United States Ambassador to Sweden

Ambassador of the United States
to Sweden
Förenta staternas ambassadör i Sverige

Incumbent
Azita Raji
since March 1, 2016
U.S. Department of State
Embassy of the United States, Stockholm
Style Her Excellency (formal)
Madam Ambassador (informal)
Reports to U.S. Secretary of State
Residence Villa Åkerlund
Seat Stockholm, Sweden
Nominator The President
Appointer The President
with the advice and consent of the Senate
Term length At the pleasure of the President
No fixed term
Inaugural holder Benjamin Franklin
as Minister Plenipotentiary
Formation September 28, 1782
Website U.S. Embassy - Stockholm

The United States Ambassador to Sweden serves as the official diplomatic representative of the President and the Government of the United States of America to the King and the Government of the Kingdom of Sweden. Diplomatic relations between Sweden and the United States began with the signing of the Treaty of Amity and Commerce in 1783.

In addition, from 1814 to 1905 the United States Chief of Mission in Sweden also represented United States interest with respect to Norway; as the latter was during that period of time aligned with Sweden, for purposes of foreign relations, in the Union between Sweden and Norway.

The contemporary tendency of American presidents (of both parties) is to appoint keen political fundraisers and/or prominent supporters from previous presidential election campaigns, rather than promoting professional members of the United States Foreign Service to the top position.

The current Ambassador is Azita Raji, who assumed her duties in 2016.

Residence

The residence ("Villa Åkerlund") of the U.S. Ambassador in Stockholm, Sweden.

Since the 1930s, the ambassador is resident in the ambassadorial residence, Villa Åkerlund, of the United States Embassy in Diplomatstaden, Stockholm.

List of American Chiefs of Mission to Sweden

18th century

Portrait Representative Title Appointment Presentation of
credentials		 Termination of
mission
Benjamin Franklin Minister Plenipotentiary September 28, 1782 None: was in Paris as U.S. ambassador to France; negotiated treaty with the Swedish Ambassador in Paris.[1] April 3, 1783

1814-1854 (Non-Resident Minister)

Representative Title Appointment Presentation of
credentials		 Termination of
mission
Jonathan Russell;[2][3] Minister Plenipotentiary January 18, 1814 April 29, 1818 October 22, 1818
Christopher Hughes Chargé d'Affaires January 21, 1819 July 5, 1825
William C. Somerville Chargé d'Affaires March 9, 1825 Died en route to post
John James Appleton Chargé d'Affaires May 2, 1826 October 28, 1826 August 16, 1830
Christopher Hughes Chargé d'Affaires March 3, 1830 August 16, 1830 September 22, 1841
George W. Lay Chargé d'Affaires May 12, 1842 October 4, 1842 October 11, 1845
Henry W. Ellsworth Chargé d'Affaires April 19, 1845 October 11, 1845 January 25, 1861
Francis Schroeder Chargé d'Affaires November 7, 1849 April 22, 1850 June 29, 1854

1854-1885 (Minister Resident)

Representative Title Appointment Presentation of
credentials		 Termination of
mission
Francis Schroeder Minister Resident June 29, 1854 August 19, 1854 September 17, 1857
Benjamin F. Angel Minister Resident July 17, 1857 November 4, 1857 June 25, 1861
Jacob S. Haldeman Minister Resident March 16, 1861 June 25, 1861 September 24, 1864
James H. Campbell Minister Resident May 18, 1864 Sep 24, 1864 March 29, 1867
John McGinnis, Jr. Minister Resident November 16, 1866 Did not proceed to post, his nomination having been rejected by the Senate while he was en route.
Joseph J. Bartlett Minister Resident March 19, 1867 June 4, 1867 July 24, 1869
John S. Carlile Minister Resident Not commissioned
Christopher Columbus Andrews Minister Resident June 3, 1869 July 24, 1869 November 5, 1877
John L. Stevens Minister Resident August 28, 1877 November 5, 1877 June 3, 1883
William W. Thomas, Jr. Minister Resident June 6, 1883 September 6, 1883 June 30, 1885
Rufus Magee Minister Resident April 2, 1885 July 3, 1885 Promoted to Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary

1885-1947 (Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary)

