List of ambassadors of the United States to Portugal

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Ambassador of the United States to Portugal
US Department of State official seal.svg
Seal of the United States Department of State
Kristin M Kane.jpg
Incumbent

Chargé d'Affaires
since January 20, 2021
NominatorThe President of the United States
AppointerThe President
with Senate advice and consent
Inaugural holderDavid Humphreys
as Minister Resident
FormationFebruary 21, 1791 (1791-02-21)
WebsiteU.S. Embassy - Lisbon

Bilateral diplomatic relations between the United States and Portugal date from the earliest years of the United States. Following the Revolutionary War, Portugal was the first neutral country to recognize the United States. On February 21, 1791, President George Washington opened formal diplomatic relations, naming Col. David Humphreys as U.S. Minister Resident. Subsequent envoys were given the title Minister Plenipotentiary.

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".
Name Title Appointed Presented Credentials Terminated Mission Notes
David Humphreys Minister Resident February 21, 1791 May 13, 1791 July 25, 1797
William L. Smith Minister Plenipotentiary July 10, 1797 September 8, 1797 September 9, 1801 There was no U.S. minister representing the U.S. from 1801–1807.
Thomas Sumter Jr.[1] March 7, 1809 June 7, 1810 July 24, 1819
John Graham[1] January 6, 1819 June 24, 1819 June 13, 1820
John James Appleton[1][2] Chargé d'Affaires Not commissioned — July 12, 1821.
Henry Dearborn, Sr. Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary May 7, 1822 Unknown[3] June 30, 1824
[4] Chargé d'Affaires March 9, 1825 June 24, 1825 November 28, 1834
Edward Kavanagh March 3, 1835 July 25, 1835 April 19, 1841
Washington Barrow August 16, 1841 December 28, 1841 February 24, 1844
Abraham Rencher[5] September 22, 1843 February 24, 1844 November 4, 1847
George W. Hopkins March 3, 1847 November 4, 1847 October 18, 1849
James Brown Clay[6] August 1, 1849 October 18, 1849 August 19, 1850
December 10, 1850 June 17, 1851 June 16, 1854
John L. O'Sullivan[7] February 16, 1854 June 16, 1854 June 29, 1854 Promoted to Minister Resident
John L. O'Sullivan[7] Minister Resident June 29, 1854 October 19, 1854 July 15, 1858
George W. Morgan May 11, 1858 July 15, 1858 July 19, 1861
March 28, 1861 July 19, 1861 July 15, 1869
Samuel Shellabarger April 21, 1869 July 15, 1869 January 1, 1870
March 15, 1870 June 15, 1870 April 8, 1875
Benjamin Moran December 15, 1874 April 8, 1875 November 9, 1876[8]
Benjamin Moran[8] Chargé d'Affaires August 15, 1876 November 15, 1876 September 27, 1882
John M. Francis[9] Minister Resident/Consul General July 7, 1882 October 5, 1882 August 25, 1884
July 4, 1884 October 23, 1884 May 7, 1885
Edward Parke Custis Lewis April 2, 1885 June 18, 1885 June 14, 1889
George B. Loring March 30, 1889 August 29, 1889 May 31, 1890
George S. Batcheller October 1, 1890 December 30, 1890 August 17, 1892
Gilbert A. Pierce January 6, 1893 March 20, 1893 May 24, 1893 In 1893 the rank of the U.S. representative in Lisbon was raised to Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary.
[10] Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary April 25, 1893 June 30, 1893 July 24, 1897
Lawrence Townsend June 9, 1897 August 18, 1897 May 29, 1899
John N. Irwin[11] April 12, 1899 December 26, 1899 May 15, 1900
Francis B. Loomis[12] June 17, 1901 August 14, 1901 September 16, 1902
Charles Page Bryan January 7, 1903 April 25, 1903 January 16, 1910
Henry T. Gage December 21, 1909 June 11, 1910 November 19, 1910[13]
Edwin V. Morgan May 24, 1911 August 3, 1911 February 11, 1912
Cyrus E. Woods January 25, 1912 March 20, 1912 August 19, 1913
– Political appointee September 10, 1913 December 15, 1913 March 15, 1922
Fred Morris Dearing – Career FSO February 10, 1922 June 6, 1922 February 28, 1930
– Political appointee December 16, 1929 March 26, 1930 July 28, 1933
Robert Granville Caldwell – Political appointee June 13, 1933 August 21, 1933 May 28, 1937
Herbert Claiborne Pell – Political appointee May 27, 1937 July 31, 1937 February 3, 1941
Bert Fish – Political appointee February 11, 1941 March 26, 1941 Died at post July 21, 1943
Raymond Henry Norweb – Career FSO Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary[14] November 15, 1943 December 3, 1943 May 4, 1944 In May 1944 the rank of the envoy to Portugal was raised to Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary.
R. Henry Norweb – Career FSO Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary May 4, 1944 June 20, 1944[15] February 15, 1945
Herman B. Baruch – Political appointee February 9, 1945 April 12, 1945[16] March 9, 1947
John C. Wiley – Career FSO April 10, 1947 June 18, 1947 March 15, 1948
Lincoln MacVeagh – Political appointee April 8, 1948 June 9, 1948 February 26, 1952
Cavendish W. Cannon – Career FSO March 13, 1952 June 2, 1952 August 1, 1953
M. Robert Guggenheim – Political appointee June 24, 1953 August 12, 1953 September 19, 1954
James C. H. Bonbright – Career FSO January 24, 1955 February 18, 1955 November 27, 1958
C. Burke Elbrick[17] – Career FSO October 29, 1958 January 13, 1959 August 31, 1963
George W. Anderson, Jr. – Political appointee August 1, 1963 October 22, 1963 June 1, 1966
W. Tapley Bennett, Jr. – Career FSO May 10, 1966 July 20, 1966 July 21, 1969
Ridgway B. Knight – Career FSO July 8, 1969 July 30, 1969 February 24, 1973
Stuart Nash Scott – Political appointee December 19, 1973 January 23, 1974 January 12, 1975
Frank C. Carlucci – Career FSO December 9, 1974 January 24, 1975 February 5, 1978
Richard J. Bloomfield – Career FSO February 3, 1978 March 10, 1978 June 10, 1982
Henry Allen Holmes – Career FSO September 23, 1982 October 15, 1982 June 26, 1985
Frank Shakespeare – Political appointee August 2, 1985 October 16, 1985 October 4, 1986
Chargé d'Affaires December 1986 — August 1987
Wesley W. Egan August 1987 — January 1988
Edward Morgan Rowell[18] – Career FSO Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary January 19, 1988 January 29, 1988 March 30, 1990
Everett Ellis Briggs – Career FSO April 1, 1990 May 25, 1990 September 3, 1993 Sharon P. Wilkinson served as Chargé d'Affaires ad interim, September 1993–September 1994.
Elizabeth Frawley Bagley – Political appointee July 5, 1994 September 21, 1994 October 3, 1997
Gerald S. McGowan – Political appointee November 10, 1997 March 10, 1998 July 3, 2001
John N. Palmer – Political appointee November 5, 2001 November 28, 2001 September 25, 2004
Alfred Hoffman, Jr. – Political appointee October 12, 2005 November 30, 2005 September 15, 2007
Thomas F. Stephenson – Political appointee October 29, 2007 February 8, 2008 June 2009
Allan J. Katz – Political appointee March 26, 2010 April 28, 2010 July 2013
Robert A. Sherman – Political appointee March 5, 2014 April 5, 2014 January 20, 2017
Herro Mustafa – Career FSO Chargé d'Affaires January 20, 2017[19] — August 25, 2017[20]
George Edward Glass – Political appointee Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary August 9, 2017 August 30, 2017 January 20, 2021

