List of ambassadors of Australia to the United States

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Ambassador of Australia to the United States
Coat of Arms of Australia.svg
Arthur Sinodinos DFAT.jpg
Incumbent
Arthur Sinodinos
since 7 February 2020
StyleHis Excellency
NominatorPrime Minister of Australia
AppointerGovernor-General of Australia
Inaugural holderThe Lord Casey
Formation1 March 1940
WebsiteEmbassy of Australia
The Australian Embassy on 1601 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington, D.C.

The Ambassador of Australia to the United States is an officer of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the director of the Embassy of Australia to the United States of America in Washington, D.C. It is Australia's third-oldest ambassadorial post, after the High Commissions in London (1910) and Ottawa (1939). The job has the rank and status of an Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary and is currently Arthur Sinodinos, who has held the position since 7 February 2020.[1] The ambassador's work is assisted by multiple consulates throughout the country that have visiting and reporting responsibilities, as well as consular and trade matters for the embassy.

On 26 May 2019 Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced, along with new Cabinet nominations, that he would recommend Senator for New South Wales Arthur Sinodinos to replace Joe Hockey as Ambassador to the United States when Hockey's term ends in early 2020.[2][3] Sinodinos replaced Hockey in February 2020.[4]

Posting history[]

The United States and Australia have had official diplomatic relations since 1 March 1940, when Australia established a legation in Washington as one of its first independent postings. Prior to that, Australia had been represented by the British Embassy in Washington, either through a representative of the Australian government or simply by British officials on Australia's behalf. During 1929, Prime Minister Stanley Bruce appointed Herbert Brookes as "Commissioner-General to the United States", with a mandate to promote "Australian achievements in economic, musical, artistic, literary and intellectual fields". However, Brookes was recalled the next year by James Scullin (Bruce's successor), as a cost-saving measure during the Depression.[5][6] During 1937, Joseph Lyons (Scullin's successor) appointed Keith Officer as a liaison officer posted with the British Embassy, with the diplomatic rank of "Counsellor". Officer continued in the job until February 1940 when he became the charge d'Affaires, pending the arrival of Casey as the first Minister.[7][8]

First established as a legation directed by an Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, on 19 July 1946 the diplomatic representative was promoted to embassy status and the Australian Minister, Frederic Eggleston became the first Ambassador. The job is seen as very desirable, and political appointees are regularly posted. Several distinguished Australians have served as Ambassador to the United States, including a future Governor-General of Australia (Richard Casey), a future Chief Justice of Australia (Sir Owen Dixon), a future Governor of Tasmania (James Plimsoll), two former federal leaders of the opposition (Andrew Peacock and Kim Beazley), and a former Treasurer of Australia (Joe Hockey).[9]

Office-holders[]

Commissioner/Commissioner-General[]

Image Name Office Term start date Term end date
Henry Yule Braddon (1863-1955) in 1918.jpg
 Sir Henry Braddon Commissioner for Australia in the United States of America 19 September 1918 31 July 1919
31 July 1919 11 September 1924
[10] 11 September 1924 17 May 1926
Hugh Robert Dixson.jpg
 Sir Hugh Denison[11] Commissioner-General for Australia in the United States of America 17 May 1926 10 February 1928
Herbert Brookes - Falk Studios (cropped).jpg
 Herbert Brookes 13 June 1929 23 January 1931

Counsellor/Charge d'Affaires[]

Image Name Office Term start date Term end date
Sir Frank Keith Officer.png
 Keith Officer Australian Counsellor, British Embassy, United States of America February 1937 February 1940
Charge d'Affaires, Australian Legation February 1940 1 March 1940

Minister/Ambassador[]

