United States Ambassador to Thailand

Ambassador of the United States to Thailand เอกอัครราชทูตสหรัฐอเมริกาประจำประเทศไทย
Seal of the United States Department of State
Incumbent Kristie Kenney since January 8, 2011
Nominator	Barack Obama as President of the United States
Inaugural holder	John A. Halderman as Minister Resident/Consul General
Formation	July 13, 1882
Website	U.S. Embassy - Bangkok

This is a list of Ambassadors of the United States to Thailand.

Thailand has had continuous bilateral relations with the United States since 1882. Relations were interrupted during World War II when Bangkok was occupied by Japanese forces. Normal relations were resumed after the war in 1945.

The United States Embassy to Thailand is located in Bangkok.

1 Ambassadors
2 Notes
3 See also
4 References
5 External links

Ambassadors

U.S. diplomatic terms

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

Appointed
The date that the ambassador took the oath of office; also known as “commissioning”. It 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 requires subsequent confirmation 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
Latin phrase meaning "for the time being", "in the meantime". See ad interim.

John A. Halderman
- Title: Minister Resident/Consul General
- Appointed: July 13, 1882
- Presented credentials: October 23, 1882
- Terminated mission: Left post April 1, 1885

Jacob T. Child
- Title: Minister Resident/Consul General
- Appointed: March 9, 1886
- Presented credentials: June 5, 1886
- Terminated mission: Presented recall, January 17, 1891

Note: President Harrison nominated Alexander C. Moore for the ministerial post on July 9, 1890, but Moore declined the appointment.

Sempronius H. Boyd
- Title: Minister Resident/Consul General
- Appointed: October 1, 1890
- Presented credentials: January 17, 1891
- Terminated mission: Relinquished charge, June 13, 1892

John Barrett
- Title: Minister Resident/Consul General
- Appointed: February 14, 1894
- Presented credentials: November 15, 1894
- Terminated mission: Presented recall, April 26, 1898

Hamilton King^[1]
- Title: Minister Resident/Consul General
- Appointed: January 14, 1898
- Presented credentials: April 26, 1898
- Terminated mission: April 27, 1903.

Hamilton King^[1]^[2]
- Title: Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary
- Appointed: April 27, 1903
- Presented credentials: July 3, 1903
- Terminated mission: Died at post September 2, 1912

Fred W. Carpenter^[3] – Political appointee
- Title: Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary
- Appointed: September 12, 1912
- Presented credentials: January 22, 1913
- Terminated mission: Left post November 16, 1913

Note: President Wilson nominated Alexander Sweek of Oregon for the post in 1913 but Sweek’s nomination was not confirmed by the United States Senate.

William H. Hornibrook – Political appointee
- Title: Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary
- Appointed: February 12, 1915
- Presented credentials: May 31, 1915
- Terminated mission: Presented recall, October 24, 1916

George Pratt Ingersoll – Political appointee
- Title: Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary
- Appointed: August 8, 1917
- Presented credentials: November 24, 1917
- Terminated mission: Left post June 23, 1918

George W. P. Hunt – Political appointee
- Title: Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary
- Appointed: May 18, 1920
- Presented credentials: September 6, 1920
- Terminated mission: Left post October 1, 1921

Edward E. Brodie – Political appointee
- Title: Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary
- Appointed: October 8, 1921
- Presented credentials: January 31, 1922
- Terminated mission: Left post May 2, 1925

William E. Russell^[4] – Career FSO
- Title: Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary
- Appointed: September 28, 1925
- Presented credentials: January 9, 1926^[5]
- Terminated mission: Left post January 7, 1927

Harold Orville MacKenzie – Political appointee
- Title: Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary
- Appointed: March 3, 1927
- Presented credentials: June 28, 1927
- Terminated mission: Left post March 29, 1930

Arthur H. Geissler^[6] – Political appointee
- Title: Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary
- Appointed: December 16, 1929
- Presented credentials: —
- Terminated mission: —

David E. Kaufman – Political appointee
- Title: Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary
- Appointed: June 12, 1930
- Presented credentials: December 9, 1930
- Terminated mission: Left post June 15, 1933

James Marion Baker^[7] – Political appointee
- Title: Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary
- Appointed: August 30, 1933
- Presented credentials: December 9, 1933
- Terminated mission: Left post May 2, 1936

Edwin L. Neville – Career FSO
- Title: Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary
- Appointed: May 28, 1937
- Presented credentials: October 2, 1937
- Terminated mission: Left post May 1, 1940

Note: Siam changed its name to Thailand in 1939, but ambassadors were commissioned to Siam until 1954.

Hugh Gladney Grant – Political appointee
- Title: Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary
- Appointed: April 3, 1940
- Presented credentials: August 20, 1940
- Terminated mission: Left post August 30, 1941

Willys R. Peck – Career FSO
- Title: Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary
- Appointed: August 19, 1941
- Presented credentials: September 16, 1941
- Terminated mission: Japanese forces occupied Bangkok, December 8, 1941

Note: Thailand declared war on the United States January 25, 1942. Ambassador Peck was initially interned and then freed. He departed Thailand on June 29, 1942.

Note: Normal relations between Thailand and the United States were resumed after the war in October 1945.

