Chiefs of Mission for Iraq

Chiefs of Mission

• Alexander Kilgore Sloan (1882–1944)
  • Chargé d’Affaires, June 18, 1931–October 19, 1932
• Paul Knabenshue (1883–1942)
  • Minister Resident/Consul General, November 7, 1932–March 4, 1933
• Paul Knabenshue (1883–1942)
  • Minister Resident/Consul General, May 18, 1933–February 1, 1942
• Thomas Murray Wilson (1881–1967)
  • Minister Resident/Consul General, September 26, 1942–September 19, 1943
• Loy Wesley Henderson (1892–1986)
  • Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, November 20, 1943–April 7, 1945
• George Wadsworth II (1893–1958)
  • Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, February 15, 1947–September 26, 1948
• Edward Savage Crocker II (1895–1968)
  • Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, March 12, 1949–June 1, 1952
• Burton Yost Berry (1901–1985)
  • Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, August 11, 1952–May 3, 1954
• Waldemar John Gallman (1899–1980)
  • Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, November 3, 1954–December 14, 1958
• John Durnford Jernegan (1911–1981)
  • Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, January 12, 1959–June 2, 1962
• Robert Campbell Strong (1915–1999)
  • Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, July 2, 1963–April 13, 1967
• Enoch Sevier Duncan (1920–2000)
  • Chargé d’Affaires ad interim, –June 7, 1967
• On October 1, 1972, the United States established an Interests Section in the Belgian Embassy.
• Arthur L. Lowrie (1930–)
  • Principal Officer, October 1972–September 1975
• Marshall Wayne Wiley (1925–1998)
  • Principal Officer, October 1975–May 1977
• David Lyle Mack (1940–)
  • Principal Officer, May 1977–February 1978
• Edward Lionel Peck (1929–)
  • Principal Officer, February 1978–August 1980
• The Secretary of State designated the Principal Officer at the U.S. Interests Section in Iraq as a Chief of Mission on November 11, 1978, pursuant to Section 116 of PL 95-426 (the Foreign Relations Authorization Acton of FY 1979).
• William Lester Eagleton Jr. (1926–2011)
  • Principal Officer, August 1980–June 1984
• The United States resumed diplomatic relations with Iraq and elevated the U.S. Interests Section in Baghdad to Embassy status on November 26, 1984, when President Ronald Reagan and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Tariq Aziz concluded an agreement to that effect.
• David George Newton (1935–2016)
  • Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, September 17, 1985–January 19, 1988
• April Catherine Glaspie (1942–)
  • Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, September 5, 1988–July 30, 1990
• Joseph Charles Wilson IV (1949–)
  • Chargé d’Affaires ad interim, July 1990–January 12, 1991
• The Embassy in Baghdad was closed January 12, 1991, following Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait, the application of international sanctions against Iraq, and the buildup of military forces in the region. The United States and its allies began military operations against Iraq on January 16, 1991. Iraq severed diplomatic relations with the United States February 9, 1991, after which each nation maintained a modest Interests Section in the other’s capital. Following the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the United States and its allies established the Coalition Provisional Authority to manage the post-war reconstruction program and define a clear path for the restoration of Iraqi sovereignty. In June 2004, the Coalition Provisional Authority transferred sovereignty to an Iraqi Interim Government. The United States reestablished diplomatic relations with Iraq on June 28, 2004, when the United States reopened its Embassy within Baghdad’s “Green Zone.”
• John Dimitri Negroponte (1939–)
  • Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, June 29, 2004–March 17, 2005
• Zalmay Khalilzad (1951–)
  • Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, June 21, 2005–March 26, 2007
• Ryan Clark Crocker (1949–)
  • Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, March 31, 2007–February 13, 2009
• Christopher Robert Hill (1952–)
  • Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, April 24, 2009–August 10, 2010
• James Franklin Jeffrey (1946–)
  • Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, August 18, 2010–June 1, 2012
• Robert Stephen Beecroft (1957–)
  • Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, October 11, 2012–September 27, 2014
• Stuart E. Jones (1959–)
  • Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, October 2, 2014–September 1, 2016
• Douglas Alan Silliman (1960–)
  • Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, September 1, 2016–January 31, 2019
• Matthew Haywood Tueller (1957–)
  • Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, June 9, 2019–

Other Nominees

• Lowell Call Pinkerton (1894–1959)
  • Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary: Did not serve under this appointment.
• George Wadsworth II (1893–1958)
  • Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary: Commissioned during a recess of the Senate; did not serve under this appointment.
• Brett H. McGurk (1973–)
  • Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary: Nomination of March 27, 2012, withdrawn on June 18, 2012.