List of ambassadors of the United States to Thailand

This is a list of ambassadors of the United States to Thailand.

Ambassador of the United States of America to Thailand
เอกอัครราชทูตสหรัฐอเมริกาประจำประเทศไทย
Seal of the United States Department of State
Incumbent
Robert F. Godec
since October 7, 2022
NominatorThe President of the United States
AppointerThe President with Senate advice and consent
Inaugural holderJohn A. Halderman
as Minister Resident/Consul General
FormationJuly 13, 1882
WebsiteU.S. Embassy - Bangkok

Thailand has had continuous bilateral relations with the United States since 1882. Relations were interrupted during World War II when Bangkok was occupied by Japanese forces. Normal relations were resumed after the war in 1945.

The United States Embassy to Thailand, which was designed by Gerhard Kallmann of Kallmann McKinnell & Wood,[1] is located in Bangkok.

Ambassadors
Name Portrait Career status Title Appointed Presentation

of credentials

 Termination of mission Comment
John A. Halderman[2] Minister Resident/Consul General July 13, 1882 October 23, 1882 Left post April 1, 1885
Jacob T. Child Minister Resident/Consul General March 9, 1886 June 5, 1886 Presented recall, January 17, 1891 Note: President Harrison nominated Alexander C. Moore for the ministerial post on July 9, 1890, but Moore declined the appointment.
Sempronius H. Boyd Minister Resident/Consul General October 1, 1890 January 17, 1891 Relinquished charge, June 13, 1892
John Barrett Minister Resident/Consul General February 14, 1894 November 15, 1894 Presented recall, April 26, 1898
Hamilton King[lower-alpha 1] Minister Resident/Consul General January 14, 1898 April 26, 1898 April 27, 1903
Hamilton King[lower-alpha 1][lower-alpha 2] Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary April 27, 1903 July 3, 1903 Died at post September 2, 1912
Fred W. Carpenter[lower-alpha 3] Political appointee Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary September 12, 1912 January 22, 1913 Left post November 16, 1913 President Wilson nominated Alexander Sweek of Oregon for the post in 1913 but Sweek’s nomination was not confirmed by the United States Senate.
William H. Hornibrook Political appointee Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary February 12, 1915 May 31, 1915 Presented recall, October 24, 1916
George Pratt Ingersoll Political appointee Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary August 8, 1917 November 24, 1917 Left post June 23, 1918
George W. P. Hunt Political appointee Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary May 18, 1920 September 6, 1920 Left post October 1, 1921
Edward E. Brodie Political appointee Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary October 8, 1921 January 31, 1922 Left post May 2, 1925
William W. Russell[lower-alpha 4] Career FSO Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary September 28, 1925 January 9, 1926[lower-alpha 5] Left post January 7, 1927
Harold Orville MacKenzie Political appointee Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary March 3, 1927 June 28, 1927 Left post March 29, 1930
Arthur H. Geissler[lower-alpha 6] Political appointee Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary December 16, 1929 — —
David E. Kaufman Political appointee Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary June 12, 1930 December 9, 1930 Left post June 15, 1933
James Marion Baker[lower-alpha 7] Political appointee Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary August 30, 1933 December 9, 1933 Left post May 2, 1936
Edwin L. Neville Career FSO Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary May 28, 1937 October 2, 1937 Left post May 1, 1940 Note: Siam changed its name to Thailand in 1939, but ambassadors were commissioned to Siam until 1954.
Hugh Gladney Grant Political appointee Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary April 3, 1940 August 20, 1940 Left post August 30, 1941
Willys R. Peck Career FSO Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary August 19, 1941 September 16, 1941 Japanese forces occupied Bangkok, December 8, 1941 Note: Thailand declared war on the United States January 25, 1942. Ambassador Peck was initially interned and then freed. He departed Thailand on June 29, 1942.

Note: Normal relations between Thailand and the United States were resumed after the war in October 1945.

