Ambassadors of the United States
Ambassadors of the United States are persons nominated as ambassadors by the President to serve as United States diplomats to individual nations of the world, to international organizations, and as ambassadors-at-large. Their appointment needs to be confirmed by the United States Senate. An ambassador can be appointed during a recess, but he or she can only serve as ambassador until the end of the next session of Congress unless subsequently confirmed. Ambassadors serve "at the pleasure of the President", meaning they can be dismissed at any time. Appointments change regularly for various reasons, such as reassignment or retirement.
An ambassador may be a career Foreign Service Officer or a political appointee. In most cases, career foreign service officers serve a tour of approximately three years per ambassadorship whereas political appointees customarily tender their resignations upon the inauguration of a new president. As embassies fall under the State Department's jurisdiction, ambassadors answer directly to the Secretary of State.
The United States Department of State provides lists of ambassadors which are updated periodically. A listing by country of past chiefs of mission is maintained by the Office of the Historian of the U.S. Department of State. That same office maintains a list of the names and appointment dates of past and present ambassadors-at-large, as well as chiefs of mission to international organizations. This information may also be available in the final pages of the aforementioned periodically updated lists of overseas ambassadors.
Current U.S. ambassadors
Note that the information in this list is subject to change due to regular personnel changes resulting from retirements and reassignments. The State Department posts updated lists of ambassadors approximately monthly, accessible via an interactive menu-based website. As of early June 2018 there remained 28 vacant ambassadorships.Ambassadors to international organizations
Current ambassadors from the United States to international organizations:| Host organization | List | Location | Ambassador | Background | Website | Confirmed |
| African Union | List | Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | Vacant since September 14, 2019 | |||
| Association of Southeast Asian Nations | List | Jakarta, Indonesia | Vacant since January 20, 2017 Jane Bocklage, Chargé d'Affaires a.i | |||
| Conference on Disarmament | List | Geneva, Switzerland | Robert Wood | CD | July 15, 2014 | |
| European Union | List | Brussels, Belgium | Ronald Gidwitz | PA | Brussels | |
| International Civil Aviation Organization | List | Montreal, Quebec, Canada | Thomas L. Carter | PA | November 2, 2017 | |
| North Atlantic Treaty Organization | List | Brussels, Belgium | Kay Bailey Hutchison | PA | August 3, 2017 | |
| Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development | List | Paris, France | Vacant since January 20, 2017 Andrew Haviland, Chargé d'Affaires a.i | |||
| Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons | List | The Hague, Netherlands | Kenneth Ward | CD | December 7, 2015 | |
| Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe | List | Vienna, Austria | Vacant since January 20, 2017 Harry Kamian, Chargé d'Affaires a.i | Vienna | ||
| Organization of American States | List | Washington, D.C., United States | Carlos Trujillo | PA | March 22, 2018 | |
| United Nations | List | New York, United States | Kelly Craft | July 31, 2019 | ||
| United Nations | List | Washington, D.C., United States | Jonathan R. Cohen | CD | May 24, 2018 | |
| United Nations | List | New York, United States | Cherith Norman Chalet | PA | September 12, 2018 | |
| United Nations | List | New York, United States | Vacant since January 20, 2017 | |||
| United Nations Economic and Social Council | List | New York, United States | Kelley Eckels Currie | PA | August 3, 2017 | |
| United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization -- U.S. withdrew from UNESCO effective December 31, 2018 | List | Paris, France | Vacant since January 20, 2017 | |||
| United Nations Human Rights Council -- On June 19, 2018 the U.S. announced it was withdrawing from the UN-HRC | List | Geneva, Switzerland | Vacant since January 20, 2017 Mark Cassayre, Chargé d'Affaires a.i | |||
