List of ambassadors of the United States to Portugal

Bilateral diplomatic relations between the United States and Portugal date from the earliest years of the United States. Following the Revolutionary War, Portugal was the first neutral country to recognize the United States. On February 21, 1791, President George Washington opened formal diplomatic relations, naming Col. David Humphreys as U.S. Minister Resident. Subsequent envoys were given the title Minister Plenipotentiary.

Ambassador of the United States to Portugal
Seal of the United States Department of State
Incumbent
Randi Charno Levine
since April 22, 2022
NominatorThe President of the United States
AppointerThe President
with Senate advice and consent
Inaugural holderDavid Humphreys
as Minister Resident
FormationFebruary 21, 1791 (1791-02-21)
WebsiteU.S. Embassy - Lisbon

Chiefs of mission

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".
  Denotes Chargé d’Affaires ad interim
  Denotes that Chief of Mission served at the court of Portugal in Brazil; resident at Rio de Janeiro
Name Portrait State of residency Type of appointee Title Appointment Presentation of credentials Termination of mission
David Humphreys Connecticut Minister Resident February 21, 1791 May 13, 1791 Presented recall on July 25, 1797
William Loughton Smith South Carolina Minister Plenipotentiary July 10, 1797 September 8, 1797 Presented recall on September 9, 1801
Thomas Sumter Jr. South Carolina Minister Plenipotentiary March 7, 1809 June 7, 1810 Presented recall on July 24, 1819
John Graham Pennsylvania, Virginia Minister Plenipotentiary January 6, 1819 June 24, 1819 Left Rio de Janeiro June 13, 1820
John James Appleton Massachusetts Chargé d'Affaires ad interim Began Service June 1820 Appleton's last despatch was dated July 12, 1821 (the Legation to Portugal at Rio de Janeiro was closed in 1821)
Henry Dearborn Sr. Massachusetts Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary May 7, 1822 Arrived at Lisbon before August 16, 1822; did not report date of presentation of credentials Had farewell audience June 30, 1824
Thomas Ludwell Lee Brent Virginia Chargé d'Affaires March 9, 1825 June 24, 1825[1] Left post on or soon after November 28, 1834
Edward Kavanaugh Maine Chargé d'Affaires March 3, 1835 July 25, 1835 Relinquished charge April 19, 1841
Washington Barrow Mississippi Chargé d'Affaires August 16, 1841 December 28, 1841 Presented recall on February 24, 1844
Abraham Rencher North Carolina Chargé d'Affaires September 22, 1843[2] February 24, 1844 Presented recall on November 4, 1847
George Washington Hopkins Virginia Chargé d'Affaires March 3, 1847 November 4, 1847 Presented recall on October 18, 1849
James Brown Clay Kentucky Chargé d'Affaires August 1, 1849 October 18, 1849[3] Left post on August 19, 1850
Charles Brickett Haddock New Hampshire Chargé d'Affaires December 10, 1850 June 17, 1851 Presented recall on June 16, 1854
John Louis O'Sullivan New York Chargé d'Affaires February 16, 1854 June 16, 1854 Promoted to Minister Resident October 19, 1854
Minister Resident June 29, 1854 October 19, 1854 Presented recall on July 15, 1858
George Washington Morgan Ohio Minister Resident May 11, 1858 July 15, 1858 Presented recall on July 19, 1861
James E. Harvey Pennsylvania Minister Resident March 28, 1861 July 19, 1861 Presented recall on July 15, 1869
Samuel Shellabarger Ohio Minister Resident April 21, 1869 July 15, 1869 Relinquished charge January 1, 1870
Charles Hance Lewis Virginia Minister Resident March 15, 1870 June 15, 1870 Presented recall on April 8, 1875
Benjamin Moran Pennsylvania Minister Resident December 15, 1874 April 8, 1875 Presented recall on November 9, 1876
Chargé d'Affaires August 15, 1876 November 15, 1876 Recall presented by successor September 27, 1882
John Morgan Francis New York Minister Resident/Consul General July 7, 1882 October 5, 1882 Left post on August 25, 1884
Lewis Richmond Rhode Island Minister Resident/Consul General July 4, 1884 October 23, 1884 Presented recall on May 7, 1885
Edward Parke Custis Lewis New Jersey Minister Resident/Consul General April 2, 1885 June 18, 1885 Presented recall on June 14, 1889
George Bailey Loring Massachusetts Minister Resident/Consul General March 30, 1889 August 29, 1889 Left post on May 31, 1890
George Sherman Batcheller New York Minister Resident/Consul General October 1, 1890 December 30, 1890 Left post on August 17, 1892
Gilbert Ashville Pierce Minnesota Minister Resident/Consul General January 6, 1893 March 20, 1893 Presented recall on May 24, 1893
George William Caruth Arkansas Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary April 25, 1893 June 30, 1893[4] Presented recall on July 24, 1897
Lawrence Townsend Pennsylvania Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary June 9, 1897 August 18, 1897 Presented recall on May 29, 1899
John Nichol Irwin Iowa Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary April 12, 1899 December 26, 1899[5] Left post on May 15, 1900
Francis Butler Loomis Ohio Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary June 17, 1901 August 14, 1901[6] Left post on September 16, 1902
Charles Page Bryan Illinois Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary January 7, 1903 April 25, 1903 Left post on January 16, 1910
Henry Tifft Gage California Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary December 21, 1909 June 11, 1910 Normal relations interrupted on October 5, 1910[7]
Edwin Vernon Morgan New York Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary May 24, 1911 August 3, 1911 Left post on February 11, 1912
Cyrus E. Woods Pennsylvania Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary January 25, 1912 March 20, 1912 Presented recall on August 19, 1913
Thomas Howard Birch New Jersey Non-career appointee Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary September 10, 1913 December 15, 1913 Left post on March 15, 1922
