List of ambassadors of the United States to the Republic of the Congo
| Ambassador of the United States to the Republic of the Congo | |
|---|---|
 Seal of the United States Department of State | |
 | |
| Nominator | The President of the United States |
| Appointer | The President with Senate advice and consent |
| Inaugural holder | W. Wendell Blancke as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary |
| Formation | November 9, 1960 |
| Website | U.S. Embassy - Brazzaville |
This is a list of ambassadors of the United States to the Republic of the Congo.
From 1885 until 1960, the republic had been under the control of France as a protectorate. In 1908, France organized French Equatorial Africa (AEF), comprising its colonies of Middle Congo (modern Congo), Gabon, Chad, and Oubangui-Chari (now Central African Republic). Brazzaville was selected as the federal capital.
In 1958 Middle Congo became an autonomous colony and was renamed Republic of the Congo. The republic was granted full independence on August 15, 1960. As the Belgian Congo (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo) also chose the name Republic of Congo upon receiving its independence, the two countries were more commonly known as Congo-Leopoldville and Congo-Brazzaville, after their capital cities.
The United States immediately recognized the new Republic of the Congo and moved to establish diplomatic relations. The embassy in Brazzaville was established August 15, 1960, with Alan W. Lukens as Chargé d'Affaires ad interim. The first ambassador, W. Wendell Blancke was appointed on November 9, 1960.
Ambassadors
| Name | Title | Appointed | Presented credentials | Terminated mission | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W. Wendell Blancke – Career FSO[1][2] | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | November 9, 1960 | December 23, 1960 | December 14, 1963 | |
| Henry L. T. Koren – Career FSO | April 8, 1964 | May 13, 1964 | August 4, 1965 | Due to civil strife and insecure conditions, the U.S. Embassy in Brazzaville was closed and all diplomatic personnel were withdrawn from the country on August 15, 1965. The embassy was reestablished on October 30, 1977, with Jay Katzen as chargé d'affaires ad interim. A new ambassador was appointed on April 26, 1979. | |
| William L. Swing – Career FSO | April 26, 1979 | May 11, 1979 | May 30, 1981 | ||
| Kenneth Lee Brown – Career FSO | December 11, 1981 | February 13, 1982 | June 10, 1984 | ||
| Alan Wood Lukens – Career FSO | August 13, 1984 | September 22, 1984 | May 6, 1987 | ||
| Leonard Grant Shurtleff[3] – Career FSO | August 10, 1987 | September 26, 1987 | July 5, 1990 | ||
| James Daniel Phillips – Career FSO | June 27, 1990 | August 23, 1990 | September 10, 1993 | ||
| William Christie Ramsay – Career FSO | July 16, 1993 | September 23, 1993 | April 13, 1996 | ||
| Aubrey Hooks – Career FSO | June 6, 1996 | July 11, 1996 | January 9, 1999 | ||
| David H. Kaeuper – Career FSO | November 16, 1999 | December 27, 1999 | September 5, 2002 | ||
| Robin Renee Sanders – Career FSO | November 15, 2002 | February 13, 2003 | July 16, 2005[4] | ||
| Robert Weisberg – Career FSO | March 21, 2006 | April 27, 2006[5] | March 2, 2008 | ||
| Alan W. Eastham – Career FSO | August 22, 2008 | November 18, 2008 | July 23, 2010 | ||
| Christopher W. Murray – Career FSO | August 23, 2010 | September 16, 2010 | August 14, 2013 | ||
| Stephanie S. Sullivan – Career FSO | August 12, 2013 | November 26, 2013 | January 20, 2017 | ||
| Todd Philip Haskell – Career FSO | May 19, 2017 | July 13, 2017 | January 28, 2021[6] | ||
| Daniel Travis | Chargé d’Affaires ad interim | January 28, 2021 | – | March 30, 2022 | |
| Eugene Young – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | December 18, 2021 | March 30, 2022 | Incumbent |
Notes
- ^ Blancke was commissioned during a recess of the Senate and recommissioned after confirmation on February 6, 1961.
- ^ Blancke was also accredited to the Central African Republic, Chad, and Gabon while resident at Brazzaville.
- ^ "The Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training Foreign Affairs Oral History Project AMBASSADOR LEONARD SHURTLEFF" (PDF). Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training. 28 December 2012. Archived (PDF) from the original on 3 July 2024. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
- ^ "Robin Renee Sanders (1954–)". Office of the Historian. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
- ^ "Robert Weisberg (1950–)". Office of the Historian. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
- ^ "Chargé d'Affaires Todd P. Haskell". U.S. Embassy & Consulates in South Africa. Retrieved 2021-12-12.
See also
- Republic of the Congo – United States relations
- Foreign relations of the Republic of the Congo
- Ambassadors of the United States
References
- United States Department of State: Background notes on the Republic of Congo
This article incorporates public domain material from U.S. Bilateral Relations Fact Sheets. United States Department of State.
External links
- United States Department of State: Chiefs of Mission for the Republic of Congo
- United States Department of State: Republic of the Congo
- United States Embassy in Brazzaville
