List of ambassadors of the United States to Romania

A United States diplomatic representative to Romania has existed since 1880. The United States formally recognized Romania in 1878, following the Treaty of Berlin; diplomatic relations were opened in 1880, and American diplomats were sent to the country. Until the early 20th century, most ambassadors to Romania were also responsible for Greece, Serbia, and occasionally Bulgaria. No U.S. Embassy was established in Romania for some time; ambassadors typically operated out of Athens until about 1905, at which point an embassy was established in Bucharest.

Ambassador of the United States to Romania
Ambasadorilor Statelor Unite ale Americii în România
Seal of the United States Department of State
Incumbent
Kathleen Kavalec
since February 14, 2023
NominatorThe President of the United States
AppointerThe President
with Senate advice and consent
Inaugural holderEugene Schuyler
as Diplomatic Agent/Consul General
FormationJune 11, 1880
WebsiteU.S. Embassy - Bucharest

The main U.S. embassy in Romania remains in Bucharest and is located at 4-6 Dr. Liviu Librescu Blvd. For several years during World War II, following the death of Ambassador Franklin Mott Gunther, there was no American ambassador to Romania. The latter country became an Axis country, and declared war on the Allies (see Romania during World War II). Preceded by American representation in the Allied Commission after 1945, the diplomatic mission was reopened in 1947. In 1994, the U.S. embassy was expanded, and a branch office was opened in Cluj-Napoca.

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
Eugene Schuyler[1] Diplomatic Agent/Consul General June 11, 1880 December 14, 1880[2] September 7, 1884
Walker Fearn Minister Resident/Consul General April 18, 1885[3] October 20, 1885 October 24, 1899
A. Loudon Snowden[4] July 1, 1889[5] November 25, 1889 August 18–25, 1892
Truxtun Beale[6] July 22, 1892 Did not present credentials in Romania 1893
Eben Alexander Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary/Consul General April 7, 1893[7] June 15, 1894 Athens, August 1, 1897
William Woodville Rockhill[8] July 8, 1897[7] May 18, 1898 April 27, 1899
Arthur S. Hardy Envoy Extraordinary/Minister Plenipotentiary April 18, 1899[9] July 14, 1900 March 13, 1901
Charles Spencer Francis December 20, 1900[7] October 16, 1901 December 24, 1902
John Brinkerhoff Jackson October 13, 1902[10] April 7, 1903 July 25, 1905
John W. Riddle March 8, 1905[11] October 3, 1905 January 23, 1907
Horace G. Knowles January 16, 1907[12] May 7, 1907 February 4, 1909
Spencer F. Eddy January 11, 1909[13] July 9, 1909 September 29, 1909
John R. Carter September 25, 1909[14] November 14, 1909 October 24, 1911.
John Brinkerhoff Jackson August 12, 1911[15] December 24, 1911 October 28, 1913
Charles J. Vopicka – Political Appointee September 11, 1913[15] November 27, 1913 July 10, 1920
Peter Augustus Jay – Career FSO April 18, 1921 June 30, 1921 May 9, 1925
William S. Culbertson – Political Appointee April 28, 1925[16] December 12, 1925 April 15, 1928
Charles S. Wilson – Career FSO June 23, 1928[17] October 13, 1928 August 2, 1933
Alvin Mansfield Owlsey – Political Appointee June 13, 1933 September 15, 1933 June 16, 1935
Leland Harrison – Career FSO May 15, 1935 July 24, 1935 September 3, 1937
Franklin Mott Gunther – Career FSO July 31, 1937 October 23, 1937 December 22, 1941 Romania declared war on U.S., December 12, 1941