Fred Morris Dearing Missouri Career Foreign Service Officer Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary February 10, 1922 June 6, 1922 Relinquished charge February 28, 1930
John Glover South Kentucky Non-career appointee Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary December 16, 1929 March 26, 1930 Left post on July 28, 1933
Robert Granville Caldwell Texas Non-career appointee Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary June 13, 1933 August 21, 1933 Left post on May 28, 1937
Herbert Claiborne Pell Rhode Island Non-career appointee Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary May 27, 1937 July 31, 1937 Left post on February 3, 1941
Bert Fish Florida Non-career appointee Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary February 11, 1941 March 26, 1941 Died at post on July 21, 1943
Raymond Henry Norweb Ohio Career Foreign Service Officer Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary[8] November 15, 1943 December 3, 1943 Promoted to Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary June 20, 1944
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary May 4, 1944 June 20, 1944 Left post on February 15, 1945
Herman Benjamin Baruch New York Non-career appointee Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary February 9, 1945 Officially recognized as of April 12, 1945 Left post on March 9, 1947
John Cooper Wiley Indiana Career Foreign Service Officer Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary April 10, 1947 June 18, 1947 Left post March 15, 1948
Lincoln MacVeagh Connecticut Non-career appointee Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary April 8, 1948 June 9, 1948 Left post on February 26, 1952
Cavendish Wells Cannon Utah Career Foreign Service Officer Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary March 13, 1952 June 2, 1952 Left post on August 1, 1953
M. Robert Guggenheim District of Columbia Non-career appointee Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary June 24, 1953 August 12, 1953 Left post on September 19, 1954
James Cowles Hart Bonbright New York Career Foreign Service Officer Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary January 24, 1955 February 18, 1955 Left post on November 27, 1958
Charles Burke Elbrick Kentucky Career Foreign Service Officer Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary October 29, 1958 January 13, 1959[9] Left post on August 31, 1963
George Whelan Anderson Jr. District of Columbia Non-career appointee Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary August 1, 1963 October 22, 1963 Left post on June 1, 1966
William Tapley Bennett Jr. Georgia Career Foreign Service Officer Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary May 10, 1966 July 20, 1966 Left Post on July 21, 1969
Ridgway Brewster Knight District of Columbia Career Foreign Service Officer Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary July 8, 1969 July 30, 1969 Left post on February 24, 1973
New York
Stuart Nash Scott New York Non-career appointee Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary December 19, 1973 January 23, 1974 Left post on January 12, 1975
Frank Charles Carlucci III Pennsylvania Career Foreign Service Officer Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary December 9, 1974 January 24, 1975 Left post on February 5, 1978
Richard Joseph Bloomfield Maryland Career Foreign Service Officer Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary February 3, 1978 March 10, 1978 Left post on June 10, 1982
Henry Allen Holmes Jr. District of Columbia Career Foreign Service Officer Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary September 23, 1982 October 15, 1982 Left post on June 26, 1985
Frank J. Shakespeare Connecticut Non-career appointee Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary August 2, 1985 October 16, 1985 Left post on October 4, 1986
Edward Morgan Rowell California Career Foreign Service Officer Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary January 19, 1988 January 29, 1988[10] Left post on March 30, 1990
Everett Ellis Briggs Maine Career Foreign Service Officer Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary April 1, 1990 May 25, 1990 Left post on September 3, 1993
New Hampshire
Sharon P. Wilkinson New York Career Foreign Service Officer Chargé d'Affaires September 3, 1993 September 21, 1994
Elizabeth Frawley Bagley District of Columbia Non-career appointee Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary July 5, 1994 September 21, 1994 Left post on October 3, 1997
Gerald S. McGowan Virginia Non-career appointee Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary November 10, 1997 March 10, 1998 Left post on July 3, 2001
John N. Palmer Mississippi Non-career appointee Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary November 5, 2001 November 28, 2001 Left post on September 25, 2004
Alfred Hoffman Florida Non-career appointee Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary October 12, 2005 November 30, 2005 Left post on September 15, 2007
Thomas F. Stephenson California Non-career appointee Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary October 29, 2007 February 8, 2008 Left post on June 21, 2009
Allan J. Katz Florida Non-career appointee Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary March 19, 2010 April 28, 2010 Left post on July 28, 2013
Robert A. Sherman Massachusetts Non-career appointee Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary March 4, 2014 May 3, 2014 Left post on January 20, 2017
Herro Mustafa North Carolina Career Foreign Service Officer Chargé d'Affaires January 20, 2017 August 25, 2017
George E. Glass Oregon Non-career appointee Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary August 9, 2017 August 30, 2017 January 13, 2021
Randi Charno Levine Non-career appointee Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary October 29, 2021 April 22, 2022

