List of ambassadors of the United States to Mozambique
| Ambassador of the United States to Mozambique | |
|---|---|
 Seal of the United States Department of State | |
| Nominator | The President of the United States |
| Appointer | The President with Senate advice and consent |
| Inaugural holder | Willard Ames De Pree as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary |
| Formation | February 4, 1976 |
| Website | Ambassador to Mozambique |
Mozambique was an overseas possession of Portugal until 1975. On June 25, 1975, Portugal granted independence to Mozambique, much later than other European nations had freed their own African possessions.
The United States immediately recognized the new nation and moved to establish diplomatic relations. An embassy in the capital Maputo (then named Lourenço Marques) was opened November 8, 1975, with Johnnie Carson as chargé d’affaires ad interim. On February 4, 1976, Ambassador Willard Ames De Pree was appointed as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Mozambique.
On March 29, 2012, President Barack Obama, in a White House press release, officially nominated to succeed Leslie V. Rowe as the U.S. Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Republic of Mozambique. Griffiths is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service and previously served as the in Geneva, Switzerland.[1]
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Willard Ames De Pree – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | February 4, 1976 | April 16, 1976 | July 7, 1980 | |
| William H. Twaddell | Chargé d’Affaires ad interim | July 7, 1980 | - | September 23, 1983 | |
| Peter Jon de Vos – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | September 23, 1983 | November 4, 1983 | February 12, 1987 | |
| Melissa Foelsch Wells – Career FSO[2] | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | September 11, 1987 | September 26, 1987 | October 12, 1990 | |
| Townsend B. Friedman, Jr. – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | August 6, 1990 | November 10, 1990 | September 15, 1993 | |
| Dennis C. Jett – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | July 16, 1993 | November 17, 1993 | July 20, 1996 | |
| P. Michael McKinley | Chargé d’Affaires ad interim | July 20, 1996 | - | December 3, 1997 | |
| Brian D. Curran – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | October 24, 1997 | December 3, 1997 | June 21, 2000 | |
| Sharon P. Wilkinson – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | September 15, 2000 | October 25, 2000 | July 21, 2003 | |
| Helen R. Meagher La Lime – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | April 16, 2003 | September 3, 2003 | June 21, 2006 | |
| Todd C. Chapman | Chargé d’Affaires ad interim | June 21, 2006 | - | February 10, 2010[verification needed] | |
| Leslie V. Rowe - Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | December 29, 2009 | February 10, 2010 | March 1, 2012 | |
| Douglas M. Griffiths - Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | July 5, 2012 | August 8, 2012 | December 28, 2015 | |
| H. Dean Pittman - Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | November 23, 2015 | February 18, 2016 | December 21, 2018 | |
| Dennis Walter Hearne - Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | January 31, 2019[3] | April 3, 2019[4] | Incumbent |
Notes[]
- ^ www.whitehouse.gov
- ^ An earlier nomination of October 7, 1986, was not acted upon by the Senate.
- ^ "Ambassador Dennis Walter Hearne". U.S. Embassy in Mozambique. Retrieved 2019-04-06.
- ^ "U.S. Ambassador to Mozambique Dennis Walter Hearne presents credentials to Mozambican President Filipe Jacinto Nyusi". Club of Mozambique. April 3, 2019. Retrieved 2019-04-06.
See also[]
- Mozambique – United States relations
- Foreign relations of Mozambique
- Ambassadors of the United States
Sources[]
- United States Department of State: Background notes on Mozambique
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)
This article incorporates External links[]
Categories:
- Lists of ambassadors of the United States
- Ambassadors of the United States to Mozambique
- Lists of ambassadors to Mozambique