Charles W. Yost Career FSO Chargé d’Affaires Not commissioned A letter of credence was sent to Yost by telegram, October 16, 1945. Superseded by commissioned envoy July 4, 1946
Edwin F. Stanton Career FSO Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary April 27, 1946 July 4, 1946 Promoted to Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary April 10, 1947. Note: The legation in Bangkok was raised to embassy status March 18, 1947. At the same time the envoy was promoted to ambassador.
Edwin F. Stanton[lower-alpha 8] Career FSO Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary April 10, 1947 May 9, 1947 Left post June 30, 1953 Note: Hereafter ambassadors were commissioned to Thailand rather than Siam, as previous envoys had been.
William J. Donovan Political appointee Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary August 3, 1953 September 4, 1953 Left post August 21, 1954
John E. Peurifoy[lower-alpha 9] Career FSO Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary September 15, 1954 December 3, 1954 Died near Hua Hin, August 12, 1955
Max Waldo Bishop[lower-alpha 10] Career FSO Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary December 3, 1955 January 9, 1956 Left post January 6, 1958
U. Alexis Johnson Career FSO Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary January 30, 1958 February 14, 1958 Left post April 10, 1961
Kenneth Todd Young Political appointee Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary March 29, 1961 June 22, 1961 Left post August 19, 1963
Graham A. Martin Career FSO Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary September 10, 1963 November 7, 1963 Left post September 9, 1967
Leonard S. Unger Career FSO Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary August 11, 1967 October 4, 1967 Left post November 19, 1973
William R. Kintner Political appointee Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary September 28, 1973 November 29, 1973 Left post March 15, 1975
Charles S. Whitehouse Career FSO Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary May 8, 1975 May 30, 1975 Left post June 19, 1978
Morton I. Abramowitz Career FSO Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary June 27, 1978 August 9, 1978 Left post July 31, 1981
John Gunther Dean Career FSO Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary October 1, 1981 October 26, 1981 Left post June 6, 1985
William Andreas Brown Career FSO Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary June 6, 1985 July 5, 1985 Left post August 5, 1988
Daniel Anthony O'Donohue Career FSO Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary July 11, 1988 August 13, 1988 Left post August 10, 1991
David Floyd Lambertson Career FSO Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary July 22, 1991 September 24, 1991 Left post August 25, 1995
William H. Itoh Career FSO Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary December 19, 1995 February 20, 1996 Left post February 1, 1999
Richard E. Hecklinger Career FSO Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary December 1, 1998 March 9, 1999 Left post December 21, 2001
Darryl N. Johnson Career FSO Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary November 26, 2001 March 29, 2002 Left post December 28, 2004
Ralph Leo Boyce[3] Career FSO Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary July 2, 2004 March 9, 2005 Left post July 21, 2007
Eric G. John[4] Career FSO Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary August 3, 2007 January 8, 2008 Left post September 30, 2010
Kristie A. Kenney[5] Career FSO Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary December 9, 2010 January 8, 2011 Left post November 6, 2014
W. Patrick Murphy[6] Career FSO Chargé d’affaires a.i. November 6, 2014 N/A August 2015
Glyn T. Davies[7] Career FSO Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary August 6, 2015 October 2, 2015 Left post September 29, 2018
Michael G. DeSombre Political appointee Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary January 8, 2020 March 2, 2020 January 20, 2021
Michael G. Heath[8] Career FSO Chargé d’affaires January 20, 2021 N/A October 7, 2022
Robert F. Godec Career FSO Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary August 4, 2022[9] October 7, 2022[10] Incumbent

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".

See also

Notes
  1. Minister King was promoted to Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary during his term, which required a new commission.
  2. King was commissioned as Envoy Extraordinary during a recess of the Senate and recommissioned after confirmation on November 16, 1903.
  3. Carpenter was commissioned during a recess of the Senate; recommissioned after confirmation on March 1, 1913.
  4. Russell was commissioned during a recess of the Senate and recommissioned after confirmation on December 17, 1925.
  5. Russell was officially received on January 9, 1926.
  6. Geissler took the oath of office, but did not proceed to post.
  7. Baker was commissioned during a recess of the Senate and recommissioned after confirmation on January 15, 1934.
  8. Stanton was promoted to Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary April 10, 1947. That required a new commission.
  9. Peurifoy was commissioned during a recess of the Senate and recommissioned after confirmation on December 3, 1954.
  10. Bishop was commissioned during a recess of the Senate and recommissioned after confirmation on January 18, 1956.

References
  1. Hevesi, Dennis (June 24, 2012). "Gerhard Kallmann, Architect, Is Dead at 97". New York Times. Retrieved July 16, 2012.
  2. Blackmar, Frank Wilson (1912). Kansas: A Cyclopedia of State History, Embracing Events, Institutions, Industries, Counties, Cities, Towns, Prominent Persons, Etc. Standard Publishing Company. pp. 801.
  3. "Ambassador Ralph L. "Skip" Boyce - U.S. Embassy Bangkok, Thailand". October 28, 2007. Archived from the original on October 28, 2007. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
  4. "Ambassador Eric G. John - U.S. Embassy Bangkok, Thailand". August 14, 2010. Archived from the original on August 14, 2010. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
  5. "Ambassador Kristie A. Kenney | Embassy of the United States Bangkok, Thailand". December 6, 2013. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
  6. "Chargé d'affaires, a.i. W. Patrick Murphy | Embassy of the United States Bangkok, Thailand". December 4, 2014. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
  7. "Ambassador Glyn T. Davies | Bangkok, Thailand - Embassy of the United States". March 22, 2016. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
  8. "Chargé d'affaires Michael Heath - U.S. Embassy & Consulate in Thailand". November 7, 2021. Archived from the original on November 7, 2021. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  9. "PN1937 - Nomination of Robert F. Godec for Department of State, 117th Congress (2021-2022)". www.congress.gov. August 4, 2022. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
  10. Royal Office (October 8, 2022). "พระบาทสมเด็จพระเจ้าอยู่หัว และสมเด็จพระนางเจ้า ฯ พระบรมราชินี พระราชทานพระบรมราชวโรกาสให้ เอกอัครราชทูตต่างประเทศประจำประเทศไทย เฝ้าทูลละอองธุลีพระบาท ถวายพระราชสาส์นตราตั้ง และอักษรสาส์นตราตั้ง". หน่วยราชการในพระองค์ (in Thai). Retrieved October 8, 2022.

Sources
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