Other nominees
Name Portrait State of residence Type of appointee Title Appointment Note
John Quincy Adams Massachusetts Minister Plenipotentiary May 30, 1796 Did not serve under this appointment.
John James Appleton Massachusetts Chargé d'Affaires Not commissioned; nomination be Chargé d'Affaires at Rio de Janeiro rejected by the Senate.
John Louis O'Sullivan New York Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary February 25, 1856 Nomination withdrawn before the Senate acted upon it.
William Cumback Indiana Minister Resident January 28, 1870 Declined appointment.
John Morgan Francis New York Chargé d'Affaires April 28, 1882 Took oath of office, but did not proceed to post in capacity of Chargé d'Affaires.
Henry Sherman Boutell Illinois Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary March 2, 1911 Took oath of office, but did not proceed to post.
Meredith Nicholson Indiana Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary Not commissioned; nomination withdrawn before the Senate acted upon it.
Richard Noyes Viets Florida Career Foreign Service Officer Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary September 15, 1987 Nomination was not acted upon by the Senate.
Vermont

Notes
  1. Reaccredited after a change in government; presented new credentials on January 18, 1830
  2. Commissioned during a recess of the Senate; recommissioned on January 11, 1844, after confirmation.
  3. Commissioned during a recess of the Senate; recommissioned on March 18, 1850, after confirmation.
  4. Commissioned during a recess of the Senate; recommissioned on August 22, 1893, after confirmation.
  5. Commissioned during a recess of the Senate; recommissioned on December 14, 1899, after confirmation.
  6. Commissioned during a recess of the Senate; recommissioned on December 10, 1901, after confirmation.
  7. The new Government of Portugal was still unrecognized by the United States when Gage left post on November 19, 1910.
  8. With the personal rank of Ambassador.
  9. Commissioned during a recess of the Senate; recommissioned on January 29, 1959, after confirmation.
  10. Commissioned during a recess of the Senate; recommissioned on May 12, 1988, after confirmation.

See also

References
  • United States Department of State: Background notes on Portugal
  • Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from U.S. Bilateral Relations Fact Sheets. United States Department of State.
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