A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | CH | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
Ambassador of the United States to Cuba | |
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![]() Seal of the United States Department of State | |
Incumbent since July 14, 2022Benjamin G. Ziff Chargé d'Affaires a.i. | |
Nominator | The President of the United States |
Appointer | The President with Senate advice and consent |
Inaugural holder | Herbert G. Squiers as Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary |
Formation | May 20, 1902; reestablished July 20, 2015 |
Final holder | Philip Bonsal (1960) |
Abolished | January 3, 1961 - July 20, 2015 |
Website | U.S. Embassy - Havana |
The United States ambassador to the Republic of Cuba is the official representative of the president of the United States to the head of state of Cuba, and serves as the head of the Embassy of the United States in Havana. Direct bilateral diplomatic relations did not exist between the two countries from 1961 to 2015. President Dwight D. Eisenhower severed relations following the Cuban Revolution on January 3, 1961.[1] Relations were subsequently restored by Cuban President Raúl Castro and President Barack Obama on July 20, 2015.
With the restoration of relations in 2015, the president may nominate an ambassador, though the position has remained vacant since 1960. The embassy is currently run by a Chargé d'affaires ad interim, Benjamin G. Ziff. The Chargé d'affaires and the embassy staff at large work in the American Embassy on the Malecón in Havana.
History
Cuba was the last major Spanish colony to gain independence, following a lengthy struggle that began in 1868. José Martí, Cuba's national hero, helped initiate the final push for independence in 1895. In 1898, the United States fought a brief war known as the Spanish–American War, after the USS Maine sank in Havana Harbor on February 15, 1898, due to an explosion of undetermined origin. In December 1898, Spain relinquished control of Cuba to the United States with the Treaty of Paris. On May 20, 1902, the United States granted Cuba its independence but retained the right to intervene to preserve Cuban independence and stability in accordance with the Platt Amendment. Prior to 1902, American interests in Cuba were represented by a Consul-General at Havana.
In 1902 the US established an embassy in Havana and appointed its first ambassador, Herbert G. Squiers. In 1934, the Platt Amendment was repealed. The United States and Cuba concluded a Treaty of Relations in 1934 which, among other things, continued the 1903 agreements that leased the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base to the United States. In 1959 Fidel Castro's 26th of July Movement overthrew the government of Fulgencio Batista and Batista fled the country on January 1, 1959. Relations between the United States and Cuba deteriorated rapidly as the Cuban government expropriated US properties and developed close ties with the Soviet Union. In October 1960, the US recalled its ambassador to protest Castro's policies. On January 3, 1961, the US withdrew diplomatic recognition of the Cuban government and closed the embassy in Havana. On September 1, 1977, the US established the United States Interests Section in Havana, located in its former embassy and operated under the auspices of the Embassy of Switzerland in Havana. The Interests Section was headed by Chief of Mission rather than an ambassador. Bilateral relations between the two governments resumed on July 20, 2015.
Consuls General at Havana
- William Shaler (1829–1833)
- Nicholas Trist (1833–1841)
- James S. Calhoun (1841–1842)
- Robert B. Campbell (1842–1850)
- Allen F. Owen (1851–1851)
- William L. Sharkey (1851–1853)
- Alexander M. Clayton (1853–1854)
- Roger Barton (1854–1856)
- Andrew K. Blythe (1856–1858)
- Charles J. Helm (1858–1861)
- Robert Wilson Shufeldt (1861–1863)
- William T. Minor (1864–1867)
- Henry C. Hall (1873–1877)
- Adam Badeau (1882–1884)
- Ramon O. Williams (1884–1896)
- Fitzhugh Lee (1896–1898)
- J. Frank Aldrich (appointed 1897 but never took office)
- Edward S. Bragg (1902–1902)
Ambassadors
Name[a] | Appointed | Presented credentials | Terminated mission | Notes |
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Herbert G. Squiers | May 20, 1902 | May 27, 1902 | December 2, 1905 | |
Edwin V. Morgan | November 29, 1905 | March 1, 1906[b] | January 5, 1910 | |
John Brinkerhoff Jackson | December 21, 1909 | March 22, 1910 | October 27, 1911 | Recalled |
