List of ambassadors of the United States to Australia

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Ambassador of the United States to Australia
US Department of State official seal.svg
Seal of the United States Department of State
Photo of Michael B. Goldman.jpg
Incumbent
Michael B. Goldman
as Chargé d’affaires
since January 20, 2021
Inaugural holderClarence E. Gauss
(as US Minister to Australia)
Formation1940
WebsiteChargé d’affaires to Australia Edit this at Wikidata

The position of United States Ambassador to Australia has existed since 1940. U.S.–Australian relations have been close throughout the history of Australia. Before World War II, Australia was closely aligned with the United Kingdom, but it has strengthened its relationship with the United States since 1942, as Britain's influence in Asia has declined and the United States' influence has increased. At the governmental level, United States–Australia relationships are formalised by the ANZUS treaty and Australia-United States Free Trade Agreement.

The embassy in Canberra has always been regarded as a desirable posting and hence has become a patronage position. U.S. Ambassadors to Australia have traditionally been friends, political allies, or former business associates of the President of the day. Some have been major donors to the President's election campaign or political party. Few have been career diplomats (Marshall Green was a conspicuous exception). The two ambassadors during the Bush Administration, for example, were Tom Schieffer, a former business associate of President Bush, and Robert McCallum Jr., a Bush college friend. In 1942, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's close associate and nominee to be US Minister in Canberra, Edward J. Flynn, was forced to withdraw his nomination for the position following difficulties in the senate confirmation process.[1] The actor Fess Parker was offered the post in 1985 by Ronald Reagan, after representing Reagan at an event in Australia. Parker considered it, but turned it down.[2]

This arrangement has suited Australian governments, which welcome the ability of such Ambassadors to gain direct access to the President, bypassing the State Department. However, this has often had the result of long periods without an appointed ambassador and additional delays in the Senate confirmation process, with the career diplomat deputy head of mission serving as Chargé d’Affaires ad interim, such as between February 2005 and August 2006, from September 2016 to February 2019, and currently since January 2021.

United States Ambassadors to Australia[]

The following individuals have served as the US Ambassadors to Australia, or any precedent titles:

List of US Ambassadors to Australia
Ordinal Officeholder Image Term began Term ended Time in office Notes
US Ministers to Australia
1 Clarence E. Gauss Clarence Gauss.png July 17, 1940 March 5, 1941
2 Nelson T. Johnson Nelson T. Johnson cph.3c35451.jpg September 12, 1941 April 20, 1945
US Ambassadors to Australia
3 Robert Butler 1946 1948 [3]
4 Myron M. Cowen 1948 1949
5 Pete Jarman PeteJarman.jpg 8 June 1949 (1949-06-08) 31 July 1953 (1953-07-31) 4 years, 53 days [4]
6 Amos J. Peaslee August 12, 1953 February 16, 1956
7 Douglas M. Moffat 1956 1956
8 William J. Sebald William J. Sebald.jpg 14 March 1957 (1957-03-14) 31 October 1961 (1961-10-31) 4 years, 231 days [5]
9 William C. Battle Ambassador William C Battle.jpg 13 July 1962 (1962-07-13) 31 August 1964 (1964-08-31) 2 years, 49 days [6]
10 Ed Clark 1965 1967 [7]
11 William H. Crook 1968 1969
12 Walter L. Rice 1969 1973
13 Marshall Green June 8, 1973 July 31, 1975
14 James Ward Hargrove 1976 1977
15 Philip H. Alston 1977 1981 [8][9]
16 Robert D. Nesen 20 November 1981 (1981-11-20) 2 May 1985 (1985-05-02) 3 years, 163 days [10]
17 Laurence W. Lane 6 December 1985 (1985-12-06) 29 April 1989 (1989-04-29) 3 years, 144 days [11]
18 Melvin F. Sembler Melvin Sembler 2007-side.jpg 10 October 1989 (1989-10-10) 28 February 1993 (1993-02-28) 3 years, 141 days [12]
19 Edward J. Perkins Ambassador Perkins.jpg 24 November 1993 (1993-11-24) 19 July 1996 (1996-07-19) 2 years, 238 days [13]
20 Genta H. Holmes 11 April 1997 (1997-04-11) 23 July 2000 (2000-07-23) 3 years, 103 days [14]
21 Edward (Skip) Gnehm EdwardGnehm.JPG 30 August 2000 (2000-08-30) 22 June 2001 (2001-06-22) 296 days [15]
22 Thomas Schieffer Tom Schieffer.jpg 23 August 2001 (2001-08-23) 18 February 2005 (2005-02-18) 3 years, 179 days [16]
− William Stanton Bill Stanton Deputy Chief of Mission, US Embassy.jpg 19 February 2005 (2005-02-19) 23 August 2006 (2006-08-23) 1 year, 185 days Chargé d’affaires[17]
23 Robert McCallum, Jr. Robert D. McCallum, Jr.jpg 24 August 2006 (2006-08-24) 20 January 2009 (2009-01-20) 2 years, 149 days [18]
24 Jeff Bleich Amb Jeffrey Bleich 8x10.jpg 26 November 2009 (2009-11-26) 12 September 2013 (2013-09-12) 3 years, 290 days [19]
25 John Berry Berry official portrait.jpg 25 September 2013 (2013-09-25) 20 September 2016 (2016-09-20) 2 years, 361 days [20]
− 21 September 2016 (2016-09-21) 12 March 2019 (2019-03-12) 2 years, 173 days Chargé d’affaires[21]
26 Arthur B. Culvahouse Jr. Arthur B. Culvahouse, Jr. official photo.jpg 13 March 2019 (2019-03-13) 19 January 2021 (2021-01-19) 1 year, 312 days [22]
− Michael B. Goldman Photo of Michael B. Goldman.jpg 20 January 2021 (2021-01-20) Incumbent 1 year, 27 days Chargé d’affaires[23]