Image Name Office Term start date Term end date
Richard Casey 1939 (cropped).jpg
 Richard Casey Minister to the United States of America 1 March 1940 1 June 1942
Dixon 01.jpg
 Owen Dixon 3 June 1942 1 October 1944
Sir Frederic Eggleston as Minister to USA in group portrait of Australian delegates to the United Nations conference in San Francisco, 1945.jpg
 Frederic Eggleston 1 November 1944 19 July 1946
Ambassador to the United States of America 19 July 1946 5 September 1946
Makin-young.jpg
 Norman Makin 5 September 1946 1 January 1951
Percy Spender (1897-1985).jpg
 Percy Spender 31 May 1951 1 January 1957
Howard Beale.jpg
 Howard Beale 20 March 1958 1 April 1964
(44) 1960-62 Ambassador J K Waller Speech.jpg
 Keith Waller 20 April 1964 1 June 1970
James Plimsoll 1958-02 (cropped).jpg
 James Plimsoll 8 June 1970 1 January 1973
Patrick Shaw.jpg
 Patrick Shaw 21 February 1974 27 December 1975
Gordon Upton.jpg
 Gordon Noel Upton Chargé d'affaires 27 December 1975 8 March 1976
Nick Parkinson.jpg
 Nick Parkinson Ambassador to the United States of America 8 March 1976 1 February 1976
Alan Renouf.jpg
 Alan Renouf 9 February 1976 20 May 1979
Chargé d'affaires 20 May 1979 13 November 1979
Nick Parkinson.jpg
 Nick Parkinson Ambassador to the United States of America 13 November 1979 15 July 1982
Chargé d'affaires 15 July 1982 16 August 1982
Bob Cotton 1969.jpg
 Bob Cotton Ambassador to the United States of America 16 August 1982 1 June 1985
Rawdon Dalrymple 26 June 1985 1 April 1989
20 April 1989 1 August 1993
Dr Don Russell.jpg
 Don Russell 22 August 1993 1 December 1995
John McCarthy, AO (2).jpg
 John McCarthy 5 December 1995 1 February 1997
Andrew Peacock.jpg
 Andrew Peacock 2 February 1997 27 February 1999
Amb Michael Thawley.jpg
 Michael Thawley 2 February 2000 1 June 2005
Dennis J Richardson (2).jpg
 Dennis Richardson 20 June 2005 1 February 2010
Kim Beazley crop.jpg
 Kim Beazley 17 February 2010 22 January 2016
Joe Hockey portrait 1.jpg
 Joe Hockey 29 January 2016 30 January 2020
Ambassador Arthur Sinodinos
 Arthur Sinodinos 7 February 2020 Incumbent

Consulates[]

Location Open Consul Consular district
Consulate-General, Chicago 1971 Michael Wood Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin[12]
Consulate-General, Honolulu 1973 Jane Hardy Hawaii, Guam, American Samoa, Northern Mariana Islands, USPACOM[13]
Consulate-General, Houston (Austrade) 1982 Peter McGauran Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Louisiana
Consulate-General, New York 1945 Alastair Walton New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont, Maine, New Hampshire, Ohio, Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands
Consulate-General, Los Angeles 1971 Chelsey Martin California (south of the 36N latitude), Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada (Clark County), Utah
Consulate-General, San Francisco (Austrade) 1946 Chris Oldfield California (north of 36N latitude), Nevada (except Clark County), Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming
Honorary Consulate, Miami 1999 Florida[14]

From 1993 to August 2012, there existed a Consulate-General in Atlanta, Georgia, which was managed by Austrade. The consulate's closure was due to a realignment of resources "to growing and emerging markets like Mongolia and Colombia." After its closure, the consulate's reporting responsibilities for the states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina and South Carolina were transferred to the Australian Embassy in Washington.[15] From 12 September 1994 to his death on 11 June 2017, there existed an Honorary Consulate in Denver, Colorado, held by Mark O'Regan, an Australian-born Denver realtor and former civil servant in the Territory of Papua New Guinea.[16] From 7 December 1999 to his death on 6 November 2013, the Honorary Consul in Miami, Florida, was Thomas Flynn.[17] Flynn was appointed as an Honorary Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for his service as honorary consul in 2005.[18]

Consuls-General[]

Atlanta[]

The consulate-general was opened in 1993 under Austrade management.[19] The consulate was closed in August 2012 following an Austrade restructure.

Name Start of term End of term References
Ian Wing 14 September 1993 May 1997 [20]
Geoff Gray 14 August 1997 2000
David Crook 2000 22 November 2004 [21][22]
Amanda Hodges 7 January 2005 June 2009
Duncan Cole June 2009 31 August 2012 [23]

Chicago[]

Originally opened in 1971, the consulate-general was closed in 1993 due to budget constraints after being transferred to Austrade, but re-opened under DFAT in 2001.[24]

Name Start of term End of term References
T. W. Collis 1971 1974
F. B. Hall 1975 1978
D. C. Goss 1979 1980
B. B. Hickey 1981 1985
Terry McCarthy 1986 1987
Jeremy Hearder 1988 1990 [25]
Kevin Gates 1991 6 August 1993
Consulate closed
Ron Harvey 2001 2004 [26]
Bob Charles 2005 2008 [27][28]
April 2008 April 2011
Roger Price November 2011 31 March 2015 [29]
Michael Wood 1 April 2015 date [12]

Honolulu[]

Originally opened as a Consulate in January 1973, the posting was upgraded to a Consulate-General on 26 March 1978.[30][31]

