ambassador in 1992.
  10. ^ Firew, Eskinder (January 26, 2021). "Departing US Envoy Warns Ethiopia Against Violence". VOA News. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
  11. ^ "David Renz". US Embassy in Ethiopia. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
  12. ^ "UPDATE: New U.S. Ambassador to Ethiopia Ms. Geeta Pasi Visits Tigray". Tadias Magazine. March 10, 2021. Retrieved 13 March 2021.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_ambassadors_of_the_United_States_to_Ethiopia&oldid=1218243723"