List of ambassadors of the United States to Australia

The position of United States Ambassador to Australia has existed since 1940. U.S.–Australian relations have been close throughout the history of Australia. Before World War II, Australia was closely aligned with the United Kingdom, but it has strengthened its relationship with the United States since 1942, as Britain's influence in Asia has declined and the United States' influence has increased. At the governmental level, United States–Australia relationships are formalized by the ANZUS treaty and Australia-United States Free Trade Agreement.

Ambassador of the United States to Australia
Seal of the United States Department of State
Incumbent
Caroline Kennedy
since July 25, 2022[1]
Inaugural holderClarence E. Gauss
(as U.S. Minister to Australia)
Formation1940
WebsiteChargé d’affaires to Australia Edit this at Wikidata

The embassy in Canberra has long been regarded as a desirable posting and hence has become a patronage position. U.S. Ambassadors to Australia have traditionally been friends, political allies, or former business associates of the current President. Some have been major donors to the President's election campaign or political party. Few have been career diplomats (Marshall Green was a conspicuous exception). The two ambassadors during the Bush Administration, for example, were Tom Schieffer, a former business associate of President Bush, and Robert McCallum Jr., a Bush college friend. In 1942, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's close associate and nominee to be U.S. Minister in Canberra, Edward J. Flynn, was forced to withdraw his nomination for the position following difficulties in the senate confirmation process.[2] The actor Fess Parker was offered the post in 1985 by Ronald Reagan, after representing Reagan at an event in Australia. Parker considered it, but turned it down.[3]

This arrangement has suited Australian governments, which welcome the ability of such Ambassadors to gain direct access to the President, bypassing the State Department. However, this has often had the result of long periods without an appointed ambassador and additional delays in the Senate confirmation process, with the career diplomat deputy head of mission serving as Chargé d’Affaires ad interim, such as between February 2005 and August 2006, from September 2016 to February 2019 and from January 2021 to July 2022.

United States Ambassadors to Australia

The following individuals have served as the U.S. Ambassadors to Australia, or any precedent titles:

List of U.S. Ambassadors to Australia
Ordinal Officeholder Image Term began Term ended Time in office Notes
U.S. Ministers to Australia
1Clarence E. GaussJuly 17, 1940March 5, 1941
2Nelson T. JohnsonSeptember 12, 1941April 20, 1945
U.S. Ambassadors to Australia
3Robert Butler19461948[4]
4Myron M. Cowen19481949
5Pete JarmanJune 8, 1949 (1949-06-08)July 31, 1953 (1953-07-31)4 years, 53 days[5]
6Amos J. PeasleeAugust 12, 1953February 16, 1956
7Douglas M. Moffat19561956
8William J. SebaldMarch 14, 1957 (1957-03-14)October 31, 1961 (1961-10-31)4 years, 231 days[6]
9William C. BattleJuly 13, 1962 (1962-07-13)August 31, 1964 (1964-08-31)2 years, 49 days[7]
10Ed Clark19651967[8]
11William H. Crook19681969
12Walter L. Rice19691973
13Marshall GreenJune 8, 1973July 31, 1975
14James Ward Hargrove19761977
15Philip H. Alston19771981[9][10]
16Robert D. NesenNovember 20, 1981 (1981-11-20)May 2, 1985 (1985-05-02)3 years, 163 days[11]
17Laurence W. LaneDecember 6, 1985 (1985-12-06)April 29, 1989 (1989-04-29)3 years, 144 days[12]
18Melvin F. SemblerOctober 10, 1989 (1989-10-10)February 28, 1993 (1993-02-28)3 years, 141 days[13]
19Edward J. PerkinsNovember 24, 1993 (1993-11-24)July 19, 1996 (1996-07-19)2 years, 238 days[14]
20Genta H. HolmesApril 11, 1997 (1997-04-11)July 23, 2000 (2000-07-23)3 years, 103 days[15]
21Edward (Skip) GnehmAugust 30, 2000 (2000-08-30)June 22, 2001 (2001-06-22)296 days[16]
−Michael P. OwensJune 22, 2001 (2001-06-22)August 22, 2001 (2001-08-22)61 daysChargé d’affaires[17]
22Thomas SchiefferAugust 23, 2001 (2001-08-23)February 18, 2005 (2005-02-18)3 years, 179 days[18]
−William StantonFebruary 19, 2005 (2005-02-19)July 5, 2006 (2006-07-05)1 year, 136 daysChargé d’affaires[19]
−Michael P. OwensJuly 5, 2006 (2006-07-05)August 23, 2006 (2006-08-23)49 daysChargé d’affaires[20]
23Robert McCallum, Jr.August 24, 2006 (2006-08-24)January 20, 2009 (2009-01-20)2 years, 149 days[21]
−Daniel A. CluneJanuary 20, 2009 (2009-01-20)November 26, 2009 (2009-11-26)310 daysChargé d’affaires[22]
24Jeff BleichNovember 26, 2009 (2009-11-26)September 12, 2013 (2013-09-12)3 years, 290 days[23]
−J. Thomas DoughertySeptember 12, 2013 (2013-09-12)September 24, 2013 (2013-09-24)12 daysChargé d’affaires[24]
25John BerrySeptember 25, 2013 (2013-09-25)September 20, 2016 (2016-09-20)2 years, 361 days[25]
−James CarousoSeptember 21, 2016 (2016-09-21)March 12, 2019 (2019-03-12)2 years, 173 daysChargé d’affaires[26]
26Arthur B. Culvahouse Jr.March 13, 2019 (2019-03-13)January 19, 2021 (2021-01-19)1 year, 312 days[27]
−Michael B. GoldmanJanuary 20, 2021 (2021-01-20)July 25, 2022 (2022-07-25)1 year, 141 daysChargé d’affaires[28]
27Caroline KennedyJuly 25, 2022 (2022-07-25)Incumbent1 year, 95 days

See also

References
  1. "Caroline Kennedy Officially Starts Her Job as U.S. Ambassador to Australia". July 25, 2022.
  2. Birkner, Michael (2018). "The Battle FDR Lost:The Failed Nomination of Boss Ed Flynn as Minister to Australia". The Cupola. Passport 48 (1): 33–39. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
  3. Legacy.com, Fess Parker obituary
  4. "Robert Butler (1897–1955)". U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian. Retrieved February 15, 2016.
  5. United States Congress. "(id: J000058)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
  6. William Joseph Sebald at Office of the Historian, Bureau of Public Affairs, United States Department of State
  7. Daily Progress obituary
  8. Clark, Anne. Australian Adventure. University of Texas Press, 1969, p. 6.
  9. "PHILIP HENRY ALSTON JR. (1911-1988)". U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian.
  10. "United States Ambassador to Australia - Nomination of Philip H. Alston, Jr". The American Presidency Project.
  11. "Reagan's Nomination of Nesen as Ambassador to Australia". Retrieved May 25, 2010.
  12. "L. W. Lane, Jr". Council of American Ambassadors web site. 2004. Archived from the original on January 4, 2007. Retrieved May 25, 2010.
  13. "Australia bestows honor on Sembler". St. Petersburg Times. May 14, 2000. Retrieved April 6, 2012.
  14. "Edward Perkins". Office of the Historian, Bureau of Public Affairs, United States Department of State. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  15. "Genta Hawkins Holmes". Office of the Historian, Bureau of Public Affairs, United States Department of State. Retrieved April 19, 2010.
  16. "Edward Gnehm". Office of the Historian, Bureau of Public Affairs, United States Department of State. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  17. "Deputy Chief of Mission". US Diplomatic Mission to Australia. US Department of State. Archived from the original on June 13, 2001. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
  18. "John Schieffer". Office of the Historian, Bureau of Public Affairs, United States Department of State. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  19. "William A. Stanton (1947–)". Office of the Historian. US Department of State. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
  20. "Deputy Chief of Mission". Embassy of the United States Canberra Australia. US Department of State. Archived from the original on August 10, 2006. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
  21. "Robert McCallum". Office of the Historian, Bureau of Public Affairs, United States Department of State. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  22. "Dan Clune Chargé d'Affaires ad interim". Embassy of the United States Canberra Australia. U.S. Department of State. Archived from the original on June 18, 2009. Retrieved February 27, 2022.
  23. "Jeff Bleich". Office of the Historian, Bureau of Public Affairs, United States Department of State. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  24. "Deputy Chief of Mission Thomas Dougherty". Embassy of the United States Canberra Australia. US Department of State. Archived from the original on October 28, 2013. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
  25. "John Berry". Office of the Historian, Bureau of Public Affairs, United States Department of State. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  26. "Chargé d'Affaires James Carouso". U.S. Embassy and Consulates in Australia. US Department of State. Archived from the original on October 22, 2018. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
  27. "Arthur Culvahouse Jr". Office of the Historian, Bureau of Public Affairs, United States Department of State. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  28. "Chargé d'Affaires Michael Goldman - U.S. Embassy & Consulates in Australia". November 7, 2021. Archived from the original on November 7, 2021. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
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