United States Ambassador to Iceland

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Carol van Voorst, current U.S. Ambassador to Iceland
Carol van Voorst, current U.S. Ambassador to Iceland

Until 1874, Iceland was a dependency of Denmark rather than an independent nation. In 1874, Denmark granted Iceland home rule, which again was expanded in 1904. In 1918, The Act of Union, an agreement between Denmark, recognized Iceland as a fully sovereign state united with Denmark under a common king. Iceland established its own flag and asked that Denmark represent its foreign affairs and defense interests. Thus the United States Ambassador to Denmark conducted foreign relations between the United States and Iceland.

German occupation of Denmark on April 9, 1940, severed communications between Iceland and Denmark. As a result, on April 10, the Parliament of Iceland, Alþingi, elected to take control of foreign affairs into its own hands. The US commissioned Lincoln MacVeagh, its first ambassador to Iceland on August 8, 1941. MacVeagh presented his credentials to the foreign minister of Iceland on September 30, 1941. His title was Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary. The US has maintained continuous diplomatic relations with Iceland since then.

Following a plebiscite, Iceland formally became an independent republic on June 17, 1944.

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[edit] Ambassadors

Diplomatic Terms

Career FSO: After 1915, The United States Department of State began classifying ambassadors as career Foreign Service Officers (FSO) 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 to reward political friends.

Appointed: The date that the ambassador took the oath of office—also called “commissioning.” This 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 must be later confirmed by the Senate.

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. See chargé d’affaires.

ad interim: For the time being; in the meantime. See ad interim.

See U.S. Ambassador to Denmark for a representative commissioned to Denmark and Iceland.

  • Lincoln MacVeagh – Political appointee
    • Appointed: August 8, 1941
    • Title: Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary
    • Presented credentials: September 30, 1941
    • Terminated mission: Left post, June 27, 1942
  • Leland B. Morris – Career FSO
    • Appointed: August 13, 1942
    • Title: Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary
    • Presented credentials: October 7, 1942
    • Terminated mission: Relinquished charge, May 10, 1944
  • Louis G. Dreyfus, Jr.[1] – Career FSO
    • Appointed: Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary
    • Title: March 21, 1944
    • Presented credentials: June 14, 1944
    • Terminated mission: left post, October 21, 1946
  • Richard P. Butrick – Career FSO
    • Appointed: February 26, 1948
    • Title: Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary
    • Presented credentials: April 29, 1948
    • Terminated mission: Left post, August 10, 1949
  • Edward B. Lawson – Career FSO
    • Appointed: July 22, 1949
    • Title: Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary
    • Presented credentials: September 22, 1949
    • Terminated mission: Left post, May 29, 1954
  • John J. Muccio[2] – Career FSO
    • Appointed: August 23, 1954
    • Title: Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary
    • Presented credentials: October 12, 1954
    • Terminated mission: October 19, 1955

Note: On October 19, 1955, the mission title was changed to Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary. This change required a new appointment.

  • John J. Muccio[3] – Career FSO
    • Appointed: October 19, 1955
    • Title: Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary
    • Presented credentials: November 3, 1955
    • Terminated mission: Left post, December 16, 1959
  • Tyler Thompson – Career FSO
    • Appointed: January 27, 1960
    • Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
    • Presented credentials: February 19, 1960
    • Terminated mission: Left post, April 16, 1961
  • James K. Penfield – Career FSO
    • Appointed: April 27, 1961
    • Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
    • Presented credentials: May 24, 1961
    • Terminated mission: Left Iceland, March 16, 1967
  • Karl F. Rolvaag – Political appointee
    • Appointed: April 5, 1967
    • Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
    • Presented credentials: May 9, 1967
    • Terminated mission: Left post, March 27, 1969
  • Luther I. Replogle – Political appointee
    • Appointed: July 8, 1969
    • Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
    • Presented credentials: September 12, 1969
    • Terminated mission: Left post, June 15, 1972
  • Frederick Irving – Career FSO
    • Appointed: September 11, 1972
    • Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
    • Presented credentials: October 11, 1972
    • Terminated mission: Left post, April 21, 1976
  • James J. Blake – Career FSO
    • Appointed: July 1, 1976
    • Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
    • Presented credentials: September 8, 1976
    • Terminated mission: Left post, September 29, 1978
  • Richard A. Ericson, Jr. – Career FSO
    • Appointed: October 12, 1978
    • Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
    • Presented credentials: November 21, 1978
    • Terminated mission: Left post, August 15, 1981
  • Marshall Brement – Career FSO
    • Appointed: July 27, 1981
    • Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
    • Presented credentials: September 16, 1981
    • Terminated mission: Left post, August 1, 1985
  • Nicholas Ruwe – Political appointee
    • Appointed: July 12, 1985
    • Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
    • Presented credentials: August 21, 1985
    • Terminated mission: Left post, October. 7, 1989
  • Charles Elvan Cobb, Jr. – Political appointee
    • Appointed: October 10, 1989
    • Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
    • Presented credentials: November 8, 1989
    • Terminated mission: Left post, January 10, 1992
  • Sigmund A. Rogich – Political appointee
    • Appointed: May 11, 1992
    • Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
    • Presented credentials: June 4, 1992
    • Terminated mission: Left post, October 14, 1993
  • Parker W. Borg – Career FSO
    • Appointed: October 8, 1993
    • Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
    • Presented credentials: November 24, 1993
    • Terminated mission: Left post, July 13, 1996
  • Day O. Mount – Career FSO
    • Appointed: June 11, 1996
    • Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
    • Presented credentials: September 3, 1996
    • Terminated mission: Left post August 12, 1999
  • Barbara J. Griffiths – Career FSO
    • Appointed: August 9, 1999
    • Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
    • Presented credentials: September 29, 1999
    • Terminated mission: Left post July 29, 2002
  • James Irvin Gadsden – Career FSO
    • Appointed: October 3, 2002
    • Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
    • Presented credentials: December 9, 2002
    • Terminated mission: Left post, July 14, 2005
  • Carol van Voorst – Career FSO
    • Appointed: January 3, 2006
    • Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
    • Presented credentials: January 26, 2006
    • Terminated mission: —

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Dreyfus was reaccredited when Iceland became a republic; presented new credentials August 10, 1944.
  2. ^ Promoted to Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
  3. ^ Muccio was commissioned during a recess of the Senate and recommissioned after confirmation on January 25, 1956.

[edit] See also

[edit] Source