1853 - Principals and Chiefs Chronological
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Principal Officers and Chiefs of Mission, by Year: 1853
NOTE TO READERS
Updates to the Principal Officers and Chiefs of Mission database are currently suspended. For information about the Department’s current and recent leadership, we recommend visiting the Department of State homepage’s Biographies of Senior Officials and List of U.S. Ambassadors.
Notice posted on January 12, 2024.
Last
updated March 14, 2024.
Note: Career Foreign Service appointees are asterisked.
- Daniel Dewey Barnard (1797–1861)
- Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, Germany (1850–1853)
- Daniel Moreau Barringer (1806–1873)
- Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, Spain (1849–1853)
- Richard Henry Bayard (1796–1868)
- Chargé d’Affaires, Belgium (1850–1853)
- Henry Bedinger (1812–1858)
- Chargé d’Affaires, Denmark (1853–1854)
- Minister Resident, Denmark (1854–1858)
- Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, Denmark (Nomination of February 25, 1856, withdrawn before the Senate acted upon it.)
- August Belmont (1816–1890)
- Chargé d’Affaires, Netherlands (1853–1854)
- Minister Resident, Netherlands (1854–1857)
- Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, Netherlands (Nomination of February 25, 1856, withdrawn before the Senate acted upon it.)
- William Henry Bissell (1811–1860)
- Chargé d’Affaires, Argentina (1853)
- Solon Borland (1808–1864)
- Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, Costa Rica (1853)
- Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, El Salvador (1853)
- Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, Guatemala (1853)
- Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, Honduras (1853)
- Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, Nicaragua (1853–1854)
- Neill Smith Brown (1810–1886)
- Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, Russia (1850–1853)
- James Buchanan (1791–1868)
- Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, Russia (1832–1833)
- Secretary of State (1845–1849)
- Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, United Kingdom (1853–1856)
- Lewis Cass Jr. (1814–1878)
- Chargé d’Affaires, Holy See (1849–1854)
- Minister Resident, Holy See (1854–1858)
- Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, Holy See (Nomination of February 25, 1856, withdrawn before the Senate acted upon it. Nominated to the Pontifical States.)
- John Randolph Clay (1808–1885)
- Chargé d’Affaires, Russia (1836–1837)
- Chargé d’Affaires, Peru (1847–1853)
- Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, Peru (1853–1860)
- Minister Resident/Consul General, Liberia (Not commissioned; nomination not confirmed by the Senate.)
- Alfred Conkling (1789–1874)
- Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, Mexico (1852–1853)
- Courtland Cushing (1809–1856)
- Chargé d’Affaires, Ecuador (1850–1853)
- John Winchester Dana (1808–1867)
- Chargé d’Affaires, Bolivia (1853–1854)
- Minister Resident, Bolivia (1854–1859)
- Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, Bolivia (Nominated on February 25, 1856; nomination withdrawn before the Senate acted upon it.)
- John Moncure Daniel (1825–1865)
- Chargé d’Affaires, Italy (1853–1854)
- Minister Resident, Italy (1854–1861)
- Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, Italy (Nomination of February 25, 1856, withdrawn before the Senate acted upon it.)
- Edwin De Leon (1818–1891)
- Agent/Consul General, Egypt (1853–1861)
- Henry William Ellsworth (1814–1864)
- Chargé d’Affaires, Sweden (1845–1861)
- Edward Everett (1794–1865)
- Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, United Kingdom (1841–1845)
- Commissioner, China (1843)
- Secretary of State (1852–1853)
- Theodore Sedgwick Fay (1807–1898)
- Minister Resident, Switzerland (1853–1861)
- Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, Switzerland (Nomination of February 25, 1856, withdrawn before the Senate acted upon it.)
- George Folsom (1802–1869)
- Chargé d’Affaires, Netherlands (1850–1853)
- Thomas Moses Foote (1808–1858)
- Chargé d’Affaires, Colombia (1849–1850)
- Chargé d’Affaires, Austria (1852–1853)
- James Gadsden (1788–1858)
- Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, Mexico (1853–1856)
- James Stephen Green (1817–1870)
- Chargé d’Affaires, Colombia (1853–1854)
- Minister Resident, Colombia (1854)
- David Lawrence Gregg (1814–1868)
- Commissioner, Hawaii (1853–1858)
- Miller Grieve (1801–1879)
- Chargé d’Affaires, Denmark (1852–1853)
- Charles Brickett Haddock (1796–1861)
- Chargé d’Affaires, Portugal (1850–1854)
- William Hunter (1805–1886)
- Chief Clerk (1852–1855)
- Secretary of State ad interim (1853)
- Assistant Secretary of State (1855)
- Secretary of State ad interim (1860)
- Second Assistant Secretary of State (1866–1886)
- Joseph Reed Ingersoll (1786–1868)
- Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, United Kingdom (1852–1853)
- Henry Rootes Jackson (1820–1898)
- Chargé d’Affaires, Austria (1853–1854)
- Minister Resident, Austria (1854–1858)
- Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, Mexico (1885–1886)
- Richard B. Jones (?–)
- Agent/Consul General, Egypt (1852–1853)
- John Bozman Kerr (1809–1878)
- Chargé d’Affaires, Nicaragua (1851–1853)
- Chargé d’Affaires, Colombia (Not commissioned; nomination withdrawn before the Senate acted upon it.)