Arthur M. Beaupre | August 12, 1911 | December 18, 1911 | June 28, 1913 | |
William E. Gonzales | June 21, 1913 | August 9, 1913 | December 18, 1919 | Political appointee |
Boaz W. Long | June 30, 1919 | January 8, 1920 | June 17, 1921 | Political appointee |
Enoch H. Crowder | February 10, 1923 | March 5, 1923 | May 28, 1927 | Political appointee |
Noble Brandon Judah | November 22, 1927 | December 17, 1927[c] | June 1, 1929 | Political appointee |
Harry F. Guggenheim | October 10, 1929 | November 21, 1929 | April 2, 1933 | Political appointee |
Sumner Welles | April 24, 1933 | May 11, 1933 | December 13, 1933[d] | Career FSO. |
Jefferson Caffery | February 23, 1934 | February 28, 1934 | March 9, 1937 | Career FSO |
J. Butler Wright | July 13, 1937 | August 23, 1937 | December 4, 1939 | Career FSO. Died at post. |
George S. Messersmith | January 12, 1940 | March 8, 1940 | February 8, 1942 | Career FSO. Recalled. |
Spruille Braden | December 20, 1941 | May 19, 1942 | April 27, 1945 | Political appointee |
Raymond Henry Norweb | May 21, 1945 | July 24, 1945 | May 22, 1948 | Career FSO |
Robert Butler | May 22, 1948 | June 8, 1948 | February 10, 1951 | Political appointee |
Willard L. Beaulac | June 20, 1951 | September 20, 1951 | August 9, 1953 | Career FSO |
Arthur Gardner | May 28, 1953 | October 16, 1953 | June 16, 1957 | Political appointee |
Earl E. T. Smith | June 3, 1957 | July 23, 1957 | January 19, 1959 | Political appointee |
Philip W. Bonsal | February 16, 1959 | March 3, 1959 | October 28, 1960[e] | Career FSO. |
U.S. diplomatic terms |
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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". |
Normal relations were severed in January 1961 and were not re-established until July 2015. An ambassador to Cuba has not been appointed since the re-establishment of diplomatic relations. All the following served Chargé d'affaires ad interim.
- Jeffrey DeLaurentis from July 20, 2015, to July 7, 2017
- Scott Hamilton from July 7 to October 26, 2017[2]
- Lawrence J. Gumbiner from October 26, 2017, to February 11, 2018[3]
- Philip Goldberg from February 11 to July 20, 2018
- Mara Tekach from July 20, 2018[4] to July 21, 2020
- Timothy Zúñiga-Brown from July 31, 2020, to July 14, 2022[5]
- Benjamin G. Ziff from July 14, 2022
Chiefs of the U.S. Interests Section
The Interests Section operated from September 1, 1977, to July 20, 2015.
- 1977–1979: Lyle Franklin Lane
- 1979–1982: Wayne S. Smith
- 1982–1985: John Ferch
- 1985–1987: Curtis W. Kamman
- 1987–1990: John J. Taylor
- 1990–1993: Alan H. Flanigan
- 1993–1996: Joseph Sullivan
- 1996–1999: Michael Kozak
- 1999–2002: Vicki Huddleston
- 2002–2005: James Cason
- 2005–2008: Michael E. Parmly
- 2008–2010: Jonathan D. Farrar
- 2010–2011: Vacant
- September 2011 – 2014: John Caulfield
- August 2014 – July 20, 2015: Jeffrey DeLaurentis
Notes
See also
Notes
- ^ The ambassador held the title "Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary" before 1921 and "Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary" afterwards.
- ^ Morgan was commissioned during a recess of the Senate and recommissioned after confirmation on December 11, 1905.
- ^ Judah was commissioned during a recess of the Senate and recommissioned after confirmation on December 17, 1927.
- ^ Normal relations were interrupted on September 5, 1933; the new Government of Cuba was still unrecognized by the United States when Welles left post on December 13, 1933.
- ^ Daniel M. Braddock was serving as Chargé d'affaires ad interim when the United States severed diplomatic relations with Cuba in January 1961.
References
- United States Department of State: Background notes on Cuba
This article incorporates public domain material from U.S. Bilateral Relations Fact Sheets. United States Department of State.
- ^ United States severs diplomatic relations with Cuba History.
- ^ Torres, Nora (11 July 2017). "U.S. names interim charge d'affaires at embassy in Havana". Miami Herald. Archived from the original on 24 September 2019.
- ^ "Estados Unidos envía nuevo encargado de negocios a su embajada en Cuba" [The United States sends new charge d'affaires to its embassy in Cuba]. Televisa. November 1, 2017.
- ^ "Microwaves possible cause, not 'prime suspect' in US personnel illness in Cuba: Doctor". ABC News.
- ^ "'It wasn't a friendly relationship.' Former top diplomat in Havana talks about U.S.-Cuba relations". Miami Herald.