Ambassadors and Chiefs of Mission
Who was the first Ambassador to …?
A listing of U.S. Ambassadors by country can be found here.
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. James B.
Eustis was appointed Ambassador to France on April l8. Prior to
this date, the highest-ranking U.S. diplomats were Ministers.
How many U.S. Ambassadors have been killed by militants?
Since World War II, the following U.S. Ambassadors have been killed by
militants:
- John Gordon
Mein, Ambassador to Guatemala, August 28, 1968. Mein was killed by a gunman
in Guatemala City.
- Cleo A. Noel,
Jr., Ambassador to Sudan, March 1, 1973. Noel was taken
hostage in Khartoum and killed by his
kidnappers.
- Rodger P.
Davies, Ambassador to Cyprus, August 19, 1974. Davies was shot during a
demonstration at the Embassy in Nicosia.
- Francis
E. Meloy, Jr., Ambassador to Lebanon, June 16, 1976. Meloy was
killed by a gunman in Beruit.
- Adolph Dubs,
Ambassador to Afghanistan, February 14, 1979. Dubs was captured in Kabul
and was killed during the rescue attempt.
- J.
Christopher Stevens, Ambassador to Libya, September 11, 2012.
Stevens was killed in an attack on the Mission in Benghazi.
The American Foreign Service Association maintains a list of foreign service
officers killed in the line of duty here.