- Yelverton P. King (1794–1868)
- Chargé d’Affaires, Colombia (1851–1853)
- William Burnet Kinney (1799–1880)
- Chargé d’Affaires, Italy (1850–1853)
- Ambrose Dudley Mann (1801–1889)
- Assistant Secretary of State (1853–1855)
- William Learned Marcy (1786–1857)
- Secretary of State (1853–1857)
- George Perkins Marsh (1801–1882)
- Minister Resident, Turkey (1849–1853)
- Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, Italy (1861–1882)
- Humphrey Marshall (1812–1872)
- Commissioner, China (1852–1854)
- John Young Mason (1799–1859)
- Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, France (1853–1859)
- Robert Milligan McLane (1815–1898)
- Commissioner, China (1853–1854)
- Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, Mexico (1859–1860)
- Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, France (1885–1889)
- Richard Kidder Meade (1803–1862)
- Chargé d’Affaires, Italy (1853)
- Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, Brazil (1857–1861)
- Samuel Medary (1801–1864)
- Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, Chile (1853)
- Horace H. Miller (?–)
- Chargé d’Affaires, Bolivia (1852–1854)
- Edward Joy Morris (1815–1881)
- Chargé d’Affaires, Kingdom of the Two Sicilies (1850–1853)
- Minister Resident, Turkey (1861–1870)
- Robert Dale Owen (1801–1877)
- Chargé d’Affaires, Kingdom of the Two Sicilies (1853–1854)
- Minister Resident, Kingdom of the Two Sicilies (1854–1858)
- Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, Kingdom of the Two Sicilies (Nomination of February 25, 1856, withdrawn before the Senate acted upon it.)
- John Strother Pendleton (1802–1868)
- Chargé d’Affaires, Chile (1841–1844)
- Chargé d’Affaires, Argentina (1851–1854)
- Balie Peyton (1803–1878)
- Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, Chile (1849–1853)
- William Cabell Rives (1792–1868)
- Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, France (1829–1832)
- Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, France (1849–1853)
- Robert Cumming Schenck (1809–1890)
- Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, Brazil (1851–1853)
- Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, United Kingdom (1870–1876)
- Francis Schroeder (1814–1886)
- Chargé d’Affaires, Sweden (1849–1854)
- Minister Resident, Sweden (1854–1857)
- John Jacob Seibels (1816–1865)
- Chargé d’Affaires, Belgium (1853–1854)
- Minister Resident, Belgium (1854–1856)
- Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, Belgium (Nomination of February 25, 1856, withdrawn before the Senate acted upon it.)
- Thomas Hart Seymour (1807–1868)
- Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, Russia (1853–1858)
- John Slidell (1793–1871)
- Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, Mexico (1845)
- Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, Costa Rica (1853)
- Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, El Salvador (1853)
- Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, Guatemala (1853)
- Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, Honduras (1853)
- Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, Nicaragua (1853)
- Pierre Soule (1801–1870)
- Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, Spain (1853–1855)
- Carroll Spence (1818–1896)
- Minister Resident, Turkey (1853–1857)
- Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, Turkey (Nomination of February 25, 1856, withdrawn before the Senate acted upon it.)
- Isaac Nevitt Steele (1809–1891)
- Chargé d’Affaires, Venezuela (1849–1853)
- William Trousdale (1790–1872)
- Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, Brazil (1853–1857)
- Peter Dumont Vroom (1791–1873)
- Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, Germany (1853–1857)
- Robert James Walker (1801–1869)
- Commissioner, China (1853)
- Philo White (1796–1874)
- Chargé d’Affaires, Ecuador (1853–1854)
- Minister Resident, Ecuador (1854–1858)
- Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, Ecuador (Nomination of February 25, 1856, withdrawn before the Senate acted upon it.)
- Charles Levi Woodbury (1820–1898)
- Chargé d’Affaires, Bolivia (1853)