American Ambassadors to the United Kingdom
1800 1850 1900 1950 2000
| Name Title State of Residency |
Appointment | Presentation of Credentials | Termination of Mission | Note | ||
| John Adams Minister Plenipotentiary Massachusetts |
Feb 24, 1785 | Jun 1, 1785 | Had farewell audience, Feb 20, 1788 | Commissioned to the court of Great Britain; also accredited to the Netherlands. | ||
| Thomas Pinckney Minister Plenipotentiary South Carolina |
Jan 12, 1792 | Aug 9, 1792 | Presented recall, Jul 27, 1796 | Commissioned to the court of His Britannic Majesty. | ||
| Rufus King Minister Plenipotentiary New York |
May 20, 1796 | Jul 27, 1796 | Presented recall on or shortly before May 16, 1803 | Commissioned to the court of His Britannic Majesty. | ||
| James Monroe Minister Plenipotentiary Virginia |
Apr 18, 1803 | Aug 17, 1803 | Presented recall Oct 7, 1807 | Commissioned during a recess of the Senate; recommissioned after confirmation on Nov 18, 1803. Commissioned to the court of His Britannic Majesty. | ||
| William Pinkney Minister Plenipotentiary Maryland |
Feb 26, 1808 | Apr 27, 1808 | Left England on or soon after May 7, 1811 | Originally commissioned as Minister Plenipotentiary at the court of His Britannic Majesty and given a letter of credence as such, May 12, 1806--on the same day that he and Monroe were accredited jointly as Commissioners Plenipotentiary and Extraordinary on a special mission. When Monroe was preparing to leave London, he informed the Foreign Secretary that Pinkney would succeed him in the ordinary duties of the Legation; the British authorities declined to accept Pinkney's 1806 letter of credence, but dealt with him informally until he was recommissioned and reaccredited. | ||
| Jonathan Russell Chargé d'Affaires |
[Jul 27, 1811 ] | Nov 15, 1811 | The U.S. declared war on Great Britain, Jun 18, 1812; Russell received unofficial notice of this, Jul 29, 1812, and suspended his official functions | Commission (issued during a recess of the Senate) not of record, but enclosed with an instruction of Jul 27, 1811. | ||
| John Q. Adams Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary Massachusetts |
Feb 28, 1815 | Jun 8, 1815 | Presented recall, May 14, 1817 | Commissioned to the court of the Prince Regent of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. | ||
| Richard Rush Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary Pennsylvania |
1817 | Feb 12, 1818 | Presented recall, Apr 27, 1825 | Month and day not included on record copy of commission, which was issued during a recess of the Senate; recommissioned after confirmation on Dec 16, 1817. Commissioned to the court of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. | ||
| Rufus King Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary New York |
May 5, 1825 | Nov 11, 1825 | Transmitted recall by note, 16-Jun 23, 1826 | Commissioned during a recess of the Senate; recommissioned after confirmation on Dec 20, 1825. Commissioned to the court of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. | ||
| Albert Gallatin Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary Pennsylvania |
May 10, 1826 | Sep 1, 1826 | Left post, Oct 4, 1827 | Commissioned to the court of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. | ||
| James Barbour Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary Virginia |
May 23, 1828 | Nov 24, 1828 | Left post on or shortly before Oct 1, 1829 | Commissioned to the court of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. | ||
| Louis McLane Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary Delaware |
Apr 18, 1829 | Oct 12, 1829 | Had farewell audience on or shortly before Jun 13, 1831 | Commissioned during a recess of the Senate; recommissioned after confirmation on Feb 10, 1830. Commissioned to the court of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. | ||
| Martin Van Buren Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary New York |
Aug 1, 1831 | Sep 21, 1831 | Had farewell audience, Mar 19, 1832 | Commissioned during a recess of the Senate. Commissioned to the court of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Nomination later rejected by the Senate. | ||
| Aaron Vail Chargé d'Affaires |
