Embassy of Lithuania in Washington, D.C.


The Embassy of Lithuania in Washington, D.C., is the diplomatic mission of the Republic of Lithuania to the United States. It is located at 2622 16th Street Northwest, Washington, D.C., in the Adams Morgan neighborhood.

Building

The building was designed by architect George Oakley Totten, Jr.. It was built in 1909 by Senator John B. Henderson and his wife Mary Foote Henderson. In 1924, Lithuania bought the building for $90,000. It was damaged when a bomb was detonated at the next-door Cuban Interests Section on May 19, 1979. At the time the building was occupied by the Lithuanian diplomatic service acting in conditions of exile. Its meager budget did not allow for extensive repairs. Therefore, Stasys Antanas Bačkis organized a fundraising campaign among Lithuanian Americans and collected about $130,000. The repairs and much needed reconstruction was carried out in 1981–1983.

History

After World War I, Lithuania became independent from the Russian Empire and opened legations to establish independent diplomatic representation. At the time, the legation was the standard form of diplomatic mission, and only Great Powers established embassies in each other's capitals. Although Lithuania was incorporated into the Soviet Union in 1940, its prewar government had instructed its diplomats to maintain an independent presence in exile. After the war, the embassy became the standard form of diplomatic representation, but Lithuania could not receive a U.S. Ambassador since its territory was controlled by the Soviet Union. By 1990, the Baltic legations were the last remaining legations in Washington, D.C. In 1991, an independent Lithuania finally upgraded its legation to an embassy.

Ambassadors

The Lithuanian ambassador in Washington, D. C. is the official representative of the Government in Vilnius to the Government of the United States.
Diplomatic agrémentDiplomatic accreditationambassadorObservationsPresident of LithuaniaPresident of the United StatesTerm end
LEGATION OPENEDAleksandras StulginskisWarren G. Harding
Chargé d'affairesAleksandras StulginskisWarren G. Harding
Kazys Bizauskas Chargé d'affairesAleksandras StulginskisCalvin Coolidge
Kazys Bizauskas Aleksandras StulginskisCalvin Coolidge
Bronius Kazys BalutisAntanas SmetonaCalvin Coolidge
Povilas Žadeikis Antanas SmetonaFranklin D. Roosevelt
Chargé d'affaires-Dwight D. Eisenhower
Stasys Antanas Bačkis Chargé d'affaires-Jimmy Carter
Stasys Lozoraitis Chargé d'affaires-Ronald Reagan
President Bush announced that the US was prepared to immediately establish diplomatic relations with the Republic of LithuaniaVytautas LandsbergisGeorge H. W. Bush
Dept informed that the Government of Lithuania wished to raise Legation to Embassy Dept agreed Nov 19Vytautas LandsbergisGeorge H. W. Bush
Stasys Lozoraitis Vytautas LandsbergisGeorge H. W. Bush
Alfonsas EidintasAlgirdas BrazauskasBill Clinton
Algirdas BrazauskasBill Clinton
Vygaudas Ušackas Valdas AdamkusGeorge W. Bush
Valdas AdamkusGeorge W. Bush
Dalia GrybauskaitėBarack Obama
Dalia GrybauskaitėBarack Obama