Representative Title Appointment Presentation of
credentials		 Termination of
mission
Rufus Magee Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary August 10, 1888 September 26, 1888 May 25, 1889
William W. Thomas, Jr. Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary March 19, 1889 May 27, 1889 May 2, 1894
Thomas W. Ferguson Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary February 14, 1894 May 2, 1894 February 7, 1898
William W. Thomas, Jr. Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary December 18, 1898 February 8, 1898 May 31, 1905
Charles H. Graves Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary March 8, 1905 May 31, 1905 December 12, 1913
Ira Nelson Morris Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary July 13, 1914 August 28, 1914 April 3, 1923
Robert Woods Bliss Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary January 30, 1923 August 8, 1923 March 15, 1927
Leland Harrison Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary February 26, 1927 May 31, 1927 November 11, 1929
John Motley Morehead III Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary January 22, 1930 March 31, 1930 April 6, 1933
Laurence A. Steinhardt Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary May 11, 1933 August 28, 1933 June 26, 1937
Fred Morris Dearing Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary April 22, 1937 September 23, 1937 June 17, 1938
Frederick A. Sterling Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary June 16, 1938 September 26, 1938 July 14, 1941
Michelangelo Rodriguez Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary June 17, 1938 October 20, 1941 October 19, 1941
Herschel V. Johnson Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary October 21, 1941 December 12, 1941 April 28, 1946
Louis G. Dreyfus, Jr. Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary August 1, 1946 January 3, 1947 October 6, 1947
H. Freeman Matthews Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary July 21, 1947

1947-present day (Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary)

Portrait Representative Title Appointment Presentation of
credentials		 Termination of
mission
H. Freeman Matthews Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary September 20, 1947 December 5, 1947 May 24, 1950
W. Walton Butterworth Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary July 5, 1950 September 18, 1950 December 9, 1953
John M. Cabot Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary March 1, 1954 May 6, 1954 May 14, 1957
Francis White Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary June 3, 1957 September 17, 1957 December 9, 1958
James C.H. Bonbright Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary October 29, 1958 January 9, 1959 March 20, 1961
J. Graham Parsons Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary March 15, 1961 May 16, 1961 April 17, 1967
William Womack Heath Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary April 5, 1967 May 23, 1967 January 23, 1969
Vacant No ambassador appointed January 24, 1969 February 15, 1970
Jerome H. Holland Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary February 16, 1970 April 14, 1970 August 30, 1972
Arthur J. Olsen Chargé d'Affaires ad interim December 1972 May 1974
Robert Strausz-Hupé Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary April 25, 1974 May 29, 1974 March 3, 1976
David S. Smith Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary April 6, 1976 May 7, 1976 April 29, 1977
Rodney O'Gliasain Kennedy-Minott Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary August 3, 1977 September 29, 1977 September 26, 1980
Franklin S. Forsberg Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary December 11, 1981 January 14, 1982 December 12, 1985
Gregory J. Newell Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary December 9, 1985 December 19, 1985 June 12, 1989
Charles Edgar Redman Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary May 12, 1989 June 13, 1989 August 24, 1992
Thomas L. Siebert Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary February 9, 1994 March 24, 1994 December 17, 1997
Lyndon Lowell Olson, Jr. Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary November 10, 1997 January 22, 1998 August 1, 2001
Charles A. Heimbold, Jr. Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary August 3, 2001 September 26, 2001 February 12, 2004
Miles T. Bivins Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary May 25, 2004 June 9, 2004 January 31, 2006[4]
Michael M. Wood Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary June 5, 2006 January 20, 2009
Matthew Barzun Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary August 12, 2009 August 21, 2009 May 28, 2011[5]
Mark Brzezinski Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary October 18, 2011 November 24, 2011 July 1, 2015
Robert Gilchrist Chargé d'Affaires ad interim July 1, 2015 March 1, 2016
Azita Raji Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary February 1, 2016 March 1, 2016 Incumbent

Notes

  1. ↑ Franklin was concurrently the ambassador to France. He did not proceed to Sweden and did not present credentials there. He did, however, negotiate a "Treaty of Amity and Commerce" with Count Gustaf Philip Creutz, Swedish Ambassador in Paris. "Sweden". United States Department of State. Retrieved 2011-07-04.
  2. ↑ Although Benjamin Franklin had been appointed as minister to Sweden, the U.S. and Sweden did not formally establish diplomatic relations until 1818 when Jonathan Russell presented his credentials to the King on April 29, 1818."Guide to Countries and recognition". United States Department of State. Retrieved 2011-07-04.
  3. ↑ John L. Lawrence was Chargé d'Affaires at Stockholm, representing the U.S. during the absence of Minister Jonathan Russell, from June 7, 1814, to May 19, 1815; see American State Papers (1859; pg. 554ff)
  4. ↑ "Health ends term of Texan envoy". Houston Chronicle. 2005-12-15. p. A19. Retrieved 2007-01-05.
  5. ↑ "Matthew Winthrop Barzun (1970-)". United States Department of State. Retrieved 2014-06-26.

See also

References

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