List of ambassadors of the United States to Mozambique

Mozambique was an overseas possession of Portugal until 1975. On June 25, 1975, Portugal granted independence to Mozambique, much later than other European nations had freed their own African possessions.

Ambassador of the United States to Mozambique
Seal of the United States Department of State
Incumbent
Peter H. Vrooman
since March 3, 2022
NominatorThe President of the United States
AppointerThe President
with Senate advice and consent
Inaugural holderWillard Ames De Pree
as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
FormationFebruary 4, 1976
WebsiteAmbassador to Mozambique

The United States immediately recognized the new nation and moved to establish diplomatic relations. An embassy in the capital Maputo (then named Lourenço Marques) was opened November 8, 1975, with Johnnie Carson as chargé d’affaires ad interim. On February 4, 1976, Ambassador Willard Ames De Pree was appointed as the first Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Mozambique.

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
Willard Ames De Pree – Career FSO Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary February 4, 1976 April 16, 1976 July 7, 1980
William H. Twaddell Chargé d’Affaires ad interim July 7, 1980 - September 23, 1983
Peter Jon de Vos – Career FSO Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary September 23, 1983 November 4, 1983 February 12, 1987
Melissa Foelsch Wells – Career FSO[1] Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary September 11, 1987 September 26, 1987 October 12, 1990
Townsend B. Friedman, Jr. – Career FSO Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary August 6, 1990 November 10, 1990 September 15, 1993
Dennis C. Jett – Career FSO Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary July 16, 1993 November 17, 1993 July 20, 1996
P. Michael McKinley Chargé d’Affaires ad interim July 20, 1996 - December 3, 1997
Brian D. Curran – Career FSO Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary October 24, 1997 December 3, 1997 June 21, 2000
Sharon P. Wilkinson – Career FSO Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary September 15, 2000 October 25, 2000 July 21, 2003
Helen R. Meagher La Lime – Career FSO Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary April 16, 2003 September 3, 2003 June 21, 2006
Todd C. Chapman Chargé d'Affaires ad interim July 2007 - January 2010[2]
Leslie V. Rowe - Career FSO Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary December 29, 2009 February 10, 2010 March 1, 2012
Douglas M. Griffiths - Career FSO Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary July 5, 2012 August 8, 2012 December 28, 2015
H. Dean Pittman - Career FSO Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary November 23, 2015 February 18, 2016 December 21, 2018
Dennis Walter Hearne - Career FSO Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary January 31, 2019[3] April 3, 2019[4] January 19, 2022
Peter H. Vrooman - Career FSO Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary December 18, 2021 March 3, 2022 Incumbent

Notes
  1. An earlier nomination of October 7, 1986, was not acted upon by the Senate.
  2. https://history.state.gov/departmenthistory/people/chapman-todd-c
  3. "Ambassador Dennis Walter Hearne". U.S. Embassy in Mozambique. Retrieved 2019-04-06.
  4. "U.S. Ambassador to Mozambique Dennis Walter Hearne presents credentials to Mozambican President Filipe Jacinto Nyusi". Club of Mozambique. April 3, 2019. Retrieved 2019-04-06.

See also

Sources
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