Jul 13, 1832 | [see note below] | Superseded, Jul 13, 1836 | No report has been found concerning Vail's presentation of credentials as Chargé d'Affaires en titre; he had been received as Chargé d'Affaires ad interim on Apr 4, 1832. Commissioned to the court of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. | ||
| Andrew Stevenson Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary Virginia |
Mar 16, 1836 | Jul 13, 1836 | Presented recall, Oct 21, 1841 | Commissioned to the court of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Nomination of May 20, 1834 rejected by the Senate; nomination of Feb 1, 1836 confirmed. | ||
| Edward Everett Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary Massachusetts |
Sep 13, 1841 | Dec 16, 1841 | Presented recall, Aug 8, 1845 | Commissioned to the court of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. | ||
| Louis McLane Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary Maryland |
Jun 16, 1845 | Aug 8, 1845 | Transmitted recall by note, Aug 18, 1846 | Commissioned during a recess of the Senate; recommissioned after confirmation on Dec 23, 1845. Commissioned to the court of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. | ||
| George Bancroft Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary New York |
Sep 9, 1846 | Nov 12, 1846 | Transmitted recall by note, Aug 31, 1849 | Commissioned during a recess of the Senate; recommissioned after confirmation on Dec 23, 1846. Commissioned to the court of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. | ||
| Abbott Lawrence Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary Massachusetts |
Aug 20, 1849 | Oct 20, 1849 | Transmitted recall by note, Oct 12, 1852 | Commissioned during a recess of the Senate; recommissioned after confirmation on Jun 24, 1850. Commissioned to the court of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. | ||
| Joseph R. Ingersoll Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary Pennsylvania |
Aug 21, 1852 | Oct 16, 1852 | Presented recall, Aug 23, 1853 | Commissioned to the court of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. | ||
| James Buchanan Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary Pennsylvania |
Apr 11, 1853 | Aug 23, 1853 | Presented recall, Mar 15, 1856 | Commissioned to the court of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. | ||
| George M. Dallas Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary Pennsylvania |
Feb 4, 1856 | Apr 4, 1856 | Presented recall, May 16, 1861 | Commissioned to the court of Her Britannic Majesty. | ||
| Charles Francis Adams Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary Massachusetts |
Mar 20, 1861 | May 16, 1861 | Presented recall, May 13, 1868 | Commissioned to England. | ||
| George B. McClellan Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary Ohio |
Not commissioned; nomination rejected by the Senate. | |||||
| Reverdy Johnson Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary Maryland |
Jun 12, 1868 | Sep 14, 1868 | Relinquished charge, May 13, 1869 | Commissioned to England. | ||
| J. Lothrop Motley Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary Massachusetts |
Apr 13, 1869 | Jun 18, 1869 | Presented recall, Dec 6, 1870 | Commissioned to England. | ||
| Frederick T. Frelinghuysen Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary New Jersey |
Jul 15, 1870 | Commissioned to London; declined appointment. | ||||
| Oliver T. Morton Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary Indiana |
Sep 23, 1870 | Commissioned during a recess of the Senate. Commissioned to London; declined appointment. | ||||
| Robert C. Schenck Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary Ohio |
Dec 22, 1870 | Jun 23, 1871 | Left post, Mar 3, 1876 | |||
| Richard H. Dana, Jr. Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary Massachusetts |
Not commissioned; nomination rejected by the Senate. | |||||
| Edwards Pierrepont Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary New York |
May 22, 1876 | Jul 11, 1876 | Presented recall, Dec 22, 1877 | |||
| John Welsh Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary Pennsylvania |
Nov 9, 1877 | Dec 22, 1877 | Presented recall, Aug 14, 1879 | |||
| James Russell Lowell Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary |
Jan 26, 1880 | Mar 11, 1880 | Presented recall, May 19, 1885 | |||
| Edward J. Phelps Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary Vermont |
Mar 23, 1885 | Mar 19, 1885 | Left post, Jan 31, 1889 | |||
| Robert T. Lincoln Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary Illinois |
Mar 30, 1889 | May 25, 1889 | Presented recall, May 4, 1893 | |||
| Thomas F. Bayard Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Delaware |
Mar 30, 1893 | Jun 22, 1893 | Left post, Mar 17, 1897 | |||
| John Hay Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary District of Columbia |
Mar 19, 1897 | May 3, 1897 | Presented recall, Sep 12, 1898 | |||
| Joseph Choate Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary New York |
Jan 19, 1899 | Mar 6, 1899 | Presented recall, May 23, 1905 | |||
| Whitelaw Reid Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary New York |
Mar 8, 1905 | Jun 5, 1905 | Died at post, Dec 15, 1912 | |||
| Walter Hines Page Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary New York |
Apr 21, 1913 | May 30, 1913 | Left post, Oct 3, 1918 | |||
| John W. Davis Non-career appointee Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary West Virginia |
Nov 21, 1918 | Dec 18, 1918 | Left England, Mar 9, 1921 | |||
| George Harvey Non-career appointee Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary New Jersey |
Apr 16, 1921 | May 12, 1921 | Left England, Nov 3, 1923 | |||
| Frank B. Kellogg Non-career appointee Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Minnesota |
Dec 11, 1923 | Jan 14, 1924 | Presented recall, Feb 10, 1925 | |||
| Alanson B. Houghton Non-career appointee Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary New York |
Feb 24, 1925 | Apr 27, 1925 | Left post, Mar 28, 1929 | |||
| Charles G. Dawes Non-career appointee Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Illinois |
Apr 16, 1929 | Jun 15, 1929 | Left post, Dec 30, 1931 | |||
| Andrew W. Mellon Non-career appointee Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Pennsylvania |
Feb 5, 1932 | Apr 9, 1932 | Left England, Mar 17, 1933 | |||
| Robert Worth Bingham Non-career appointee Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Kentucky |
Mar 23, 1933 | May 23, 1933 | Left England, Nov 19, 1937 | |||
| Joseph P. Kennedy Non-career appointee Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary New York |
Jan 17, 1938 | Mar 8, 1938 | Left post, Oct 22, 1940 | |||
| John G. Winant Non-career appointee Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary New Hampshire |
Feb 11, 1941 | Mar 1, 1941 | Appointment terminated, Apr 10, 1946 | |||
| W. Averell Harriman Non-career appointee Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary New York |
Apr 2, 1946 | Apr 30, 1946 | Left post, Oct 1, 1946 | |||
| O. Max Gardner Non-career appointee Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary North Carolina |
[Dec 6, 1946] | Took oath of office, but died in the United States before proceeding to post. A commission signed by the President during a recess of the Senate, which had not yet been dated and attested, was returned to the President by the Acting Secretary on Dec 6, 1946, Gardner having declined a recess appointment. Recommissioned Jan 13, 1947. | ||||
| Lewis W. Douglas Non-career appointee Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Arizona |
Mar 6, 1947 | Mar 25, 1947 | Left post, Nov 16, 1950 | |||
| Walter S. Gifford Non-career appointee Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary New York |
Sep 29, 1950 | Commissioned during a recess of the Senate. Did not serve under this appointment. | ||||
| Walter S. Gifford Non-career appointee Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary New York |
Dec 12, 1950 | Dec 21, 1950 | Left post, Jan 23, 1953 | |||
| Winthrop W. Aldrich Non-career appointee Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary New York |
Feb 2, 1953 | Feb 20, 1953 | Left England, Feb 1, 1957 | |||
| John Hay Whitney Non-career appointee Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary New York |
Feb 11, 1957 | Feb 28, 1957 | Left post, Jan 14, 1961 | |||
| David K.E. Bruce Non-career appointee Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Maryland |
