List of ambassadors of the United States to Cape Verde

Cape Verde had been a Portuguese colony for more than 500 years since 1456. In 1974 Portugal and the Cape Verdeans signed an agreement to form a transitional government, and Cape Verde gained full independence from Portugal on July 5, 1975.

Ambassador of the United States to Cape Verde
Seal of the United States Department of State
Incumbent
Jeff Daigle
since September 10, 2019
NominatorThe President of the United States
AppointerThe President
with Senate advice and consent
Inaugural holderMelissa F. Wells
as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
FormationSeptember 16, 1976
WebsiteU.S. Embassy - Praia

The United States recognized Cape Verde and commissioned its first ambassador Melissa F. Wells in 1976. Ambassador Wells was concurrently accredited to Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde while resident at Bissau, the capital of Guinea-Bissau. In 1980, an embassy was established in the capital Praia with a chargé d’affaires managing the business of the embassy. Until 1980 one ambassador, resident at Bissau, was concurrently commissioned to Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde.

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
    Melissa F. Wells – Career FSO Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary September 16, 1976 November 18, 1976 March 23, 1977
    Edward Marks – Career FSO September 15, 1977 October 18, 1977 July 11, 1980 Embassy Praia was established January 28, 1978 with Howard McGowan as Chargé d’Affaires ad interim. The ambassador remained in Bissau.
    Peter Jon de Vos – Career FSO September 5, 1980 September 24, 1980 Left Bissau, March 30, 1983 In 1983 the first ambassador was appointed solely accredited to Cape Verde.
    John Melvin Yates – Career FSO March 18, 1983 April 26, 1983 May 24, 1986
    Vernon Dubois Penner, Jr. – Career FSO June 16, 1986 July 15, 1986 November 21, 1989
    Francis Terry McNamara – Career FSO November 21, 1989 December 23, 1989 December 31, 1992
    Joseph Monroe Segars – Career FSO July 14, 1992 March 24, 1993 March 17, 1996
    Lawrence Neal Benedict – Career FSO June 6, 1996 July 30, 1996 August 11, 1999
    Michael D. Metelits – Career FSO July 7, 1999 September 15, 1999 July 24, 2002
    Donald C. Johnson – Career FSO October 3, 2002 November 21, 2002 April 4, 2005
    Roger D. Pierce – Career FSO June 21, 2005 September 27, 2005 June 9, 2008
    Marianne M. Myles – Career FSO June 6, 2008 August 6, 2008 August 1, 2011
    Dana Brown - Career FSO Chargé d'Affaires ad interim August 1, 2011 Unknown December 9, 2011
    Adrienne S. O'Neal - Career FSO Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary October 19, 2011 December 9, 2011 January 31, 2015
    Donald Heflin - Career FSO December 18, 2014 January 31, 2015[1] September 11, 2018
    John Jefferson Daigle - Career FSO May 29, 2019 September 10, 2019 Incumbent

    See also

    References
    1. "Donald J. Heflin - People - Department History - Office of the Historian".

    Sources
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