In January 2022, President Biden nominated Caroline Kennedy to the ambassadorship.[24][25]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ Birkner, Michael (2018). "The Battle FDR Lost:The Failed Nomination of Boss Ed Flynn as Minister to Australia". The Cupola. Passport 48 (1): 33–39. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
  2. ^ Legacy.com, Fess Parker obituary
  3. ^ "Robert Butler (1897–1955)". U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian. Retrieved February 15, 2016.
  4. ^ United States Congress. "(id: J000058)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
  5. ^ William Joseph Sebald at Office of the Historian, Bureau of Public Affairs, United States Department of State
  6. ^ Daily Progress obituary
  7. ^ Clark, Anne. Australian Adventure. University of Texas Press, 1969, p. 6.
  8. ^ "PHILIP HENRY ALSTON JR. (1911-1988)". U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian.
  9. ^ "United States Ambassador to Australia - Nomination of Philip H. Alston, Jr". The American Presidency Project.
  10. ^ "Reagan's Nomination of Nesen as Ambassador to Australia". Retrieved May 25, 2010.
  11. ^ "L. W. Lane, Jr". Council of American Ambassadors web site. 2004. Archived from the original on January 4, 2007. Retrieved May 25, 2010.
  12. ^ "Australia bestows honor on Sembler". St. Petersburg Times. 2000-05-14. Retrieved 2012-04-06.
  13. ^ "Edward Perkins". Office of the Historian, Bureau of Public Affairs, United States Department of State. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  14. ^ "Genta Hawkins Holmes". Office of the Historian, Bureau of Public Affairs, United States Department of State. Retrieved 19 April 2010.
  15. ^ "Edward Gnehm". Office of the Historian, Bureau of Public Affairs, United States Department of State. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  16. ^ "John Schieffer". Office of the Historian, Bureau of Public Affairs, United States Department of State. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  17. ^ "William A. Stanton (1947–)". Office of the Historian. US Department of State. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
  18. ^ "Robert McCallum". Office of the Historian, Bureau of Public Affairs, United States Department of State. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  19. ^ "Jeff Bleich". Office of the Historian, Bureau of Public Affairs, United States Department of State. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  20. ^ "John Berry". Office of the Historian, Bureau of Public Affairs, United States Department of State. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  21. ^ "Chargé d'Affaires James Carouso". U.S. Embassy and Consulates in Australia. US Department of State. Archived from the original on 22 October 2018. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
  22. ^ "Arthur Culvahouse Jr". Office of the Historian, Bureau of Public Affairs, United States Department of State. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  23. ^ "Chargé d'Affaires Michael Goldman - U.S. Embassy & Consulates in Australia". web.archive.org. 2021-11-07. Retrieved 2021-11-07.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  24. ^ Presidential nomination no. 1661, Caroline Kennedy, of New York, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Commonwealth of Australia., 117th Congress, January 7, 2022. Accessed January 29, 2022.
  25. ^ Citowicki, Philip (16 December 2021). "Caroline Kennedy Nominated as US Ambassador to Australia". The Diplomat. Retrieved 28 January 2022.

External links[]

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