Feb 22, 1961 | Mar 17, 1961 | Left post, Mar 20, 1969 | |||
| Walter H. Annenberg Non-career appointee Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Pennsylvania |
Mar 14, 1969 | Apr 29, 1969 | Left post, Oct 30, 1974 | |||
| Elliot L. Richardson Non-career appointee Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Massachusetts |
Feb 20, 1975 | Mar 21, 1975 | Left post, Jan 16, 1976 | |||
| Anne Legendre Armstrong Non-career appointee Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Texas |
Jan 29, 1976 | Mar 17, 1976 | Left post, Mar 3, 1977 | |||
| Kingman Brewster, Jr. Non-career appointee Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Connecticut |
Apr 29, 1977 | Jun 3, 1977 | Left post, Feb 23, 1981 | |||
| John J. Louis, Jr. Non-career appointee Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Illinois |
May 7, 1981 | May 27, 1981 | Relinquished charge, Nov 7, 1983 | |||
| Charles H. Price, II Non-career appointee Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Missouri |
Nov 11, 1983 | Dec 20, 1983 | Left post, Feb 28, 1989 | |||
| Henry E. Catto, Jr. Non-career appointee Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Texas |
Apr 14, 1989 | May 17, 1989 | Left post, Mar 13, 1991 | |||
| Raymond George Hardenbergh Seitz Foreign Service officer Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Texas |
Apr 25, 1991 | Jun 25, 1991 | Left post, May 10, 1994 | |||
| William J. Crowe, Jr. Non-career appointee Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Virginia |
May 13, 1994 | Jun 2, 1994 | Left post, Sep 20, 1997 | |||
| Philip Lader Non-career appointee Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary South Carolina |
Aug 1, 1997 | Sep 22, 1997 | Left post, Feb. 28, 2001 |
|||
| William S. Farish Non-career appointee Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Texas |
July 11, 2001 | August 2001 | Left post, July 10, 2004 |
|||
| Robert Holmes Tuttle Non-career appointee Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary California |
30 June 2005 | 19 October 2005 | Left post, Feb. 06, 2009 | |||
| Louis B. Susman Non-career appointee Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary California |
29 July 2009 | 17 August 2009 | |
|||
| Data source: Department of State's Chiefs of Mission from 1778 to 1995 | ||||||
Facts About American Ambassadors to the United Kingdom
- Nathaniel Hawthorne, Consul at Liverpool, 1853-57.
- Bret Harte, Consul at Crefeld, 1878-1880, and at Glasgow, 1880-1885.
- James Russell Lowell, Minister to Spain, 1877-80; to Great Britain, 1880-85.
Who were the first U.S. Ambassadors?
The rank of Ambassador was first used by the United States in 1893. Thomas F. Bayard was appointed Ambassador to Great Britain on March 30, 1893. James B. Eustis was appointed Ambassador to France on April 18, 1893. Prior to this date, the highest-ranking U.S. diplomats were Ministers.
Have there been multi-generational foreign affairs families in U.S. history?
John Adams was the first U.S. Minister to the United Kingdom. He was appointed February 24, 1785, presented his credentials to King George III on June 1, 1785, and served until February 20, 1788. His son John Quincy Adams was the first U.S. Minister to the United Kingdom after the War of 1812. He was appointed February 28, 1815, and served until May 14, 1817. Grandson Charles Francis Adams served from 1861 to 1868. Much of his work involved keeping Britain neutral during the Civil War and negotiating postwar agreements with Britain to settle U.S. claims for damages against that country.
A family of English Quaker merchants named Fox were U.S. Consuls at Falmouth, England. Robert Were Fox served from 1794 to 1812, and again from 1815 to his death in 1818. Robert Were Fox , Jr. served from 1819 to 1854 (their middle name is sometimes spelled "Weare" or "Ware"). Somehow the Consulate passed out of the family between 1854 and 1863. Two more generations of Foxes then served. Alfred Fox was appointed in 1863, and Howard Fox served from 1874 until the post was closed in December 1905.
Have any distinguished writers who have held diplomatic, consular, or senior State Department posts in the U.K.?
Source: Frequently Asked Questions about Department of State History