Charles W. Yost – Career FSO
- Title: Chargé d’Affaires
- Appointed: Not commissioned
- Presented credentials: A letter of credence was sent to Yost by telegram, October 16, 1945.
- Terminated mission: Superseded by commissioned envoy July 4, 1946

Edwin F. Stanton – Career FSO
- Title: Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary
- Appointed: April 27, 1946
- Presented credentials: July 4, 1946
- Terminated mission: Promoted to Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary April 10, 1947.

Note: The legation in Bangkok was raised to embassy status March 18, 1947. At the same time the envoy was promoted to ambassador.

Edwin F. Stanton^[8] – Career FSO
- Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
- Appointed: April 10, 1947
- Presented credentials: May 9, 1947
- Terminated mission: Left post June 30, 1953

Note: Hereafter ambassadors were commissioned to Thailand rather than Siam, as previous envoys had been.

William J. Donovan – Career FSO
- Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
- Appointed: August 3, 1953
- Presented credentials: September 4, 1953
- Terminated mission: Left post August 21, 1954

John E. Peurifoy^[9] – Career FSO
- Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
- Appointed: September 15, 1954
- Presented credentials: December 3, 1954
- Terminated mission: Died near Hua Hin, August 12, 1955

Max Waldo Bishop^[10] – Career FSO
- Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
- Appointed: December 3, 1955
- Presented credentials: January 9, 1956
- Terminated mission: Left post January 6, 1958

U. Alexis Johnson – Career FSO
- Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
- Appointed: January 30, 1958
- Presented credentials: February 14, 1958
- Terminated mission: Left post April 10, 1961

Kenneth Todd Young – Political appointee
- Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
- Appointed: March 29, 1961
- Presented credentials: June 22, 1961
- Terminated mission: Left post August 19, 1963

Graham A. Martin – Career FSO
- Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
- Appointed: September 10, 1963
- Presented credentials: November 7, 1963
- Terminated mission: Left post September 9, 1967

Leonard S. Unger – Career FSO
- Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
- Appointed: August 11, 1967
- Presented credentials: October 4, 1967
- Terminated mission: Left post November 19, 1973

William R. Kintner – Political appointee
- Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
- Appointed: September 28, 1973
- Presented credentials: November 29, 1973
- Terminated mission: Left post March 15, 1975

Charles S. Whitehouse – Career FSO
- Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
- Appointed: May 8, 1975
- Presented credentials: May 30, 1975
- Terminated mission: Left post June 19, 1978

Morton I. Abramowitz – Career FSO
- Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
- Appointed: June 27, 1978
- Presented credentials: August 9, 1978
- Terminated mission: Left post July 31, 1981

John Gunther Dean – Career FSO
- Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
- Appointed: October 1, 1981
- Presented credentials: October 26, 1981
- Terminated mission: Left post June 6, 1985

William Andreas Brown – Career FSO
- Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
- Appointed: June 6, 1985
- Presented credentials: July 5, 1985
- Terminated mission: Left post August 5, 1988

Daniel Anthony O'Donohue – Career FSO
- Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
- Appointed: July 11, 1988
- Presented credentials: August 13, 1988
- Terminated mission: Left post August 10, 1991

David Floyd Lambertson – Career FSO
- Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
- Appointed: July 22, 1991
- Presented credentials: September 24, 1991
- Terminated mission: Left post August 25, 1995

William H. Itoh – Career FSO
- Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
- Appointed: December 19, 1995
- Presented credentials: February 20, 1996
- Terminated mission: Left post February 1, 1999

Richard E. Hecklinger – Career FSO
- Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
- Appointed: December 1, 1998
- Presented credentials: March 9, 1999
- Terminated mission: Left post December 21, 2001

Darryl N. Johnson – Career FSO
- Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
- Appointed: November 26, 2001
- Presented credentials: March 29, 2002
- Terminated mission: Left post December 28, 2004

Ralph Leo Boyce – Career FSO
- Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
- Appointed: July 2, 2004
- Presented credentials: March 9, 2005
- Terminated mission: Left post, July 21, 2007

Eric G. John – Career FSO
- Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
- Appointed: August 3, 2007
- Presented credentials: January 8, 2008
- Terminated mission: September 30, 2010

Kristie A. Kenney - Career FSO
- Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
- Appointed: December 9, 2010
- Presented credentials: January 8, 2011
- Terminated mission: Incumbent

Notes

^ ^a ^b Minister King was promoted to Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary during his term, which required a new commission.
^ King was commissioned as Envoy Extraordinary during a recess of the Senate and recommissioned after confirmation on November 16, 1903.
^ Carpenter was commissioned during a recess of the Senate; recommissioned after confirmation on March 1, 1913.
^ Russell was commissioned during a recess of the Senate and recommissioned after confirmation on December 17, 1925.
^ Russell was officially received on January 9, 1926.
^ Geissler took the oath of office, but did not proceed to post.
^ Baker was commissioned during a recess of the Senate and recommissioned after confirmation on January 15, 1934.
^ Stanton was promoted to Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary April 10, 1947. That required a new commission
^ Peurifoy was commissioned during a recess of the Senate and recommissioned after confirmation on December 3, 1954.
^ Bishop was commissioned during a recess of the Senate and recommissioned after confirmation on January 18, 1956.

References

United States Department of State: Background notes on Thailand
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Department of State (Background Notes).

External links

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United States Ambassador to Thailand

Contents

Ambassadors

Notes

See also

References

External links