History of the U.S. Embassy
Chiefs of Mission in Australia 1940-
Name: Clarence E. Gauss
State of Residency: Connecticut
Foreign
Service officer
Title: Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary
Appointment: January 12, 1940
Presentation of Credentials: July 17, 1940
Termination of Mission: Left post, March 5, 1941
Name: Nelson T. Johnson
State of Residency: Oklahoma
Foreign Service
officer
Title: Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary
Appointment: February 11, 1941
Presentation of Credentials: September 12, 1941
Termination of Mission: Left Australia, April 20, 1945
Note: John R.
Minter was serving as Chargé d'Affaires ad interim when Legation Canberra was
raised to Embassy status, July 19, 1946
Name: Edward J. Flynn
State of Residency: New York
Non-career
appointee
Title: Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary
Note: Not commissioned; nomination withdrawn before the Senate acted
upon it.
Name: Robert Butler
State of Residency: Minnesota
Non-career
appointee
Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Appointment: July 12, 1946
Presentation of Credentials: September 25, 1946
Termination of Mission: Left Australia, March 31, 1948
Name: Myron Melvin Cowen
State of Residency: New York
Non-career
appointee
Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Appointment: July 1, 1948
Presentation of Credentials: August 20, 1948
Termination of Mission: Left post, March 17, 1949
Note:
Commissioned during a recess of the Senate; recommissioned after confirmation on
March 2, 1949.
Name: Pete Jarman
State of Residency: Alabama
Non-career appointee
Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Appointment: June 8,
1949
Presentation of Credentials: September 7, 1949
Termination of Mission:
Left post, July 31, 1953
Name: Amos J. Peaslee
State of Residency: New Jersey
Non-career
appointee
Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Appointment: June 15, 1953
Presentation of Credentials: August 12, 1953
Termination of Mission: Left Australia, February 16, 1956
Name: Douglas Maxwell Moffat
State of Residency: New York
Non-career
appointee
Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Appointment: February 23, 1956
Presentation of Credentials: March 27, 1956
Termination of Mission: Died at Sydney, August 30, 1956
Name: William J. Sebald
State of Residency: District of Columbia
Foreign Service officer
Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and
Plenipotentiary
Appointment: March 14, 1957
Presentation of Credentials:
June 7, 1957
Termination of Mission: Left Australia, October 31, 1961
Name: William C. Battle
State of Residency: Virginia
Non-career
appointee
Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Appointment: June 7, 1962
Presentation of Credentials: July 13, 1962
Termination of Mission: Left post, August 31, 1964
Name: Edward Clark
State of Residency: Texas
Non-career appointee
Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Appointment: July 22,
1965
Presentation of Credentials: August 23, 1965
Termination of Mission:
Left Australia, December 31, 1967
Name: William H. Crook
State of Residency: Texas
Non-career appointee
Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Appointment: June 24,
1968
Presentation of Credentials: July 22, 1968
Termination of Mission:
Left Australia, April 18, 1969
Name: Walter L. Rice
State of Residency: Virginia
Non-career
appointee
Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Appointment: August 19, 1969
Presentation of Credentials: September 11, 1969
Termination of Mission: Left post, May 26, 1973
Name: Marshall Green
State of Residency: District of Columbia
Foreign
Service officer
Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Appointment: March 27, 1973
Presentation of Credentials: June 8, 1973
Termination of Mission: Left post, July 31, 1975
Name: James W. Hargrove
State of Residency: Texas
Non-career appointee
Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Appointment: February 4,
1976
Presentation of Credentials: February 19, 1976
Termination of Mission:
Left post, March 8, 1977
Name: Philip H. Alston, Jr.
State of Residency: Georgia
Non-career
appointee
Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Appointment: April 29, 1977
Presentation of Credentials: May 23, 1977
Termination of Mission: Left post, January 23, 1981
Note: Also
accredited to Nauru; resident at Canberra.
Name: Robert D. Nesen
State of Residency: California
Non-career
appointee
Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Appointment: May 20, 1981
Presentation of Credentials: June 17, 1981
Termination of Mission: Left post, May 2, 1985
Name: Laurence W. Lane, Jr.
State of Residency: California
Non-career
appointee
Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Appointment: December 6, 1985
Presentation of Credentials: January 7, 1986
Termination of Mission: Left post, April 29, 1989
Name: Melvin F. Sembler
State of Residency: Florida
Non-career
appointee
Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Appointment: October 10, 1989
Presentation of Credentials: October 25, 1989
Termination of Mission: Left post, February 28, 1993
Name: Edward J. Perkins
State of Residency: Oregon
Foreign Service
officer
Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Appointment:
October 8, 1993
Presentation of Credentials: November 24, 1993
Termination of
Mission: Left post, July 19, 1996
Name: Genta H. Holmes
State of Residency: California
Foreign Service
officer
Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Appointment:
February 10, 1997
Presentation of Credentials: April 11, 1997
Termination of
Mission: Left post, July 23, 2000
Name: Edward William Gnehm, Jr.
State of Residency: Georgia
Foreign
Service officer
Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and
Plenipotentiary
Appointment: June 14, 2000
Presentation of Credentials: August
30, 2000
Termination of Mission: Left post, June 22, 2001
Name: J. Thomas Schieffer
State of Residency: Texas
Non-career
appointee
Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Appointment:
July 27, 2001
Presentation of Credentials: August 23, 2001
Termination of
Mission: Left post, February 18, 2005*
*The following officers served as Charges
d'Affaires ad interim: William A. Stanton (February 2005–July 2006) and Michael P.
Owens (July–August 2006)
Name: Robert D. McCallum
State of Residency: Georgia
Non-career
appointee
Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Appointment:
July 5, 2006
Presentation of Credentials: August 24, 2006
Termination of
Mission: Left post, January 20, 2009
Name: Jeffrey L. Bleich
State of Residency: California
Non-career
appointee
Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Appointment: November 10, 2009
Presentation of Credentials: November 26, 2009
Termination of
Mission: