List of ambassadors of the United States to Liberia

This is a record of ambassadors of the United States to Liberia.

Ambassador of the United States to Liberia
Seal of the United States Department of State
Incumbent
Catherine Rodriguez
Chargé d'Affaires ad interim
since August 11, 2023[1]
NominatorThe President of the United States
AppointerThe President
with Senate advice and consent
Inaugural holderAbraham Hanson
as Commissioner/Consul General
FormationJune 8, 1863
WebsiteU.S. Embassy – Monrovia

Liberia, as a nation, had its beginnings in 1821 when groups of free blacks from the United States emigrated from the U.S. and began establishing colonies on the coast under the direction of the American Colonization Society. Between 1821 and 1847, by a combination of purchase and conquest, American Societies developed the colonies under the name "Liberia", dominating the native inhabitants of the area. In 1847 the colony declared itself an independent nation. Because it was already established as a nation, Liberia avoided becoming a European colony during the great age of European colonies in Africa during the latter half of the 19th century.

The United States recognized Liberia as an independent state in 1862 and commissioned its first representative to Liberia in 1863. The representative, Abraham Hanson, was appointed as commissioner/consul general. The status of the commissioner was later upgraded to Minister, and finally to full ambassador in 1949. Relations between the United States and Liberia have been continuous since that time.

Eight U.S. ambassadors have died at their post serving in Liberia.

The U.S. embassy in Liberia is located in Monrovia.

Ambassadors

U.S. diplomatic terms

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
Abraham Hanson[2] Commissioner/Consul General June 8, 1863 February 23, 1864 July 20, 1866 Died at post
John Seys[3] Minister Resident/Consul General October 8, 1866 January 2, 1867 June 11, 1870
J. Milton Turner March 1, 1871 July 19, 1871 May 7, 1878
John H. Smythe May 23, 1878 August 19, 1878 December 22, 1881
Henry Highland Garnet[4] June 30, 1881 December 22, 1881 February 13, 1882 Died at post
John H. Smythe April 12, 1882 August 4, 1882 December 14, 1885
Moses A. Hopkins[5] September 11, 1885 December 14, 1885 August 3, 1886 Died at post
Charles H. J. Taylor[6] March 11, 1887 June 4, 1887 c. September 22, 1887
Ezekiel E. Smith April 24, 1888 July 21, 1888 May 20, 1890
Alexander Clark August 16, 1890 November 25, 1890 May 31, 1891 Died at post
William D. McCoy January 11, 1892 March 28, 1892 May 15, 1893 Died at post
William H. Heard February 23, 1895 May 6, 1895 April 28, 1898
Owen L. W. Smith February 11, 1898 On or shortly before May 11, 1898 May 13, 1902
John R. A. Crossland January 16, 1902 May 13, 1902 January 30, 1903
Ernest Lyon March 16, 1903 July 27, 1903 c. August 25, 1910
William D. Crum June 13, 1910 August 25, 1910 September 17, 1912
George Washington Buckner – Political appointee September 10, 1913 December 8, 1913 April 15, 1915
James L. Curtis[7] – Political appointee October 25, 1915 December 29, 1915 October 20, 1917
Joseph L. Johnson – Political appointee August 27, 1918 October 8, 1919 February 13, 1922
Solomon Porter Hood – Political appointee October 26, 1921 February 13, 1922 January 9, 1926
William T. Francis[8] – Political appointee July 9, 1927 November 30, 1927 July 15, 1929 Died at post
Charles E. Mitchell[9] – Political appointee Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary January 20, 1931 Did not present credentials March 22, 1933 Government of Liberia requested his recall on February 11, 1933
Lester A. Walton – Political appointee July 22, 1935 October 2, 1935 February 28, 1946
Raphael O'Hara Lanier – Political appointee February 13, 1946 July 1, 1946 June 8, 1948
Edward R. Dudley[10] – Political appointee August 11, 1948 October 18, 1948 June 15, 1953 Promoted to Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary March 18, 1949
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Jesse D. Locker – Political appointee July 22, 1953 October 16, 1953 April 10, 1955 Died at post
Richard Lee Jones – Political appointee May 31, 1955 June 24, 1955 July 24, 1959
Elbert G. Mathews – Career FSO August 12, 1959 September 30, 1959 May 4, 1962
Charles Edward Rhetts – Political appointee July 5, 1962 August 7, 1962 September 30, 1964
Ben H. Brown, Jr.[11] – Career FSO November 25, 1964 January 6, 1965 July 17, 1969
Samuel Z. Westerfield, Jr. – Career FSO July 8, 1969 December 9, 1969 July 19, 1972 Died at post
Melvin L. Manfull[12] – Career FSO December 2, 1972 December 22, 1972 December 15, 1975
W. Beverly Carter, Jr. – Career FSO April 6, 1976 April 23, 1976 January 1, 1979
Robert P. Smith – Career FSO July 2, 1979 August 6, 1979 January 15, 1981
William Lacy Swing – Career FSO July 18, 1981 August 11, 1981 June 10, 1985
Edward Joseph Perkins – Career FSO July 12, 1985 August 28, 1985 October 22, 1986
James Keough Bishop – Career FSO March 27, 1987 May 4, 1987 March 31, 1990
Peter Jon de Vos – Career FSO June 22, 1990 Did not present credentials[13] July 27, 1992 From 1992–1999 the following officers served as chargés d’affaires ad interim: William H. Twaddell (September 1992 – July 1995), William B. Milam (November 1995 – January 1999), and Donald K. Petterson (February 1999 – August 1999).
Bismarck Myrick – Career FSO July 7, 1999 August 20, 1999 July 23, 2002
John William Blaney – Career FSO August 8, 2002 October 3, 2002 July 13, 2005
Donald E. Booth – Career FSO June 21, 2005 August 9, 2005 July 11, 2008
Linda Thomas-Greenfield – Career FSO July 18, 2008 August 27, 2008[14] February 29, 2012
Deborah R. Malac – Career FSO July 26, 2012 September 20, 2012 December 18, 2015
Christine A. Elder – Career FSO May 17, 2016 June 23, 2016 March 21, 2020
Michael A. McCarthy – Career FSO November 18, 2020 January 22, 2021 July 12, 2023[15]
Joel Maybury – Career FSO Chargé d'Affaires ad interim July 13, 2023 August 11, 2023
Catherine Rodriguez – Career FSO August 11, 2023 Incumbent

Notes
  1. https://lr.usembassy.gov/dcm-catherine-rodriguez/
  2. Hanson was commissioned during a recess of the Senate and recommissioned after confirmation on January 12, 1864.
  3. Seys was commissioned during a recess of the Senate and recommissioned after confirmation on February 21, 1867.
  4. Garnet was commissioned during a recess of the Senate. His date of commissioning is not recorded. The commission was enclosed with an instruction of July 19, 1881. He was recommissioned after confirmation on October 26, 1881.
  5. Hopkins was commissioned during a recess of the Senate and recommissioned after confirmation on January 13, 1886.
  6. Taylor was commissioned during a recess of the Senate. [Apparently not recommissioned.]
  7. Curtis was commissioned during a recess of the Senate and recommissioned after confirmation on December 17, 1915.
  8. Francis was commissioned during a recess of the Senate and recommissioned after confirmation on December 17, 1927.
  9. Mitchel was commissioned as Minister Resident/Consul General on September 10, 1930, and recommissioned after confirmation on December 16, 1930.
  10. Dudley was commissioned during a recess of the Senate and recommissioned after confirmation on March 2, 1949.
  11. Brown was commissioned during a recess of the Senate and recommissioned after confirmation on January 18, 1965.
  12. Manfull was commissioned during a recess of the Senate and recommissioned after confirmation on February 8, 1973.
  13. de Vos arrived at his post on June 28, 1990. He had not presented credentials before the overthrow of the government of Liberia on September 11, 1990.
  14. "Linda Thomas-Greenfield - People - Department History - Office of the Historian".
  15. https://frontpageafricaonline.com/news/liberia-outgoing-u-s-ambassador-michael-mccarthy-expresses-disappointment-over-governments-failure-to-investigate-sanctioned-officials/

See also

References
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