Name Start of term End of term References
David Wadham (Consul) January 1973 June 1975 [32]
William Rowe (Consul) June 1975 26 March 1978 [33]
William Rowe MBE 26 March 1978 June 1979 [34]
Brian Meade June 1979 February 1983
Bill Fisher February 1983 April 1987
Richard Smith April 1987 August 1989 [35]
Robert Tyson August 1989 January 1993
January 1993 October 1995
Colin McDonald October 1995 May 1998 [36]
Peter Woolcott May 1998 July 2001 [37]
Paul Robilliard July 2001 September 2004 [38]
John Quinn September 2004 August 2007 [39]
David Binns August 2007 August 2011 [40]
Scott Dewar August 2011 February 2015 [41]
Jeff Robinson 8 February 2015 22 December 2017
Jane Hardy 22 December 2017 present [42]

Los Angeles[]

Originally a Trade Commission from 1965, the post was upgraded to a Consulate-General from 3 March 1971 and was closed during a period of budget cuts to Foreign Affairs on 1 July 1976. The consulate reopened in September 1978 and management was transferred from DFAT to Austrade in October 1992. DFAT resumed management from November 1999.[43]

Name Start of term End of term References
A. I. Macrae (Trade Commissioner) 1964 1966 [44]
M. J. Long (Trade Commissioner) 1967 3 March 1971
OBE 3 March 1971 September 1975
Harold Marshall September 1975 1 July 1976
Consulate closed
Peter Barbour September 1978 April 1981
John McLeay Jr. April 1981 February 1984
Basil Teasey February 1984 June 1988
John Kelso June 1988 October 1992
Colin Hook October 1992 May 1995
Robert O'Donovan June 1995 1997
Michael Johnson 1997 November 1999
Allan Rocher November 1999 November 2002 [45]
John Olsen November 2002 September 2006 [46]
Innes Willox September 2006 March 2009 [47]
OAM March 2009 July 2012 [48]
Karen Lanyon July 2012 October 2015 [49]
Chelsey Martin 22 October 2015 2020 [50][51]
Jane Duke 2020 date [51]

San Francisco[]

Since 1993, the consulate-general has been managed by Austrade.[19]

Name Start of term End of term References
Edward Smart July 1946 October 1949 [52]
N. N. Frewin (acting) October 1949 1952 [53]
Stewart Wolfe Jamieson June 1952 1955
Melville Marshall May 1955 1960
Bill Cutts December 1960 1963
Frederick Homer February 1963 1966
Neil Truscott February 1966 1970 [54]
Roger Dean April 1970 1974
John McCredie August 1974 1977
Geoffrey Brady August 1977 1982
Leslie Sellars November 1982 1983
John Melhuish May 1983 1986
David Rutter October 1986 1990
David Charles August 1990 September 1993 [55]
John Paul McCaffrey 29 September 1993 May 1995
Dr Joe Hlubucek 25 May 1995 1998
Peter Lewis 1998 October 2002
Peter Frank 16 October 2002 2005
David Lawson 2005 June 2009
Nigel Warren June 2009 June 2015
June 2015 October 2015
Chris Oldfield October 2015 March 2019 [56][57]
Nick Nichles Mar 2019 date [58]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ Shields, Bevan (26 May 2019). "Arthur Sinodinos to be appointed US ambassador". The Sydney Morning Herald. The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
  2. ^ "Scott Morrison unveils new ministry as Coalition prepares for majority government". ABC News. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
  3. ^ "Arthur Sinodinos to be appointed US ambassador". Sydney Morning Herald. 26 May 2019. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
  4. ^ "Greg Norman, Tony Abbott fly to US for Joe Hockey's farewell". 9News. 18 January 2020. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
  5. ^ Alison Patrick, 'Brookes, Herbert Robinson (1867–1963)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/brookes-herbert-robinson-5372/text9089, published first in hardcopy 1979, accessed online 13 August 2017.
  6. ^ CA 242: Commissioner for Australia in the United States of America/ (by 1928) Commissioner-General for Australia in the United States of America, National Archives of Australia, retrieved 26 January 2018
  7. ^ Kathleen Dermody, 'Officer, Sir Frank Keith (1889–1969)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/officer-sir-frank-keith-11289/text20145, published first in hardcopy 2000, accessed online 13 August 2017.
  8. ^ CA 1939: Australian Counsellor, British Embassy, United States of America [Washington], National Archives of Australia, retrieved 26 January 2018
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  10. ^ E. A. Beever, 'Elder, Sir James Alexander (1869–1946)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/elder-sir-james-alexander-6099/text10449, accessed online 26 January 2018.
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Further reading[]

External links[]

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