Notes[]

  1. ^ a b c During a succession of wars and invasions, the Portuguese royal family was in exile in Brazil in 1807–1821. Ambassadors Sumter and Graham, and Chargé Appleton represented the U.S. at the court of Portugal in Rio de Janeiro.
  2. ^ Appleton’s nomination as Chargé d’Affaires was rejected by the Senate. He did, however, serve as Chargé d’Affaires ad interim from June 1820 until the legation to Portugal at Rio de Janeiro was closed in 1821.
  3. ^ Dearborn arrived at Lisbon before August 16, 1822. He did not report the date of presentation of credentials.
  4. ^ Brent was reaccredited on after change of government of Portugal. He presented new credentials January 18, 1830.
  5. ^ Rencher was commissioned during a recess of the Senate and recommissioned after confirmation on January 11, 1844.
  6. ^ Clay was commissioned during a recess of the Senate and recommissioned after confirmation on March 18, 1850.
  7. ^ a b President Franklin Pierce nominated O’Sullivan February 25, 1856, to be Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary but the nomination withdrawn before the Senate acted upon it.
  8. ^ a b Moran was reassigned as Chargé d’Affaires at the Lisbon legation on August 15, 1876. He served in that position until 1882.
  9. ^ Francis took the oath of office as Chargé d’Affaires but did not proceed to the post under that appointment. He was recommissioned as Minister Resident/Consul General on July 7, 1882.
  10. ^ Caruth was commissioned during a recess of the Senate and recommissioned after confirmation on August 22, 1893.
  11. ^ Irwin was commissioned during a recess of the Senate and recommissioned after confirmation on December 14, 1899.
  12. ^ Loomis was commissioned during a recess of the Senate; recommissioned after confirmation on December 10, 1901.
  13. ^ Normal relations between Portugal and the United States were interrupted October 5, 1910 as a result of the 1910 revolution. The new government of Portugal still unrecognized by the United States when Gage left post on November 19, 1910.
  14. ^ Norweb held the personal rank of Ambassador.
  15. ^ Norweb’s promotion required the presentation of new credentials.
  16. ^ Baruch was officially recognized as of April 12, 1945.
  17. ^ Elbrick was commissioned during a recess of the Senate and recommissioned after confirmation on January 29, 1959.
  18. ^ Rowell was commissioned during a recess of the Senate and recommissioned after confirmation on May 12, 1988.
  19. ^ Cabrita-Mendes, André (January 6, 2017). "Embaixador dos EUA que apoiou a selecção parte com Portugal 'no coração'" [USA ambassador who supported the national team leaves with Portugal 'on [his] heart']. Jornal de Negócios (in Portuguese). Lisbon. Retrieved October 13, 2017. A embaixada norte-americana diz que a representação diplomática em Portugal vai ser feita pela ministra conselheira Herro Mustafa até que um novo Embaixador seja nomeado e chegue a Lisboa.
  20. ^ "Ambassador George E. Glass". U. S. Embassy and Consulate in Portugal. U. S. Department of State. Retrieved October 13, 2017. George E. Glass of Oregon arrived in Lisbon on August 24, 2017 to serve as United States Ambassador to the Portuguese Republic. He presented his credentials to the President of the Portuguese Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, on August 25th, 2017.

See also[]

References[]

External links[]

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