List of ambassadors of the United States to the Republic of the Congo

This is a list of Ambassadors of the United States to the Republic of the Congo.

Ambassador of the United States to the Republic of the Congo
Seal of the United States Department of State
Incumbent
Todd Philip Haskell
since June 26, 2017
NominatorThe President of the United States
AppointerThe President
with Senate advice and consent
Inaugural holderW. Wendell Blancke
as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
FormationNovember 9, 1960
WebsiteU.S. Embassy - Brazzaville

From 1885 until 1960, the republic had been under the control of France as a protectorate. In 1908, France organized French Equatorial Africa (AEF), comprising its colonies of Middle Congo (modern Congo), Gabon, Chad, and Oubangui-Chari (now Central African Republic). Brazzaville was selected as the federal capital.

In 1958 Middle Congo became an autonomous colony and was renamed Republic of the Congo. The republic was granted full independence on August 15, 1960. As the Belgian Congo (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo) also chose the name Republic of Congo upon receiving its independence, the two countries were more commonly known as Congo-Leopoldville and Congo-Brazzaville, after their capital cities.

The United States immediately recognized the new Republic of the Congo and moved to establish diplomatic relations. The embassy in Brazzaville was established August 15, 1960, with Alan W. Lukens as Chargé d'Affaires ad interim. The first ambassador, W. Wendell Blancke was appointed on November 9, 1960.

Ambassadors
  • W. Wendell Blancke – Career FSO[1][2]
    • Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
    • Appointed: November 9, 1960
    • Presented credentials: December 23, 1960
    • Terminated mission: Left post, December 14, 1963
  • Henry L. T. Koren – Career FSO
    • Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
    • Appointed: April 8, 1964
    • Presented credentials: May 13, 1964
    • Terminated mission: Left post, August 4, 1965
  • Note: Due to civil strife and insecure conditions, the U.S. Embassy in Brazzaville was closed and all diplomatic personnel were withdrawn from the country on August 15, 1965. The embassy was reestablished on October 30, 1977, with Jay Katzen as chargé d'affaires ad interim. A new ambassador was appointed on April 26, 1979.
  • William L. Swing – Career FSO
    • Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
    • Appointed: April 26, 1979
    • Presented credentials: May 11, 1979
    • Terminated mission: Left post, May 30, 1981
  • Kenneth Lee Brown – Career FSO
    • Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
    • Appointed: December 11, 1981
    • Presented credentials: February 13, 1982
    • Terminated mission: Left post, June 10, 1984
  • Alan Wood Lukens – Career FSO
    • Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
    • Appointed: August 13, 1984
    • Presented credentials: September 22, 1984
    • Terminated mission: Left post, May 6, 1987
  • Leonard Grant Shurtleff – Career FSO
    • Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
    • Appointed: August 10, 1987
    • Presented credentials: September 26, 1987
    • Terminated mission: Left post, July 5, 1990
  • James Daniel Phillips – Career FSO
    • Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
    • Appointed: June 27, 1990
    • Presented credentials: August 23, 1990
    • Terminated mission: Left post, September 10, 1993
  • William Christie Ramsay – Career FSO
    • Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
    • Appointed: July 16, 1993
    • Presented credentials: September 23, 1993
    • Terminated mission: Left post, April 13, 1996
  • Aubrey Hooks – Career FSO
    • Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
    • Appointed: June 6, 1996
    • Presented credentials: July 11, 1996
    • Terminated mission: Left post January 9, 1999
  • David H. Kaeuper – Career FSO
    • Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
    • Appointed: November 16, 1999
    • Presented credentials: December 27, 1999
    • Terminated mission: Left post September 5, 2002
  • Robin Renee Sanders – Career FSO
    • Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
    • Appointed: November 15, 2002
    • Presented credentials: February 13, 2003
    • Terminated mission: July 16, 2005[3]
  • Robert Weisberg – Career FSO
    • Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
    • Appointed: March 21, 2006
    • Presented credentials: Unknown
    • Terminated mission: March 2, 2008
  • Alan W. Eastham – Career FSO
    • Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
    • Appointed: August 22, 2008
    • Presented credentials: Unknown
    • Terminated mission: Prior to September 2010
  • Christopher W. Murray – Career FSO
    • Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
    • Appointed: August 23, 2010
    • Presented credentials: September 16, 2010
    • Terminated mission: August 14, 2013
  • Stephanie S. Sullivan – Career FSO
    • Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
    • Appointed: August 12, 2013
    • Presented credentials: November 26, 2013
    • Terminated mission: January 20, 2017
  • Todd Philip Haskell – Career FSO
    • Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
    • Appointed: May 18, 2017
    • Presented credentials: June 26, 2017
    • Terminated mission: Incumbent

Notes
  1. Blancke was commissioned during a recess of the Senate and recommissioned after confirmation on February 6, 1961.
  2. Blancke was also accredited to the Central African Republic, Chad, and Gabon while resident at Brazzaville.
  3. "Robin Renee Sanders (1954–)". Office of the Historian. Retrieved 4 January 2019.

See also

References
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