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Chiefs of Mission for Russia
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.
Chiefs of Mission
- John Quincy Adams (1767–1848)
- Minister Plenipotentiary, November 5, 1809–April 28, 1814
- William Pinkney (1764–1822)
- Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, January 13, 1817–February 14, 1818
- George Washington Campbell (1769–1848)
- Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, February 7, 1819–July 8, 1820
- Henry Middleton (1770–1846)
- Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, June 17, 1821–August 3, 1830
- James Buchanan (1791–1868)
- Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, June 11, 1832–August 5, 1833
- William Wilkins (1779–1865)
- Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, December 14, 1834–December 24, 1835
- John Randolph Clay (1808–1885)
- Chargé d’Affaires, September 2, 1836–August 5, 1837
- George Mifflin Dallas (1792–1864)
- Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, August 6, 1837–July 29, 1839
- Churchill Caldom Cambreleng (1786–1862)
- Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, September 21, 1840–July 13, 1841
- Charles Stewart Todd (1791–1871)
- Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, November 28, 1841–January 27, 1846
- Ralph Isaacs Ingersoll (1789–1872)
- Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, May 30, 1847–July 1, 1848
- Arthur Pendleton Bagby (1794–1858)
- Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, January 14, 1849–May 14, 1849
- Neill Smith Brown (1810–1886)
- Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, August 13, 1850–June 23, 1853
- Thomas Hart Seymour (1807–1868)
- Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, April 2, 1854–July 17, 1858
- Francis Wilkinson Pickens (1805–1869)
- Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, July 18, 1858–September 9, 1860
- John Appleton (1815–1864)
- Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, September 9, 1860–June 8, 1861
- Cassius Marcellus Clay (1810–1903)
- Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, July 14, 1861–June 25, 1862
- Simon Cameron (1799–1889)
- Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, June 25, 1862–September 18, 1862
- Cassius Marcellus Clay (1810–1903)
- Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, May 7, 1863–October 1, 1869
- Andrew Gregg Curtin (1815–1894)
- Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, October 28, 1869–July 1, 1872
- James Lawrence Orr (1822–1873)
- Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, March 18, 1873–May 6, 1873
- Marshall Jewell (1825–1883)
- Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, December 9, 1873–July 19, 1874
- George Henry Boker (1823–1890)
- Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, July 24, 1875–January 14, 1878
- Edwin Wallace Stoughton (1818–1882)
- Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, January 14, 1878–March 2, 1879
- John Watson Foster (1836–1917)
- Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, June 11, 1880–August 1, 1881
- William Henry Hunt (1823–1884)
- Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, August 23, 1882–February 27, 1884
- Alphonso Taft (1810–1891)
- Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, September 3, 1884–July 31, 1885
- George Van Ness Lothrop (1817–1897)
- Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, July 31, 1885–August 1, 1888
- Lambert Tree (1832–1910)
- Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, January 4, 1889–February 2, 1889
- Charles Emory Smith (1842–1908)
- Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, May 14, 1890–April 17, 1892
- Andrew Dickson White (1832–1918)
- Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, November 7, 1892–October 1, 1894
- Clifton Rodes Breckinridge (1846–1932)
- Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, November 1, 1894–December 10, 1897
- Ethan Allen Hitchcock (1835–1909)
- Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, December 16, 1897–March 21, 1898
- Ethan Allen Hitchcock (1835–1909)
- Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, March 21, 1898–January 28, 1899
- Charlemagne Tower (1848–1923)
- Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, March 19, 1899–November 19, 1902
- Robert Sanderson McCormick (1849–1919)
- Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, January 12, 1903–March 27, 1905
- George von Lengerke Meyer (1858–1918)
- Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, April 12, 1905–January 26, 1907
- John Wallace Riddle (1864–1941)
- Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, February 8, 1907–September 8, 1909
- William Woodville Rockhill (1854–1914)
- Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, January 11, 1910–June 17, 1911
- Curtis Guild (1860–1915)
- Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, August 17, 1911–April 24, 1913
- George T. Marye (1857–1933)
- Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, October 30, 1914–March 29, 1916
- David Rowland Francis (1850–1927)
- Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, May 5, 1916–November 7, 1917
- Felix Cole (1887–1969)
- Chargé d’Affaires ad interim, –September 14, 1919
- William Christian Bullitt (1891–1967)
- Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, December 13, 1933–May 16, 1936
- Joseph Edward Davies (1876–1958)
- Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, January 25, 1937–June 11, 1938
- Laurence Adolph Steinhardt (1892–1950)
- Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, August 11, 1939–November 12, 1941
- William Harrison Standley (1872–1963)
- Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, April 14, 1942–September 19, 1943
- William Averell Harriman (1891–1986)
- Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, October 23, 1943–January 24, 1946
- Walter Bedell Smith (1895–1961)
- Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, April 3, 1946–December 25, 1948
- Alan Goodrich Kirk (1888–1963)
- Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, July 4, 1949–October 6, 1951
- George Frost Kennan (1904–2005)
- Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, May 14, 1952–September 19, 1952
- Charles Eustis Bohlen (1904–1974)
- Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, April 20, 1953–April 18, 1957
- Llewellyn E. Thompson Jr. (1904–1972)
- Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, July 16, 1957–July 27, 1962
- Foy David Kohler (1908–1990)
- Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, September 27, 1962–November 14, 1966
- Llewellyn E. Thompson Jr. (1904–1972)
- Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, January 23, 1967–January 14, 1969
- Jacob Dyneley Beam (1908–1993)
- Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, April 18, 1969–January 24, 1973
- Adolph Dubs (1920–1979)
- Chargé d’Affaires ad interim, January 1973–March 1974
- Walter John Stoessel Jr. (1920–1986)
- Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, March 4, 1974–September 13, 1976
- Malcolm Toon (1916–2009)
- Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, January 18, 1977–October 16, 1979
- Thomas J. Watson Jr. (1914–1993)
- Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, October 29, 1979–January 15, 1981
- Arthur Adair Hartman (1926–2015)
- Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, October 26, 1981–February 20, 1987
- Jack Foust Matlock Jr. (1929–)
- Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, April 6, 1987–August 11, 1991
- Robert Schwarz Strauss (1918–2014)
- Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, August 24, 1991–November 19, 1992
- Thomas Reeve Pickering (1931–)
- Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, May 21, 1993–November 1, 1996
- James Franklin Collins (1939–)
- Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, January 26, 1998–July 10, 2001
- Alexander Russel Vershbow (1952–)
- Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, October 17, 2001–July 22, 2005
- William Joseph Burns (1956–)
- Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, November 8, 2005–May 12, 2008
- John Ross Beyrle (1954–)
- Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, September 18, 2008–January 4, 2012
- Michael Anthony McFaul (1963–)
- Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, February 22, 2012–February 26, 2014
- John F. Tefft (1949–)
- Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, November 19, 2014–September 28, 2017
- Jon M. Huntsman Jr. (1960–)
- Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, October 2, 2017–October 3, 2019
- John J. Sullivan (1959–)
- Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, January 16, 2020–
Other Nominees
- Francis Dana (1743–1811)
- Minister: Proceeded to post, but was not officially received at court; left post in September 1783.
- William Short (1759–1849)
- Minister Plenipotentiary: Commissioned during a recess of the Senate. Did not proceed to post, his nomination having been rejected by the Senate while he was en route.
- James Asheton Bayard (1767–1815)
- Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary: Did not proceed to post.
- John Randolph (1773–1833)
- Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary: Proceeded to post, but did not present credentials; left post on September 19, 1830.
- Mahlon Dickerson (1770–1853)
- Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary: Declined appointment.
- John Littleton Dawson (1813–1870)
- Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary: Not commissioned; nomination rejected by the Senate.
- Henry A. Smythe (?–)
- Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary: Not commissioned; nomination tabled by the Senate.
- Aaron Augustus Sargent (1827–1887)
- Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary: Not commissioned although nomination was confirmed by the Senate.
- Alexander Robert Lawton (1818–1896)
- Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary: Not commissioned; nomination withdrawn before the Senate acted upon it.
- Charles Allen Thorndike Rice (1851–1889)
- Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary: Took oath of office, but died in the United States before proceeding to post.
- Henry Means Pindell (1860–1924)
- Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary: Declined appointment.