United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom
| Ambassador of the United States to the Court of St James's | |
|---|---|
|
| |
| Residence | Winfield House |
| Nominator | Barack Obama |
| Inaugural holder |
John Adams as Minister Plenipotentiary to the Court of St. James's |
| Formation | 1785 |
| Website | US Embassy – London |
The United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom (known formally as Ambassador to the Court of St James's) is the official representative of the President of the United States to the head of state of the United Kingdom. The position is regarded as the most prestigious position in the United States Foreign Service due to the Special Relationship.[1] The ambassadorship has been held by various notable politicians, including five who would later become presidents: John Adams, James Monroe, John Quincy Adams, Martin Van Buren and James Buchanan. The modern tendency of American presidents (of both parties) is however to appoint keen political fundraisers from previous presidential campaigns, despite the importance and prestige of the office.
The ambassador and the embassy staff at large work at the American Embassy in Grosvenor Square, London. The official residence of the Ambassador of the United States of America to the Court of St. James's is Winfield House in Regent's Park.
Ministers Plenipotentiary to the Court of St. James's, 1785–1811
- John Adams (1785–1788)
- Note: John Adams became so frustrated with his cool reception at the court that he closed the legation in 1788 and the post remained vacant for four years.[2]
- Thomas Pinckney (1792–1796)
- Rufus King (1796–1803)
- James Monroe (1803–1807)
- William Pinkney (1808–1811)
- From 1811 to the outbreak of the War of 1812, chargé d'affaires Jonathan Russell was the chief United States officer in London.
Note: The United States severed relations with the United Kingdom on the outbreak of the War of 1812 – Normal relations were restored in 1815.[2]
Envoys Extraordinary and Ministers Plenipotentiary to the Court of St. James's, 1815–1893
- John Quincy Adams (1815–1817)
- Richard Rush (1818–1825)
- Rufus King (1825–1826)
- Albert Gallatin (1826–1827)
- James Barbour (1828–1829)
- Louis McLane (1829–1831)
- Martin Van Buren (1831–1832)
- From 1832 to 1836, Aaron Vail, the American chargé d'affaires, acted as the chief American officer in London.
- Andrew Stevenson (1836–1841)
- Edward Everett (1841–1845)
- Louis McLane (1845–1846)
- George Bancroft (1846–1849)
- Abbott Lawrence (1849–1852)
- Joseph R. Ingersoll (1852–1853)
- James Buchanan (1853–1856)
- George M. Dallas (1856–1861)
- Charles Francis Adams, Sr. (1861–1868)
- Reverdy Johnson (1868–1869)
- John Lothrop Motley (1869–1870)
- Robert C. Schenck (1871–1876)
- Edwards Pierrepont (1876–1877)
- John Welsh (1877–1879)
- James Russell Lowell (1880–1885)
- Edward John Phelps (1885–1889)
- Robert Todd Lincoln (1889–1893)
Ambassadors Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Court of St. James's, 1893–present
- Thomas F. Bayard, Sr. (1893–1897)
- John Hay (1897–1898)
- Joseph Choate (1899–1905)
- Whitelaw Reid (1905–1912)
- Walter Hines Page (1913–1918)
- John W. Davis (1918–1921)
- George Brinton McClellan Harvey (1921–1923)
- Frank B. Kellogg (1924–1925)
- Alanson B. Houghton (1925–1929)
- Charles G. Dawes (1929–1931)
- Andrew W. Mellon (1932–1933)
- Robert Worth Bingham (1933–1937)
- Joseph P. Kennedy (1938–1940)
- John G. Winant (1941–1946)
- W. Averell Harriman (1946)
- Lewis W. Douglas (1947–1950)
- Walter S. Gifford (1950–1953)
- Winthrop W. Aldrich (1953–1957)
- John Hay Whitney (1957–1961)
- David K. E. Bruce (1961–1969)
- Walter H. Annenberg (1969–1974)
- Elliot L. Richardson (1975–1976)
- Anne Legendre Armstrong (1976–1977)
- Kingman Brewster, Jr. (1977–1981)
- John J. Louis, Jr. (1981–1983)
- Charles H. Price II (1983–1989)
- Henry E. Catto, Jr. (1989–1991)
- Raymond G. H. Seitz (1991–1994)
- William J. Crowe, Jr. (1994–1997)
- Philip Lader (1997–2001)
- William S. Farish III (2001–2004)
- Robert H. Tuttle (2005–2009)
- Louis Susman (2009–2013)
- Matthew Barzun (2013–)
Ambassadors who later became U.S. presidents
- John Adams (1785–1788)
- James Monroe (1803–1807)
- John Quincy Adams (1814–1817)
- Martin Van Buren (1831–1832)
- James Buchanan (1853–1856)
See also
- List of Ambassadors from the United Kingdom to the United States
- British Embassy, Washington, D.C.
- Embassy of the United States, London
- United Kingdom – United States relations
- Foreign relations of the United Kingdom
- Ambassadors of the United States
Footnotes
- ↑ Collier, Peter; Horowitz, David (2002). The Kennedys: An American Drama. p. 6.
- 1 2 "United Kingdom". Diplomatic History of the United States. U.S. Department of State. Retrieved May 30, 2011.
Additional sources consulted
- United States Department of State: Background notes on the United Kingdom
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Department of State (Background Notes).
Further reading
- Alison R. Holmes and J. Simon Rofe, The Embassy in Grosvenor Square: American Ambassadors to the United Kingdom, 1938-2008. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2012.
External links
- United States Department of State: Chiefs of Mission for the United Kingdom
- United States Department of State: United Kingdom
- United States Embassy in London
