Ambassadors and Chiefs of Mission

Who were the first U.S. Ambassadors?

The rank of Ambassador was first used by the United States in 1893. Thomas F. Bayard was appointed Ambassador to Great Britain on March 30. James B. Eustis was appointed Ambassador to France on April l8. Prior to this date, the highest-ranking U.S. diplomats were Ministers.

Which were the last U.S. diplomatic missions to become Embassies?

The last U.S. Legations (a legation is the office of a Minister) were in Bulgaria and Hungary. They were raised to Embassy status on November 28, 1966.

Which U.S. chief of mission served for the longest time?

George P. Marsh served as Minister to Italy from March 20, 1861 until his death on July 23, 1882.

Which U.S. chief of mission served for the shortest time?

Francis E. Meloy, Jr. was assassinated in Beirut, Lebanon, on June 16, 1976 while on his way to present his credentials to that country's president.

Who was the youngest chief of a U.S. diplomatic mission?

Edward Rumsey Wing was 24 years old when he was appointed Minister to Ecuador in 1869. Wing drank himself to death at his post in 1874.

How many Ambassadors are accredited to more than one country?

As of September 30, 1997, 11 U.S. Ambassadors are accredited to more than one country.

• The Ambassador to Barbados is also accredited to Antigua and Barbuda; Dominica; Grenada; St. Kitts and Nevis; St. Lucia; and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
• The Ambassador to Cameroon is also accredited to Equatorial Guinea.
• The Ambassador to Fiji is also accredited to Nauru, Tonga, and Tuvalu.
• The Ambassador to Gabon is also accredited to Sao Tome and Principe.
• The Ambassador to the Marshall Islands is also accredited to Kiribati.
• The Ambassador to Mauritius is also accredited to the Comoros and the Seychelles.
• The Ambassador to New Zealand is also accredited to Western Samoa.
• The Ambassador to Papua New Guinea is also accredited to the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu.
• The Ambassador to the Philippines is also accredited to Palau.
• The Ambassador to Sri Lanka is also accredited to the Maldives.
• The Ambassador to Switzerland is also accredited to Liechtenstein.

Were earlier Chiefs of Mission accredited to more than one country?

The first U.S. representative to the Central American States was appointed in 1825. Representatives were separately commissioned to Guatemala and Honduras; San Salvador (El Salvador); Nicaragua and Costa Rica in 1858. From 1873 to 1891, U.S. Ministers were commissioned to "The Central American States" but accredited to each of them. In 1891, one Minister was commissioned to Guatemala and Honduras and another to San Salvador, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua. In 1907, there were U.S. Ministers to: Guatemala; Honduras and San Salvador; and Costa Rica and Nicaragua. Separate Ministers to each country were first commissioned in 1908.

• From 1882 to 1902, Ministers to Greece were also accredited to Romania and Serbia. They also became Diplomatic Agents to Bulgaria in 1903. In 1905, the Legation in Athens ceased to be responsible for Romania, Serbia, and Bulgaria. Ministers to Athens were, however, accredited to Montenegro until that country was incorporated into Yugoslavia in December 1918.
• From 1905 until 1919, Ministers to Romania were also accredited to Serbia and Bulgaria.
• From 1866 to 1871, Ministers to Argentina were also accredited to Uruguay.
• From 1882 to 1914, Ministers to Uruguay were also accredited to Paraguay.
• From 1885 to 1905, Ministers to Haiti were also accredited to the Dominican Republic.
• From 1922 to 1940, Ambassadors to Belgium were also Ministers to Luxembourg.
• From 1922 to 1937, Ministers to Latvia were accredited to all three Baltic States. A separate Legation was established for Lithuania in 1938. The Minister to Latvia was also accredited to Estonia until both countries were forcibly incorporated into the Soviet Union in 1940.
• From 1935 to 1942, Ministers to Persia/Iran were also accredited to Afghanistan.
• The first U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam (1950-1954) was also accredited to Laos and Cambodia.
• The first U.S. Ambassador to the Ivory Coast (Cote d'Ivoire) in 1960 was also accredited to Dahomey (Benin), Niger, and Upper Volta (Burkina Faso).
• The first two U.S. Ambassadors to Botswana (1971-1976) were also accredited to Lesotho and Swaziland.
• The record for multiple accreditations belongs to Anthony J. Drexel Biddle, Jr., who was accredited to the governments-in-exile in London of Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Greece, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, and Yugoslavia during World War II.

How many U.S. Ambassadors have been killed by terrorists?

Five U.S. Ambassadors have been killed by terrorists:

• John Gordon Mein, in Guatemala, on August 28, 1968
• Cleo A. Noel, Jr., in Sudan, on March 1, 1973
• Rodger P. Davies, in Cyprus, on August 19, 1974
• Francis E. Meloy, Jr., in Lebanon, on June 16, 1976
• Adolph Dubs, Afghanistan, on February 14, 1979

Have any U.S. Ambassadors died in accidents?

• Laurence A. Steinhardt, who was Ambassador to Canada, was killed in a plane crash near Ramseyville, Ontario on March 28, 1950.
• Arnold L. Raphel, who was Ambassador to Pakistan, was killed in a plane crash near Bahawalpur on August 17, 1988

Are there some emissaries who had difficult introductions to countries in which they would later serve?

• Ambassador Douglas "Pete" Peterson, who was appointed to Vietnam in 1997, had been a prisoner of war there from 1966 to 1973.
• Richard O'Brien, a mariner from Philadelphia, was captured by Barbary Pirates in 1785 and spent more then ten years as a captive in Algiers. During this time he was a spokesman for his fellow American captives and corresponded with the Department of State. When diplomatic relations were established with Algiers in 1796, O'Brien went back as Consul General, helped establish relations with Tunis and Tripoli, and served until 1803.
• James Leander Cathcart, one of O'Brien's fellow captives, would be the first U.S. Consul in Tripoli.