| United Nations International Organizations in Geneva | List | Geneva, Switzerland | Vacant since January 20, 2017 Mark Cassayre, Chargé d'Affaires a.i | |||
| United Nations International Organizations in Nairobi | List | Nairobi, Kenya | Robert F. Godec | CD | January 2, 2013 | |
| United Nations International Organizations in Rome | List | Rome, Italy | Kip Tom | PA | April 11, 2019 | |
| United Nations International Organizations in Vienna | List | Vienna, Austria | Jackie Wolcott | CD | September 24, 2018 |
Ambassadors-at-Large
Current Ambassadors-at-Large from the United States with worldwide responsibility:| Portfolio | List | Ambassador | Background | Website | Confirmed |
| Counterterrorism | List | Nathan Alexander Sales | PA | August 3, 2017 | |
| Global AIDS Combat | List | Deborah L. Birx | PA | April 4, 2014 | |
| Global Criminal Justice | List | Morse H. Tan | PA | December 19, 2019 | |
| Global Women's Issues | List | Kelley Eckels Currie | CD | Decdember 19, 2019 | |
| International Religious Freedom | List | Sam Brownback | PA | January 24, 2018 | |
| Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons | List | John C. Richmond | PA | October 11, 2018 |
Other Chiefs of Mission
Senior diplomatic representatives of the United States hosted in posts other than embassies. Unlike other consulates, these persons report directly to the Secretary of State.| Host country | List | Ambassador | Title | Website | Appointed |
| List | Margaret Hawthorne | Consul General and Chief of Mission | April 2016 | ||
| List | Kurt Tong | Consul General and Chief of Mission | Hong Kong | August 27, 2016 | |
| List | Karen Sasahara | Consul General and Chief of Mission | Jerusalem | August 2018 | |
| List | Kurt Tong | Consul General and Chief of Mission | Hong Kong | August 27, 2016 | |
| List | William Brent Christensen | Director | Taipei | August 11, 2018 |
Special Envoys, Representatives and Coordinators
These diplomatic officials report directly to the Secretary of State. Many oversee a portfolio not restricted to one nation, often an overall goal, and are not usually subject to Senate confirmation. Unlike the State Department offices and diplomats listed in other sections of this Article, the offices and special envoys/representatives/coordinators listed in this Section are created and staffed by direction of top Federal Executive administrators - primarily U.S. Presidents and Secretaries of State - whose political or organizational management philosophies may not be shared by their successors. As such, many of these positions may go unfilled upon assumption of office by successor Presidential Administrations, with their offices sometimes merged with or subsumed into other offices, or abolished altogether.| Portfolio | Officeholder | Website | Appointed |
| Afghanistan and Pakistan — S/SRAP office disestablished June 2017, its duties assumed by the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs | Alice Wells | June 26, 2017 | |
| Arctic Region — In 2017 it was announced this office's functions would be subsumed into the Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs | Vacant since January 20, 2017 | ||
| Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation | Matthew Matthews | May 17, 2015 | |
| Assistance to Europe, Eurasia, and Central Asia | Vacant | ||
| Biological & Toxin Weapons Convention Issues | Robert Wood | October 2, 2014 | |
| Burma — In 2017 it was announced this office's functions would be subsumed into the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs | Vacant since November 19, 2014 | ||
| Central African Republic | Vacant since 2015 | ||
| Civil Society and Emerging Democracies | Vacant since October 31, 2014 | ||
| Climate Change — In 2017 it was announced this office's functions would be subsumed into the Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs | Vacant since January 20, 2017 | ||
| Closure of the Guantánamo Detention Facility — In 2017 it was announced this office would be disestablished, and any of its functions deemed still necessary would be assumed by the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs | Vacant since January 20, 2017 | ||
| Commercial and Business Affairs | Vacant Scott Ticknor, acting | ||
