List of ambassadors of the United States to South Africa

Before 1902, the southern part of Africa that is now South Africa was under the hegemony of Great Britain. There also were two self-proclaimed independent states: Transvaal (also known as the South African Republic), and the Orange Free State. The British and the Boers fought two wars, known as the First Boer War (1880–1881) and the Second Boer War (1899–1902); after the second war, in which the British prevailed, both republics were incorporated into the British Empire. On May 31, 1910, the two ex-republics and the British colonies of the Cape and Natal formed the Union of South Africa, a self-governing dominion of the British Empire.

Ambassador of the United States to South Africa
Seal of the United States Department of State
Incumbent
Reuben Brigety
since August 11, 2022
NominatorPresident of the United States
Inaugural holderRalph J. Totten
as Minister Resident/Consul General
FormationDecember 19, 1929
WebsiteU.S. Embassy - Pretoria

The United States appointed its first envoy to South Africa, Ralph J. Totten, in 1929. He was appointed as Minister Resident/Consul General and promoted to Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary the following year.

South Africa was renamed the Republic of South Africa on May 31, 1961, after links to the British crown were severed.

USA embassy in Johannesburg, South Africa

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".
  • Note: The ambassadors were commissioned to the Union of South Africa until 1961 when South Africa became a republic.
Name Title Appointed Presented credentials Terminated mission Notes
Ralph J. Totten – Career FSO[1] Minister Resident/Consul General December 19, 1929 February 18, 1930 June 20, 1930
Ralph J. Totten – Career FSO[1] Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary June 20, 1930 September 8, 1930 April 12, 1937
Leo J. Keena – Career FSO July 31, 1937 October 22, 1937 August 13, 1942
Lincoln MacVeagh – Political appointee May 21, 1942 October 21, 1942 November 21, 1943
Thomas Holcomb – Political appointee March 21, 1944 June 14, 1944 May 30, 1948
North Winship – Career FSO[2] Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary March 24, 1948 June 11, 1948 December 20, 1949 The title of the office was changed to Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary on March 2, 1949.
John G. Erhardt – Career FSO[3] May 23, 1950 October 4, 1950 Died at Cape Town, February 18, 1951
Waldemar J. Gallman – Career FSO August 22, 1951 October 18, 1951 August 15, 1954
Edward T. Wailes – Career FSO[4] September 15, 1954 November 29, 1954 August 11, 1956
Henry A. Byroade – Career FSO July 26, 1956 October 9, 1956 January 24, 1959
Philip K. Crowe – Political appointee February 16, 1959 April 22, 1959 April 6, 1961
Joseph C. Satterthwaite – Career FSO[5] April 6, 1961 May 22, 1961 May 31, 1961 South Africa became a republic on May 31, 1961. This required a new commission for the ambassador. Hereafter ambassadors were commissioned to the Republic of South Africa.
Joseph C. Satterthwaite – Career FSO[5] May 31, 1961 May 31, 1961 November 17, 1965
William M. Rountree – Career FSO October 20, 1965 January 8, 1966 June 5, 1970
John G. Hurd – Political appointee July 24, 1970 September 10, 1970 April 7, 1975
William G. Bowdler – Career FSO March 17, 1975 May 14, 1975 April 19, 1978
William B. Edmondson – Career FSO May 3, 1978 June 5, 1978 July 22, 1981
Herman W. Nickel – Political appointee March 29, 1982 April 20, 1982 October 4, 1986
Edward Joseph Perkins – Career FSO October 16, 1986 November 27, 1986 May 22, 1989
William Lacy Swing – Career FSO August 7, 1989 September 8, 1989 July 5, 1992
Princeton N. Lyman – Career FSO July 14, 1992 September 21, 1992 December 14, 1995
James A. Joseph – Political appointee December 19, 1995 February 27, 1996 November 7, 1999
Delano Lewis – Political appointee November 16, 1999 January 21, 2000 June 22, 2001
Cameron R. Hume – Career FSO November 5, 2001 November 29, 2001 July 28, 2004
Jendayi Elizabeth Frazer – Political appointee May 25, 2004 August 10, 2004 August 26, 2005
Eric M. Bost – Political appointee July 20, 2006 August 15, 2006 January 20, 2009
Donald Gips - Political Appointee July 7, 2009 October 1, 2009 January 2, 2013
Patrick Gaspard - Political Appointee August 26, 2013 October 16, 2013 December 16, 2016
Jessica Lapenn - Career FSO Chargé d'Affaires ad interim December 16, 2016 N/A September 13, 2019
Lana Marks - Political Appointee Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary October 4, 2019 January 28, 2020[6] January 20, 2021
John Groarke - Career FSO Chargé d'Affaires ad interim January 20, 2021 March 2021
Todd P. Haskell - Career FSO March 2021[7] April 11, 2022
Heather Merritt - Career FSO April 11, 2022[8] August 11, 2022
Reuben Brigety - Political Appointee Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary July 21, 2022 August 11, 2022 Incumbent

Notes
  1. Totten was promoted to Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary while in office. This required a new commission.
  2. Winship was promoted to Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary while in office. This required a new commission.
  3. Erhardt died while in office on February 18, 1951.
  4. Wailes was commissioned during a recess of the Senate and recommissioned after confirmation on December 3, 1954.
  5. Satterthwaite was reaccredited to the Republic of South Africa when South Africa became a republic. A new letter of credence was submitted to the Foreign Office on May 31, 1961 but was not formally presented.
  6. "President Cyril Ramaphosa receives Letters of Credence from Ambassadors and High Commissioners-designate, 28 Jan | South African Government". www.gov.za. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
  7. https://za.usembassy.gov/consul-general-todd-p-haskell/
  8. https://za.usembassy.gov/deputy-chief-of-mission-heather-merritt/

See also

References
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