United States Ambassador to Cape Verde
Encyclopedia
Cape Verde
had been a Portuguese colony for more than 500 years since 1456. in 1974 Portugal and the Cape Verdeans signed an agreement to form a transitional government, and Cape Verde gained full independence from Portugal on July 5, 1975.
The United States recognized
Cape Verde
and commissioned its first ambassador Melissa F. Wells
in 1976. Ambassador Wells was concurrently accredited to Guinea-Bissau
and Cape Verde while resident at Bissau
, the capital of Guinea-Bissau. In 1980, an embassy was established in the capital Praia
with a chargé d’affaires managing the business of the embassy.
Cape Verde
The Republic of Cape Verde is an island country, spanning an archipelago of 10 islands located in the central Atlantic Ocean, 570 kilometres off the coast of Western Africa...
had been a Portuguese colony for more than 500 years since 1456. in 1974 Portugal and the Cape Verdeans signed an agreement to form a transitional government, and Cape Verde gained full independence from Portugal on July 5, 1975.
The United States recognized
Diplomatic recognition
Diplomatic recognition in international law is a unilateral political act with domestic and international legal consequences, whereby a state acknowledges an act or status of another state or government in control of a state...
Cape Verde
Cape Verde
The Republic of Cape Verde is an island country, spanning an archipelago of 10 islands located in the central Atlantic Ocean, 570 kilometres off the coast of Western Africa...
and commissioned its first ambassador Melissa F. Wells
Melissa F. Wells
Melissa Foelsch Wells is a diplomat and former United States Ambassador to Cape Verde and Guinea-Bissau , Mozambique , Congo-Kinshasa , and Estonia . She is a member of the American Academy of Diplomacy.Wells is the daughter of opera singer and film actress Miliza Korjus .-References:...
in 1976. Ambassador Wells was concurrently accredited to Guinea-Bissau
Guinea-Bissau
The Republic of Guinea-Bissau is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Senegal to the north, and Guinea to the south and east, with the Atlantic Ocean to its west....
and Cape Verde while resident at Bissau
Bissau
Bissau is the capital city of Guinea-Bissau. The city's borders are conterminous with the Bissau Autonomous Sector. In 2007, the city had an estimated population of 407,424 according to the Instituto Nacional de Estatística e Censos...
, the capital of Guinea-Bissau. In 1980, an embassy was established in the capital Praia
Praia
Praia , is the capital and largest city of Cape Verde, an island nation in the Atlantic Ocean west of Senegal. It lies on the southern coast of Santiago island in the Sotavento Islands group. It is the island's ferry port and is home to one of the nation’s four international airports...
with a chargé d’affaires managing the business of the embassy.
Ambassadors
- Note: Until 1980 one ambassador, resident at Bissau, was concurrently commissioned to Guinea-BissauGuinea-BissauThe Republic of Guinea-Bissau is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Senegal to the north, and Guinea to the south and east, with the Atlantic Ocean to its west....
and Cape VerdeCape VerdeThe Republic of Cape Verde is an island country, spanning an archipelago of 10 islands located in the central Atlantic Ocean, 570 kilometres off the coast of Western Africa...
. - Melissa F. WellsMelissa F. WellsMelissa Foelsch Wells is a diplomat and former United States Ambassador to Cape Verde and Guinea-Bissau , Mozambique , Congo-Kinshasa , and Estonia . She is a member of the American Academy of Diplomacy.Wells is the daughter of opera singer and film actress Miliza Korjus .-References:...
– Career FSO- Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
- Appointed: September 16, 1976
- Presented credentials: November 18, 1976
- Terminated mission: Left post, March 23, 1977
- Edward Marks – Career FSO
- Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
- Appointed: September 15, 1977
- Presented credentials: October 18, 1977
- Terminated mission: Left post, July 11, 1980
- Note: Embassy Praia was established January 28, 1978 with Howard McGowan as Chargé d’AffairesChargé d'affairesIn diplomacy, chargé d’affaires , often shortened to simply chargé, is the title of two classes of diplomatic agents who head a diplomatic mission, either on a temporary basis or when no more senior diplomat has been accredited.-Chargés d’affaires:Chargés d’affaires , who were...
ad interimAd interimThe Latin phrase ad interim literally means "in the time between" denotes the meaning of "in the meantime", "for an intervening time" or "temporarily" in the English language...