| Conference on Disarmament | Robert Wood | October 2, 2014 | |
| Counterterrorism | Nathan A. Sales | August 10, 2017 | |
| Cyber Issues — In 2017 it was announced the coordinator position for this office would be discontinued, and its functions subsumed into the Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs | Vacant since July 2017 | ||
| Environment and Water Resources — In 2017 it was announced the assistant secretary for oceans and international environmental and scientific affairs would be dual-hatted as the special representative for environment and water resources. | Vacant since January 2017 | ||
| Fissile Material Negotiator | Michael Guhin | August 10, 2009 | |
| Global Coalition to Counter ISIL | Vacant since December 31, 2018 | ||
| Global Criminal Justice | Todd Buchwald | December 30, 2015 | |
| Global Engagement Center | Vacant Daniel Kimmage, acting | ||
| Global Food Security — In 2017 it was reported that this office would be moved to USAID | Vacant Ted Lyng, acting | ||
| Global Health Diplomacy | Deborah L. Birx | April 14, 2014 | |
| Global Partnerships — In 2019 this office was subsumed into the Office of the Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment. | Vacant Thomas Debass, acting | ||
| Global Youth Issues — In 2017 it was reported this position would be cut and the duties of the office transferred to the Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs | Andy Rabens | October 19, 2014 | |
| Great Lakes Region of Africa | J. Peter Pham | November 2018 | |
| Haiti | Kenneth Merten | August 17, 2015 | |
| Holocaust Issues | Thomas K. Yazdgerdi Stu Eizenstat | August 22, 2016 December 18, 2013 | |
| Hostage Affairs | Robert C. O'Brien | May 25, 2018 | |
| Human Rights of LGBTI Persons | Vacant since November 2017 | ||
| International Communications and Information Policy | Vacant | ||
| International Disabilities Rights | Vacant | ||
| International Energy Affairs | Vacant Mary Warlick acting | ||
| International Information Programs | Vacant Jonathan Henick, acting | ||
| International Information Technology Diplomacy | Vacant | ||
| International Labor Affairs | Vacant | ||
| Iran Nuclear Implementation | Vacant | ||
| Israel and the Palestinian Authority | Frederick Rudesheim | January 2015 | |
| Israeli-Palestinian Negotiations | Frank Lowenstein | July 1, 2014 | |
| Knowledge Management | Vacant | ||
| Libya | Vacant since January 20, 2017 | ||
| Middle East Transitions | Vacant | ||
| Minsk | Vacant | ||
| Monitor and Combat Anti-semitism | Vacant | ||
| Muslim Communities | Vacant | ||
| Nonproliferation and Arms Control | Vacant since June 10, 2010 | ||
| North Korea Policy | Joseph Yun | October 17, 2016 | |
| North Korean Human Rights Issues | Vacant | ||
| Northern Ireland Issues | Vacant | ||
| Nuclear Nonproliferation | Vacant | ||
| Organization of Islamic Cooperation | Vacant since February 13, 2015 | ||
| Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review | Vacant since July 6, 2015 | ||
| Religion and Global Affairs | Vacant | ||
| Religious Minorities in the Near East and South/Central Asia | Knox Thames | September 28, 2015 | |
| Sanctions Policy | Vacant | ||
| Science and Technology | Vacant | ||
| Secretary Initiatives | Vacant | ||
| Senior Advisor to the Secretary | Vacant | ||
| Six-Party Talks on North Korea's development of weapons of mass destruction | Vacant since September 2015 | ||
| Somalia | Vacant since 2015 | ||
| Sudan and South Sudan | Vacant since January 2017 | ||
| Syria | Vacant since April 2018 | ||
| Threat Reduction Programs | Vacant since 2017 | ||
| Tibetan Issues | Vacant | ||
| Transparency - office may have been disestablished; no public record of activity after 2016 located/identified | Vacant | Archived | |
| Ukraine Negotiations | Vacant | ||
| Western Balkans | Matthew Palmer | August 30, 2019 |
Nations without exchange of ambassadors
- Bhutan: According to the U.S. State Department, "The United States and the Kingdom of Bhutan have not established formal diplomatic relations; however, the two governments have informal and cordial relations". Informal contact with the nation of Bhutan is maintained through the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi.