Gunther died at Bucharest, December 22, 1941

Rudolf E. Schoenfeld – Career FSO July 28, 1947 September 25, 1947 May 24, 1950
James W. Gantenbein – Career FSO Chargé d'Affaires ad interim September 1950 November 1952
Harold Shantz – Career FSO Envoy Extraordinary/Minister Plenipotentiary September 27, 1952[18] November 20, 1952 August 30, 1955
Robert H. Thayer – Political Appointee August 17, 1955[19] November 10, 1955 December 12, 1957
Clifton R. Wharton – Career FSO February 5, 1958 March 7, 1958 October 21, 1960
William A. Crawford – Career FSO November 28, 1961[20] February 10, 1962 December 24, 1964 Promoted to Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
William A. Crawford – Career FSO Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary December 4, 1964 December 24, 1964 October 10, 1965
Richard H. Davis – Career FSO September 24, 1965[21] December 16, 1965 August 6, 1969
Leonard C. Meeker – Political Appointee July 22, 1969[21] September 16, 1969 May 10, 1973
Harry G. Barnes, Jr. – Career FSO December 19, 1973[21] March 14, 1974 November 10, 1977
O. Rudolph Aggrey – Career FSO October 21, 1977[21] November 22, 1977 July 11, 1981
David B. Funderburk – Political Appointee October 2, 1981[21] October 13, 1981 May 13, 1985
Roger Kirk – Career FSO November 15, 1985[21] November 29, 1985 July 5, 1989
Alan Green, Jr. – Political Appointee October 10, 1989[21] December 7, 1989 January 11, 1992
John R. Davis Jr. – Career FSO December 2, 1991 March 11, 1992 August 9, 1994
Alfred H. Moses – Political Appointee September 29, 1994 December 14, 1994 August 11, 1997
James Carew Rosapepe – Political Appointee November 10, 1997 February 4, 1998 March 1, 2001
Michael E. Guest – Career FSO August 3, 2001 September 24, 2001 July 8, 2004
Jack Dyer Crouch II – Political Appointee May 25, 2004 July 16, 2004 February 28, 2005
Nicholas F. Taubman – Political Appointee November 29, 2005 December 5, 2005 December 3, 2008
Mark Gitenstein – Political Appointee July 29, 2009 August 28, 2009 December 14, 2012
Duane C. Butcher – Career FSO Chargé d'affaires ad interim December 14, 2012 July 2014
Dean R. Thompson – Career FSO July 2014[22] September 20, 2015
Hans G. Klemm – Career FSO Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary August 7, 2015 September 21, 2015 December 14, 2019
Adrian Zuckerman - Political appointee November 21, 2019 December 17, 2019 January 20, 2021
David Muniz Chargé d'affaires ad interim January 20, 2021 February 14, 2023
Kathleen Kavalec Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary December 15, 2022 February 14, 2023 Incumbent

Notes
  1. Later promoted to Chargé d'Affaires/Consul General, eventually as Minister Resident/Consul General at which point he was also accredited to Greece and Serbia and transferred residence to Athens.
  2. Credentials delivered in a private audience, December 14, 1880; not formally received although the Romanian Foreign Ministry had indicated on August 13, 1880 a willingness to enter provisionally into relations with the U.S. Legation.
  3. Commissioned during a recess of the Senate; recommissioned after confirmation on January 13, 1886. Also accredited to Greece and Serbia; resident at Athens.
  4. Promoted to Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary
  5. Commissioned during a recess of the Senate; recommissioned after confirmation on December 19, 1889. Also accredited to Greece and Serbia; resident at Athens.
  6. Promoted to Minister Resident/Consul General and later Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary/Consul General
  7. Also accredited to Greece and Serbia; resident at Athens.
  8. Later recommissioned as Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary
  9. Commissioned during a recess of the Senate; recommissioned after confirmation on December 14, 1899. Also accredited to Greece and Serbia; resident at Athens.
  10. Commissioned during a recess of the Senate; recommissioned after confirmation on December 8, 1902. Also accredited to Greece and Serbia; resident at Athens. Later recommissioned as Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Greece, Romania, and Serbia and Diplomatic Agent to Bulgaria; resident at Athens. Recommissioned during a recess of the Senate; recommissioned after confirmation on November 16, 1903.
  11. Commissioned to Romania and Serbia; resident at Bucharest
  12. Commissioned to Romania and Serbia; resident at Bucharest. Later Recommissioned as Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Romania and Serbia and Diplomatic Agent in Bulgaria during a recess of the Senate; recommissioned after confirmation on December 12, 1907.
  13. Commissioned as Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Romania and Serbia and Diplomatic Agent in Bulgaria; resident at Bucharest.
  14. Commissioned during a recess of the Senate as Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Romania and Serbia and Diplomatic Agent in Bulgaria; resident at Bucharest; recommissioned on December 13, 1909, after confirmation. Later recommissioned as Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Romania, Serbia, and Bulgaria
  15. Commissioned as Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Romania, Serbia, and Bulgaria; resident at Bucharest.
  16. Commissioned during a recess of the Senate; recommissioned after confirmation on December 17, 1925.
  17. Commissioned during a recess of the Senate; recommissioned after confirmation on January 23, 1929.
  18. Commissioned during a recess of the Senate; recommissioned after confirmation on June 4, 1953.
  19. Commissioned during a recess of the Senate; recommissioned after confirmation on January 25, 1956.
  20. Commissioned during a recess of the Senate; recommissioned after confirmation on January 30, 1962. Later promoted to Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Commissioned during a recess of the Senate; recommissioned after confirmation on January 18, 1965. John P. Shaw was serving as Chargé d'Affaires ad interim when the Legation in Bucharest was raised to Embassy status on June 1, 1964.
  21. Commissioned to the Socialist Republic of Romania.
  22. Chargé d'affaires a.i.

See also

References
  • United States Department of State: Background notes on Romania
  • Flaviu Vasile, Rus, ed., The cultural and diplomatic relations between Romania and the United States of America. 1880-1920, Cluj-Napoca, Mega Publishing, 2018.
  • Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from U.S. Bilateral Relations Fact Sheets. United States Department of State.
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