. The ambassador remained in Bissau. - Peter Jon de Vos – Career FSO
- Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
- Appointed: September 5, 1980
- Presented credentials: September 24, 1980
- Terminated mission: Left Bissau, March 30, 1983
- Note: In 1983 the first ambassador was appointed solely accredited to Cape Verde.
- John Melvin Yates – Career FSO
- Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
- Appointed: March 18, 1983
- Presented credentials: April 26, 1983
- Terminated mission: Left post, May 24, 1986
- Vernon Dubois Penner, Jr.Vernon Dubois Penner, Jr.Vernon Penner Vernon Penner Vernon Penner (born New York City is a retired United States diplomat. He served as Ambassador to Cape Verde (1986–1990), as well as tours in Frankfurt, Warsaw, Oporto, Zurich, and Kobe-Osaka...
– Career FSO- Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
- Appointed: June 16, 1986
- Presented credentials: July 15, 1986
- Terminated mission: Left post, November 21, 1989
- Francis Terry McNamaraFrancis Terry McNamara-Early life:Francis Terry McNamara was born in Troy, New York on November 2, 1927 to John F. McNamara, Sr. and Ellin F. Fennelly. His mother was a career civil servant with the State of New York. In 1944 during World War II, an underaged Mr. McNamara convinced a Navy recruiter to sign him up, and...
– Career FSO- Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
- Appointed: November 21, 1989
- Presented credentials: December 23, 1989
- Terminated mission: Left post, December 31, 1992
- Joseph Monroe Segars – Career FSO
- Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
- Appointed: July 14, 1992
- Presented credentials: March 24, 1993
- Terminated mission: Left post, March 17, 1996
- Lawrence Neal Benedict – Career FSO
- Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
- Appointed: June 6, 1996
- Presented credentials: July 30, 1996
- Terminated mission: Left post August 11, 1999
- Michael D. Metelits – Career FSO
- Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
- Appointed: July 7, 1999
- Presented credentials: September 15, 1999
- Terminated mission: Left post July 24, 2002
- Donald C. JohnsonDonald C. JohnsonDonald C. Johnson is an American career diplomat. He is the current United States Ambassador to Equatorial Guinea, sworn in on October 16, 2006. He previously served as Ambassador to Cape Verde and to Mongolia.-Early life and education:...
– Career FSO- Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
- Appointed: October 3, 2002
- Presented credentials: November 21, 2002
- Terminated mission: Left post, April 4, 2005
- Roger D. PierceRoger D. PierceRoger Dwayne Pierce is a United States diplomat and a career foreign service officer with the Department of State. As of 2008, he is serving as the foreign policy advisor with the U.S. Special Operations Command. His previous assignment was the post of Ambassador to the Republic of Cape Verde...
– Career FSO- Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
- Appointed: June 21, 2005
- Presented credentials: September 27, 2005
- Terminated mission: June 9, 2008
- Marianne M. Myles – Career FSO
- Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
- Appointed: June 13, 2008
- Presented credentials: Unknown
- Terminated mission: August 2010
- Dana Brown - Career FSO
- Title: Chargé d'Affaires ad interim
- Appointed: August 2010
- Presented credentials: Unknown
- Terminated mission: Unknown
- Adrienne S. O'Neal - Career FSO
- Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
- Appointed: November 10, 2011
- Presented credentials: Unknown
- Terminated mission: Incumbent
See also
- Embassy of Cape Verde in Washington, D.C.Embassy of Cape Verde in Washington, D.C.The Embassy of the Cape Verde in Washington, D.C. is the diplomatic mission of the Republic of Cape Verde to the United States. It is located at 3514 Massachusetts Avenue, Northwest, Washington, D.C., in the Embassy Row neighborhood....
- Cape Verde – United States relations
- Foreign relations of Cape VerdeForeign relations of Cape VerdeCape Verde follows a policy of nonalignment and seeks cooperative relations with all friendly states. Angola, Brazil, the People's Republic of China, Cuba, France, Germany, Portugal, Senegal, Russia, and the United States maintain embassies in Praia....
- Ambassadors from the United StatesAmbassadors from the United StatesThis is a list of ambassadors of the United States to individual nations of the world, to international organizations, to past nations, and ambassadors-at-large.Ambassadors are nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate...