The United States established diplomatic relations with Ethiopia in 1903 and commissioned its first ambassador to Ethiopia, Hoffman Philip, in 1908. Relations continued uninterrupted until 1980. In July 1980, the U.S. Ambassador to Ethiopia was recalled at the request of the Ethiopian Government, and the U.S. Embassy in Ethiopia and the Ethiopian Embassy in the United States were headed by chargés d’affaires. After the defeat of the Derg regime in 1991 and installation of a new government, the current chargé was commissioned as the new ambassador. The U.S. has had good relations with the Ethiopian government since that time.
| Ambassador of the United States to Ethiopia | |
|---|---|
 Seal of the United States Department of State | |
| Nominator | The President of the United States |
| Appointer | The President with Senate advice and consent |
| Inaugural holder | Hoffman Philip as Minister Resident/Consul General |
| Formation | July 20, 1908 |
| Website | U.S. Embassy - Addis Ababa |
Ambassadors
edit| Name | Title | Appointed | Presented credentials | Terminated mission | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hoffman Philip[3] | Minister Resident/Consul General | July 20, 1908 | July 6, 1909 | February 8, 1910 | |
| Addison E. Southard – Career FSO[4] | October 12, 1927 | March 1, 1928 | October 26, 1934 | ||
| Cornelius Van H. Engert – Career FSO[5] | February 7, 1936 | April 30, 1936 | May 4, 1937 | The U. S. Legation in Addis Ababa was closed and diplomatic personnel were withdrawn following the Italian occupation of Ethiopia in 1937. The U. S. never recognized Italian authority in Ethiopia. The legation was reopened and a new Minister Resident/Consul was appointed in 1943. | |
| John K. Caldwell – Career FSO[6] | April 14, 1943 | August 31, 1943 | December 9, 1943 | ||
| John K. Caldwell – Career FSO[6] | Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary | October 7, 1943 | December 9, 1943 | August 26, 1945 | |
| Felix Cole – Career FSO | February 20, 1945 | October 5, 1945 | October 8, 1947 | ||
| George R. Merrell – Career FSO[7] | May 15, 1947 | January 1, 1948 | May 21, 1949 | ||
| George R. Merrell – Career FSO[7] | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | May 21, 1949 | June 28, 1949 | March 17, 1951 | |
| J. Rives Childs – Career FSO | April 19, 1951 | May 14, 1951 | January 19, 1953 | ||
| Joseph Simonson – Political appointee | July 22, 1953 | October 6, 1953 | May 1, 1957 | ||
| Don C. Bliss – Career FSO | May 20, 1957 | June 22, 1957 | June 4, 1960 | ||
| Arthur L. Richards – Career FSO | June 24, 1960 | August 26, 1960 | Left Ethiopia, November 25, 1962 | ||
| Edward M. Korry – Political appointee | March 9, 1963 | April 20, 1963 | September 22, 1967 | ||
| William O. Hall – Career FSO | September 13, 1967 | October 27, 1967 | May 15, 1971 | ||
| E. Ross Adair – Political appointee | May 11, 1971 | July 8, 1971 | February 12, 1974 | ||
| Arthur W. Hummel, Jr. – Career FSO | February 20, 1975 | April 3, 1975 | July 6, 1976 | ||
| Frederic L. Chapin – Career FSO[8] | June 27, 1978 | July 21, 1978 | July 29, 1980 | The U.S. ambassador was recalled in July 1980 and a series of chargés maintained the embassy until June 1992. | |
| Owen W. Roberts | Chargé d'Affaires | July 29, 1980 | Unknown | May 1982 | |
| David A. Korn | June 1982 | July 1985 | |||
| James Cheek | July 1985 | August 1988 | |||
| Robert G. Houdek | August 1988 | June 1991 | |||
| Marc Allen Baas[9] – Career FSO[10] | June 1991 | June 24, 1992 | |||
| Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | June 15, 1992 | June 24, 1992 | July 8, 1994 | ||
| Irvin Hicks – Career FSO | May 9, 1994 | July 22, 1994 | June 26, 1996 | ||
| David H. Shinn – Career FSO | June 6, 1996 | July 2, 1996 | August 14, 1999 | ||
| Tibor P. Nagy – Career FSO | August 9, 1999 | October 12, 1999 | July 19, 2002 | ||
| Aurelia E. Brazeal – Career FSO | October 3, 2002 | November 20, 2002 | September 2, 2005 | ||
| Vicki J. Huddleston | Chargé d'Affaires | September 2, 2005 | Unknown | November 9, 2006 | |
| Donald Yamamoto – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | November 9, 2006 | December 6, 2006 | July 28, 2009 | |
| Donald E. Booth – Career FSO | April 2, 2010 | May 2, 2010 | August 16, 2013 | ||
| Patricia M. Haslach – Career FSO | August 14, 2013 | September 25, 2013 | August 31, 2016 | ||
| Peter H. Vrooman | Chargé d'Affaires | September 1, 2016 | Unknown | July 2017 | |
| Michael A. Raynor – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | August 3, 2017 | September 29, 2017 | January 20, 2021[11] | |
| David Renz – Career FSO[12] | Chargé d'Affaires | January 20, 2021 | Unknown | March 5, 2021 | |
| Geeta Pasi – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | December 22, 2020 | March 5, 2021[13] | February 25, 2022 | |
| Tracey Ann Jacobson – Career FSO | Chargé d'Affaires | February 25, 2022 | September 25, 2023 | ||
| Gwendolyn Green – Career FSO | Chargé d'Affaires | September 26, 2023 | October 3, 2023 | ||
| Ervin Jose Massinga | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | July 23, 2023 | October 3, 2023 | Incumbent |
Notes
edit- ^ https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=632570845700415&set=a.167504332207071 [bare URL]
- ^ https://m.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=632570845700415&set=a.167504332207071&type=3 [bare URL]
- ^ Philip was commissioned during a recess of the Senate and recommissioned after confirmation on December 9, 1908. He was commissioned to Abyssinia, but did not serve under this recess appointment.
- ^ Southard was commissioned during a recess of the Senate and recommissioned after confirmation on December 19, 1927
- ^ Engert’s mission was terminated when Italian forces occupied Addis Ababa, May 6, 1936.
- ^ a b Caldwell’s mission was terminated on October 7, 1943, when the mission was promoted to Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary. Caldwell was recommissioned with the new title on the same date.
- ^ a b Merrell’s mission was terminated on May 21, 1949, when the mission was promoted to Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary. Merrell was recommissioned with the new title on the same date.
- ^ Ambassador Chapin was recalled at the request of the Ethiopian government on July 29, 1980.
- ^ "The Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training Foreign Affairs Oral History Project AMBASSADOR MARC BAAS" (PDF). Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training. 9 November 2005. Archived (PDF) from the original on 16 July 2024. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
- ^ Baas was commissioned as chargé d’affaires in 1982 and promoted to ambassador in 1992.
- ^ Firew, Eskinder (January 26, 2021). "Departing US Envoy Warns Ethiopia Against Violence". VOA News. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
- ^ "David Renz". US Embassy in Ethiopia. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
- ^ "UPDATE: New U.S. Ambassador to Ethiopia Ms. Geeta Pasi Visits Tigray". Tadias Magazine. March 10, 2021. Retrieved 13 March 2021.
See also
editReferences
edit- United States Department of State: Background Notes on Ethiopia
This article incorporates public domain material from U.S. Bilateral Relations Fact Sheets. United States Department of State. 2006
