List of ambassadors of the United States to Sri Lanka and the Maldives
Ambassador of the United States to Sri Lanka and the Maldives | |
---|---|
Incumbent Julie Chung since January 2022 | |
Nominator | The President of the United States |
Appointer | The President with Senate advice and consent |
Inaugural holder | Felix Cole as Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary |
Formation | August 3, 1949 |
Website | U.S. Embassy – Colombo |
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".
The position of United States Ambassador to Sri Lanka and the Maldives has existed since 1949.[notes 1] Sri Lanka–United States relations and Maldives–United States relations have been friendly throughout the history of Sri Lanka and the history of the Maldives. The diplomatic mission representing the United States in both countries is located in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
Julie Chung is the incumbent ambassador from the United States to Sri Lanka and the Maldives. She succeeded Alaina B. Teplitz to this position.
United States Ambassadors to Ceylon[]
# | Name | Start date | Finish date | References | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Felix Cole | August 3, 1949 | October 30, 1949 | Harry S. Truman | |
2 | Joseph C. Satterthwaite | November 19, 1949 | July 25, 1953 | Harry S. Truman
Dwight D. Eisenhower |
|
3 | Maxwell Henry Gluck | September 19, 1953 | September 27, 1956 | Dwight D. Eisenhower | |
4 | Philip K. Crowe | September 19, 1957 | October 2, 1958 | Dwight D. Eisenhower | |
5 | November 22, 1958 | June 3, 1959 | Dwight D. Eisenhower | ||
6 | Bernard Gufler | August 24, 1959 | March 1, 1961 | Dwight D. Eisenhower
John F. Kennedy |
|
7 | Frances E. Willis | May 11, 1961 | September 20, 1964 | John F. Kennedy
Lyndon B. Johnson |
|
8 | Cecil B. Lyon | October 30, 1964 | June 17, 1967 | Lyndon B. Johnson | |
9 | Andrew V. Corry | May 24, 1967 | March 21, 1970 | Lyndon B. Johnson
Richard Nixon |
United States Ambassadors to Sri Lanka[]
# | Name | Image | Career track | Start date | Finish date | President(s) | References |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
10 | Robert Strausz-Hupé | Political appointee | May 3, 1970 | December 12, 1971 | Richard Nixon | ||
11 | Christopher Van Hollen | Career FSO | October 27, 1972 | April 21, 1976 | Richard Nixon
Gerald Ford |
||
12 | John H. Reed | Political appointee | July 2, 1976 | June 1, 1977 | Gerald Ford
Jimmy Carter |
||
13 | William Howard Wriggins | Political appointee | August 18, 1977 | December 13, 1979 | Jimmy Carter | ||
14 | Donald R. Toussaint | Career FSO | January 21, 1980 | January 17, 1982 | Jimmy Carter
Ronald Reagan |
||
15 | John H. Reed | Political appointee | February 8, 1982 | September 3, 1985 | Ronald Reagan | ||
16 | James W. Spain | Career FSO | November 21, 1985 | June 16, 1989 | Ronald Reagan
George H. W. Bush |
||
17 | Marion V. Creekmore, Jr. | Career FSO | November 29, 1989 | August 27, 1992 | George H. W. Bush | ||
18 | Teresita Currie Schaffer | Career FSO | October 7, 1992 | August 15, 1995 | George H. W. Bush
Bill Clinton |
||
19 | Peter Burleigh | Career FSO | January 19, 1996 | August 1, 1997 | Bill Clinton | ||
20 | December 19, 1997 | August 16, 2000 | Bill Clinton | ||||
21 | November 13, 2000 | June 17, 2003 | Bill Clinton
George W. Bush |
||||
22 | September 26, 2003 | September 9, 2006 | George W. Bush | ||||
23 | Robert O. Blake, Jr. | Career FSO | September 9, 2006 | August 19, 2009 | George W. Bush
Barack Obama |
||
24 | Patricia A. Butenis | Career FSO | August 19, 2009 | June 29, 2012 | Barack Obama | ||
25 | Michele J. Sison | Career FSO | June 29, 2012 | December 6, 2014 | Barack Obama | ||
26 | Atul Keshap | Career FSO | August 21, 2015 | July 15, 2018 | Barack Obama
Donald Trump |
||
27 | Alaina B. Teplitz | Career FSO | November 1, 2018 | Present | Donald Trump
Joe Biden |
Notes[]
- ^ until 1972: "…to Ceylon…"
See also[]
- Sri Lanka – United States relations
- Maldives – United States relations
- Foreign relations of Sri Lanka
- Foreign relations of the Maldives
- Ambassadors of the United States
References[]
- United States Department of State: Background notes on Sri Lanka
- United States Department of State: Background notes on the Maldives
- 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)
External links[]
Categories:
- Lists of ambassadors of the United States
- Ambassadors of the United States to Sri Lanka
- Ambassadors of the United States to the Maldives
- Lists of ambassadors to the Maldives
- Lists of ambassadors to Sri Lanka