Chiefs of Mission in Australia
Edward William Gnehm, Jr.
Ambassador Gnehm was born November 10, 1944 in Georgia to Edward W., Sr. and Beverly (Thomasson) Gnehm. He attended The George Washington University graduating with a BA in 1966 and an MA in 1968. (He was President of Student Body from 1965-1966, a member of Omicron Delta Kappa Honorary Society, Sigma Chi Fraternity, and the Baptist Student Union). From 1966-1967 he attended the American University in Cairo, Egypt, under a post-graduate Rotary International Fellowship. Subsequent to university, Ambassador Gnehm worked for the United State Navy.
Ambassador Gnehm joined the United States Department of State in 1969. He is a member of the Senior Foreign Service and holds the rank of Career Minister. His career record follows:
| 2000-Present | Ambassador to Australia |
| 1997-2000 | Director General of the Foreign Service and Director of Personnel for the Department of State |
| 1994-1997 | Deputy Permanent Representative of the United States to the United Nations |
| 1990-1994 | U.S. Ambassador to Kuwait |
| 1989-1990 | Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, Bureau of Near East and South Asian Affairs |
| 1987-1989 | Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Near East and South Asia |
| 1984-1987 | Deputy Chief of Mission, American Embassy Amman, Jordan |
| 1983-1984 | Director, Secretariat Staff, Department of State, Washington, D.C. |
| 1982-1983 | Director, Junior Officer Division, Personnel |
| 1978-1981 | Deputy Chief of Mission, American Embassy Sanaa, Yemen |
| 1976-1978 | Head, U.S. Liaison Office, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia |
| 1974-1975 | Deputy Principal Officer, U.S. Interests Section, Damascus, Syria |
Ambassador Gnehm has received two Presidential Meritorious Service Awards -- in 1990 for his public service as Assistant Secretary of Defense, and in 1991 for his service as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State. He is also the recipient of several State Department awards, including Superior Honor Awards for his service in Kuwait and Riyadh, in Washington as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State and in Taif, Saudia Arabia as Special Envoy to the Kuwaiti Government and Meritorious Honor Awards for his work in Damascus and Beirut. He has been awarded two Secretary of Defense Medals for Meritorious Civilian Service: one by Secretary of Defense Carlucci for his service in the office of the Secretary of Defense and a second by Secretary of Defense Perry for his support to U.S. forces during and after Desert Storm.
In 1993 the United States Arab-American Chamber of Commerce recognized Ambassador Gnehm for his substantial and extraordinary support for U.S. business aborad. He is also recipient of The George Washington University's Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award (1992) and was selected in 1995 by the New York City Alumni Club as the New York City Alumnus of the Year.
Ambassador Gnehm is a member of The George Washington University Board of Trustees and served as a member of the Board's Executive Committee and Chairman of the Student Affairs Committee. He was previously Vice President of the General Alumni Association. He is a member of the American Philatelic Society and fourth Presbyterian Church in Bethesda, Maryland. His interests include history, foreign policy, cycling and stamp collecting.
He is married to the former Margaret Scott of Macon, Georgia. They have two children, Cheryl and Edward III.