List of ambassadors of the United States to Ethiopia
Ambassador of the United States to Ethiopia | |
---|---|
Incumbent Geeta Pasi since March 5, 2021 | |
Nominator | The President of the United States |
Appointer | The President with Senate advice and consent |
Inaugural holder | Hoffman Philip as Minister Resident/Consul General |
Formation | July 20, 1908 |
Website | U.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[]
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".
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[1] | Minister Resident/Consul General | July 20, 1908 | July 6, 1909 | February 8, 1910 | |
Addison E. Southard – Career FSO[2] | October 12, 1927 | March 1, 1928 | October 26, 1934 | ||
Cornelius Van H. Engert – Career FSO[3] | 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[4] | April 14, 1943 | August 31, 1943 | December 9, 1943 | ||
John K. Caldwell – Career FSO[4] | 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[5] | May 15, 1947 | January 1, 1948 | May 21, 1949 | ||
George R. Merrell – Career FSO[5] | 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[6] | 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 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[7] | June 1991 | June 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 2005 | Unknown | November 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 | September 1, 2016 | July 2017 | |
Michael A. Raynor – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | August 3, 2017 | September 29, 2017 | January 20, 2021[8] | |
David Renz – Career FSO[9] | Chargé d'Affaires | January 20, 2021 | Unknown | March 5, 2021 | |
Geeta Pasi – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | January 2021 | March 5, 2021[10] | Incumbent |
Notes[]
- ^ 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.
- ^ Southard was commissioned during a recess of the Senate and recommissioned after confirmation on December 19, 1927
- ^ Engert’s mission was terminated when Italian forces occupied Addis Ababa, May 6, 1936.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Ambassador Chapin was recalled at the request of the Ethiopian government on July 29, 1980.
- ^ Baas was commissioned as chargé d’affaires in 1982 and promoted to ambassador in 1992.
- ^ Firew, Eskinder (January 26, 2021). "Departing US Envoy Warns Ethiopia Against Violence". VOA News. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
- ^ "David Renz". US Embassy in Ethiopia. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
- ^ "UPDATE: New U.S. Ambassador to Ethiopia Ms. Geeta Pasi Visits Tigray". Tadias Magazine. March 10, 2021. Retrieved 13 March 2021.
See also[]
- Ethiopia–United States relations
- Foreign relations of Ethiopia
- Ambassadors of the United States
References[]
- United States Department of State: Background Notes on Ethiopia
- This article incorporates public domain material from the United States Department of State website https://www.state.gov/countries-areas/. (U.S. Bilateral Relations Fact Sheets) 2006
External links[]
Categories:
- Lists of ambassadors of the United States
- Ambassadors of the United States to Ethiopia
- Lists of ambassadors to Ethiopia
- Ethiopia–United States relations