| Ambassador of the United States to Saudi Arabia سفير الولايات المتحدة لدى المملكة العربية السعودية | |
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 Seal of the United States Department of State | |
| Residence | Quincy House |
| Nominator | The President of the United States |
| Appointer | The President with Senate advice and consent |
| Inaugural holder | Bert Fish as Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary |
| Formation | Aug 7, 1939 |
| Website | U.S. Embassy – Riyadh |
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The United States ambassador to Saudi Arabia is the official representative of the president of the United States to the head of state of Saudi Arabia.
The United States recognized the government of King Ibn Saud in 1931, but it was not until 1939 when it appointed its first U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Bert Fish, then resident in Cairo and ambassador to Egypt. Fish made one trip down to Jeddah in 1940 to meet the King and present his credentials, but it was not until after his mission was terminated that a legation was established there on May 1, 1942.
The ambassador holds the title Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary.
Ambassadors
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U.S. diplomatic terms |
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Career FSO After 1915, The United States Department of State began classifying ambassadors as career Foreign Service Officers (FSOs) for those who have served in the Foreign Service for a specified amount of time. Political appointee A person who is not a career foreign service officer, but is appointed by the president (often as a reward to political friends). Appointed The date that the ambassador took the oath of office; also known as "commissioning". It follows confirmation of a presidential appointment by the Senate, or a Congressional recess appointment by the president. In the case of a recess appointment, the ambassador requires subsequent confirmation by the Senate to remain in office. Presented credentials The date that the ambassador presented his letter of credence to the head of state or appropriate authority of the receiving nation. At this time the ambassador officially becomes the representative of his country. This would normally occur a short time after the ambassador's arrival on station. The host nation may reject the ambassador by not receiving the ambassador's letter, but this occurs only rarely. Terminated mission Usually the date that the ambassador left the country. In some cases a letter of recall is presented, ending the ambassador's commission, either as a means of diplomatic protest or because the diplomat is being reassigned elsewhere and replaced by another envoy. Chargé d'affaires The person in charge of the business of the embassy when there is no ambassador commissioned to the host country. Ad interim Latin phrase meaning "for the time being", "in the meantime". |
| Name | Title | Appointed | Presented credentials | Terminated mission | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bert Fish[1] – Political appointee | Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary | Aug 7, 1939 | Feb 4, 1940 | Feb 28, 1941 | The Legation in Jeddah was established on May 1, 1942, with James S. Moose, Jr., as Chargé d'Affaires ad interim. |
| Alexander C. Kirk[2] – Career FSO | Feb 21, 1941 | May 11, 1942 | Jul 18, 1943 | ||
| James S. Moose Jr. – Career FSO | Minister Resident/Foreign Service officer | Jun 4, 1943 | Jul 18, 1943 | Aug 18, 1944 | |
| William A. Eddy – Political appointee | Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary | Aug 12, 1944 | Sep 23, 1944 | May 28, 1946 | |
| J. Rives Childs[3] – Career FSO | Apr 27, 1946 | Jun 29, 1946 | Jul 21, 1950 | Promoted to Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | |
| Raymond A. Hare[3] – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | Sep 20, 1950 | Oct 24, 1950 | Jul 8, 1953 | |
| George Wadsworth[4][3] – Career FSO | Oct 21, 1953 | Jan 9, 1954 | Jan 1, 1958 | ||
| Donald R. Heath[5] – Career FSO | Nov 27, 1957 | Jan 9, 1958 | Apr 18, 1961 | ||
| Parker T. Hart[6] – Career FSO | Apr 6, 1961 | Jul 22, 1961 | May 29, 1965 | ||
| Hermann F. Eilts – Career FSO | Oct 20, 1965 | Jan 15, 1966 | Jul 23, 1970 | ||
| Nicholas G. Thacher – Career FSO | Sep 8, 1970 | Sep 22, 1970 | Sep 19, 1973 | ||
| James E. Akins – Career FSO | Sep 20, 1973 | Nov 7, 1973 | Feb 10, 1975 | ||
| William J. Porter – Career FSO | Dec 22, 1975 | Feb 21, 1976 | May 27, 1977 | ||
| John C. West – Political appointee | Jun 8, 1977 | Jun 29, 1977 | Mar 21, 1981 | ||
| Robert G. Neumann – Political appointee | May 20, 1981 | Jun 22, 1981 | Jul 16, 1981 | ||
| Richard W. Murphy[7] – Career FSO | Aug 19, 1981 | Aug 29, 1981 | Aug 21, 1983 | ||
| Walter L. Cutler – Career FSO | Feb 10, 1984 | Mar 31, 1984 | Jun 22, 1987 | On Sep 26, 1984, the U.S. Liaison Office in Riyadh was raised to the rank of embassy while the embassy in Jeddah became a consulate. | |
| Hume Alexander Horan – Career FSO | Jul 2, 1987 | Sep 22, 1987 | Apr 22, 1988 | ||
| Walter L. Cutler – Career FSO | Jul 15, 1988 | Aug 17, 1988 | Apr 30, 1989 | ||
| Chas W. Freeman Jr. – Career FSO | Jun 15, 1989 | Jan 14, 1990 | Aug 13, 1992 | ||
| C. David Welch | Chargé d'Affaires ad interim | Aug 13, 1992 | N/A | Aug 1, 1994 | |
| Raymond Edwin Mabus Jr. – Political appointee | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | Jul 5, 1994 | Aug 1, 1994 | Apr 25, 1996 | |
| Wyche Fowler Jr.[8] – Political appointee | Aug 9, 1996 | Sep 14, 1996 | Mar 1, 2001 | ||
| Robert W. Jordan – Political appointee | Oct 5, 2001 | Jun 30, 2002 | Oct 13, 2003 | ||
| James C. Oberwetter – Political appointee | Dec 11, 2003 | Oct 10, 2004 | Mar 31, 2007 | ||
| Ford M. Fraker[9] – Political appointee | March 30, 2007 | September 2, 2007 | January 20, 2009 | ||
| James B. Smith – Political appointee | September 16, 2009 | October 31, 2009 | September 27, 2013 | ||
| Joseph W. Westphal – Political appointee | March 26, 2014 | March 28, 2014 | January 8, 2017 | ||
| Christopher Henzel[10] | Chargé d'Affaires ad interim | January 8, 2017 | N/A | April 17, 2019 | |
| John Abizaid – Political appointee | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | April 10, 2019 | June 16, 2019[11] | January 20, 2021 | |
| Martina A. Strong | Chargé d'Affaires ad interim | January 20, 2021 | N/A | April 16, 2023 | |
| Denison Offutt | Chargé d'Affaires ad interim | April 16, 2023 | N/A | April 27, 2023 | |
| Michael Alan Ratney - Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | March 14, 2023 | April 27, 2023 | Incumbent | Approved by the US Senate in March 2023.[12] |
Notes
- ↑ Also accredited to Egypt; resident at Cairo.
- ↑ Also accredited to Egypt and to the Government of Greece established in Egypt; resident at Cairo.
- 1 2 3 Also accredited to Yemen; resident at Jidda.
- ↑ Commissioned during a recess of the Senate; recommissioned after confirmation on Jan 26, 1954.
- ↑ Also commissioned to Yemen, but did not present credentials in that country. Commissioned during a recess of the Senate; recommissioned after confirmation on Jan 27, 1958.
- ↑ Also commissioned to Kuwait and Yemen; resident at Jidda.
- ↑ Commissioned during a recess of the Senate; recommissioned after confirmation on Sep 29, 1981.
- ↑ Commissioned during a recess of the Senate; recommissioned after confirmation on Oct 31, 1997.
- ↑ Had presented his credentials to the Foreign Minister, May 5, 2007.
- ↑ "Saudi Arabia - Chiefs of Mission - People - Department History - Office of the Historian". history.state.gov. Retrieved 2019-09-03.
- ↑ "US Ambassador John Abizaid, Indian Ambassador Dr. Ausaf Sayeed join other envoys in presenting their credentials to King Salman in Jeddah this morning". Al-Bilad English. June 16, 2019. Retrieved 2019-07-09.
- ↑ "Michael Alan Ratney confirmed as US ambassador to Saudi Arabia". Arab News. 2023-03-15. Retrieved 2023-04-12.
See also
References
External links
- United States Department of State: Chiefs of Mission for Saudi Arabia
- United States Department of State: Saudi Arabia
- United States Embassy in Riyadh
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