List of ambassadors of the United States to Gabon
 | This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (December 2021) |
| Ambassador of the United States to Gabon | |
|---|---|
 Seal of the United States Department of State | |
 | |
| Nominator | The President of the United States |
| Appointer | The President with Senate advice and consent |
| Inaugural holder | W. Wendell Blancke as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary |
| Formation | December 12, 1960 |
| Website | U.S. Embassy - Libreville |
This is a list of ambassadors of the United States to Gabon.
Gabon had been an overseas territory of France since 1910. At that time it became part of French Equatorial Africa, which included Middle Congo (now Republic of the Congo), Chad, and Oubangui-Chari (now Central African Republic). Gabon achieved its independence as the Gabonese Republic on August 17, 1960.
The United States immediately recognized the new Gabonese Republic and moved to establish diplomatic relations. The new U.S. embassy in Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo, had been established two days earlier on August 15. The current resident in Brazzaville, Alan W. Lukens, was commissioned also to Gabon and presented his credentials to the government on August 17. W. Wendell Blancke was appointed as the first ambassador on December 12, 1960. He served concurrently as the ambassador to Gabon, Central African Republic, Chad, and the Republic of the Congo while resident in Brazzaville.
During Blanke’s tenure as non-resident ambassador, the embassy in Libreville was established March 20, 1961, with Walker A. Diamanti as Chargé d’Affaires ad interim. In September 1961 the first ambassador was appointed solely for Gabon. In 1975 the ambassador to Gabon was also accredited to the newly independent nation of São Tomé and Príncipe.
The U.S. Embassy in Gabon is located in Libreville.
Ambassadors
[edit]| Name | Title | Appointed | Presented credentials | Terminated mission | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W. Wendell Blancke – Career FSO[1][2] | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | December 12, 1960 | January 13, 1961 | Superseded, October 10, 1961 | |
| Charles F. Darlington – Political appointee[3] | September 20, 1961 | October 18, 1961 | July 26, 1964 | ||
| David M. Bane – Career FSO | July 22, 1965 | August 14, 1965 | June 29, 1969 | ||
| Richard Funkhouser – Career FSO | June 13, 1969 | August 9, 1969 | August 2, 1970 | ||
| John A. McKesson, III – Career FSO | December 10, 1970 | February 4, 1971 | June 1, 1975 | ||
| Andrew L. Steigman – Career FSO | June 10, 1975 | August 9, 1975 | August 21, 1977 | São Tomé and Príncipe achieved independence on July 12, 1975. The U.S. ambassador to Gabon and subsequent ambassadors were concurrently commissioned to São Tomé and Príncipe while resident in Libreville. | |
| Arthur T. Tienken – Career FSO | February 3, 1978 | March 6, 1978 | July 19, 1981 | ||
| Francis Terry McNamara – Career FSO | December 11, 1981 | January 19, 1982 | August 3, 1984 | ||
| Larry C. Williamson – Career FSO | August 13, 1984 | November 20, 1984 | August 21, 1987 | ||
| Warren Clark Jr. – Career FSO | August 10, 1987 | September 19, 1987 | August 24, 1989 | ||
| Keith Leveret Wauchope – Career FSO | November 6, 1989 | December 8, 1989 | July 13, 1992 | ||
| Joseph Charles Wilson IV – Career FSO | July 14, 1992 | September 17, 1992 | August 5, 1995 | ||
| Elizabeth Raspolic – Career FSO | October 3, 1995 | November 29, 1995 | July 24, 1998 | ||
| James V. Ledesma – Career FSO | October 22, 1998 | December 16, 1998 | June 18, 2001 | ||
| Thomas F. Daughton | Chargé d’Affaires a.i. | June 18, 2001 | Unknown | June 20, 2002 | |
| Kenneth Price Moorfield – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | January 30, 2002 | June 20, 2002 | July 18, 2004 | |
| R. Barrie Walkley – Career FSO | July 2, 2004 | November 12, 2004 | April 27, 2007 | ||
| Eunice S. Reddick – Career FSO | November 9, 2007 | December 6, 2007 | July 18, 2010 | ||
| Eric D. Benjaminson – Career FSO | September 15, 2010 | December 3, 2010 | May 21, 2013 | ||
| Cynthia Akuetteh – Career FSO | August 1, 2014 | December 26, 2014 | February 26, 2018 | ||
| Joel Danies – Career FSO | February 21, 2018 | April 18, 2018 | March 1, 2019 | ||
| Robert E. Whitehead – Career FSO | Chargé d’Affaires a.i. | March 1, 2019 | August 17, 2020[4] | ||
| Samuel R. Watson[5] | August 17, 2020 | September 28, 2020 | October 27, 2022 | ||
| Ellen B. Thorburn | October 27, 2022 | November 29, 2023[6] | |||
| David G. Mosby | November 29, 2023 | January 16, 2024 | |||
| Vernelle FitzPatrick – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | November 29, 2023 | January 26, 2024 | Incumbent |
Notes
[edit]- ^ Blancke was also accredited to the Central African Republic, Chad, and Republic of the Congo while resident at Brazzaville.
- ^ Blancke was commissioned during a recess of the Senate and recommissioned after confirmation on February 6, 1961.
- ^ Darlington the first ambassador appointed solely to Gabon and resident in Libreville.
- ^ "Gabon - Chiefs of Mission - People - Department History - Office of the Historian". history.state.gov. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
- ^ "Samuel Robert Watson III - People - Department History - Office of the Historian". history.state.gov. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
- ^ "Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2024-10-09.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- United States Department of State: Background notes on Gabon
This article incorporates public domain material from U.S. Bilateral Relations Fact Sheets. United States Department of State.
External links
[edit]- United States Department of State: Chiefs of Mission for Gabon
- United States Department of State: Gabon
- United States Embassy in Libreville