- Iran: On April 7, 1980, the United States broke diplomatic relations with Iran after the 1979 Iranian Revolution. On April 24, 1981, the Swiss government assumed representation of U.S. interests in Tehran, and Algeria assumed representation of Iranian interests in the United States. Currently, Iranian interests in the United States are represented by the government of Pakistan. The U.S. Department of State named Iran a "State Sponsor of Terrorism" on January 19, 1984.
- North Korea: The Democratic People's Republic of Korea is not on friendly terms with the United States, and while talks between the two countries are ongoing, there is no exchange of ambassadors. Sweden functions as Protective Power for the United States in Pyongyang and performs limited consular responsibilities for U.S. citizens in North Korea.
- Taiwan: With the normalization of relations with the People's Republic of China in 1979, the United States has not maintained official diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Relations between Taiwan and the United States are maintained through an unofficial instrumentality, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office, with headquarters in Taipei and field offices in Washington, D.C., and twelve other U.S. cities. The Taipei Office of the American Institute in Taiwan, a non-profit, public corporation, functions as a de facto embassy, performing most consular functions and staffed by Foreign Service Officers who are formally "on leave."
Selected past ambassadors
| Ambassador | Host country or organization |
| John Adams | United Kingdom, Netherlands |
| John Quincy Adams | United Kingdom, Russia, Netherlands, Germany |
| Madeleine Albright | United Nations |
| Lindy Boggs | Holy See |
| Carol Moseley Braun | New Zealand |
| James Buchanan | Russia, United Kingdom |
| George H. W. Bush | United Nations, China |
| Cassius Marcellus Clay | Russia |
| Frederick Douglass | Haiti |
| Lawrence Eagleburger | Yugoslavia |
| Benjamin Franklin | France, Sweden |
| John Kenneth Galbraith | India |
| Averell Harriman | Soviet Union, United Kingdom |
| Pamela Harriman | France |
| Patricia Roberts Harris | Luxembourg |
| William Henry Harrison | Colombia |
| Richard Holbrooke | Germany, United Nations |
| Jon Huntsman, Jr. | Singapore, China, Russia |
| Ambassador | Host country or organization |
| John Jay | Spain |
| Thomas Jefferson | France |
| Caroline Kennedy | Japan |
| Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. | United Kingdom |
| Jeane Kirkpatrick | United Nations |
| Robert Lincoln | United Kingdom |
| Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. | United Nations, Germany |
| Clare Boothe Luce | Italy |
| George Marshall | China |
| George McGovern | UN-Rome |
| John Y. Mason | France |
| Walter Mondale | Japan |
| James Monroe | France, United Kingdom |
| Daniel Patrick Moynihan | India, United Nations |
| Donald Rumsfeld | NATO |
| Shirley Temple | Czechoslovakia, Ghana |
| Martin Van Buren | United Kingdom |
| Paul Wolfowitz | Indonesia |
| Charles Yost | Laos, Syria, Morocco, United Nations |
Ambassadors killed in office
Eight United States Ambassadors have been killed in office – six of them by armed attack and the other two in plane crashes.| Name | Ambassador to | Place | Country | Date of death | Killed by |
| Laurence Steinhardt | Canada | Ramsayville, Ontario | plane crash | ||
| John Mein | Guatemala | Guatemala City | attack by Rebel Armed Forces | ||
| Cleo Noel | Sudan | Khartoum | attack by Black September Palestinian Terrorists | ||
| Rodger Davies | Cyprus | Nicosia | attack during Greek Cypriot demonstration | ||
| Francis Meloy | Lebanon | Beirut | attack by Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine | ||
| Adolph Dubs | Afghanistan | Kabul | attack by Settam-e-Melli | ||
| Arnold Raphel | Pakistan | Bahawalpur | plane crash | ||
| Chris Stevens | Libya | Benghazi | attack by Ansar al-Sharia on a U.S. diplomatic mission |
Ambassadors to past countries
- Czechoslovakia
- East Germany
- Hawaii
- Prussia
- North Yemen
- South Vietnam
- South Yemen
- Texas
- Yugoslavia