United States Ambassador to Czechoslovakia
Encyclopedia
Following the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian empire
in 1918 at the end of World War I
, the Czechs, Moravia
ns, and Slovaks
united to form the new nation of Czechoslovakia
. The United States recognized
Czechoslovakia and commissioned its first ambassador on April 23, 1919.
Germany
invaded Czechoslovakia in March 1939, establishing a German “protectorate
.” By this time, Slovakia had already declared independence and had become a puppet state of Germany. German forces occupied Prague
on March 15, 1939. The U.S. embassy was closed on March 21, 1939 and the ambassador left his post on April 6, 1939.
During World War II
the U.S. maintained diplomatic relations with the government-in-exile of Czechoslovakia in London
. Ambassador Anthony J. Biddle, Jr.
established an embassy in London on September 17, 1941 and the embassy was maintained until the end of the war. Following the war the embassy in Prague was reopened on May 29, 1945.
In June 1992, the Slovak parliament voted to declare sovereignty and the Czech-Slovak federation dissolved peacefully
on January 1, 1993. The United States recognized the Czech Republic
and Slovakia
as independent nations and moved to establish diplomatic relations. The previous ambassador to Czechoslovakia, Adrian A. Basora
, continued as the ambassador to the Czech Republic. Paul Hacker, the incumbent U.S. consul general, served as the first chargé d'affaires of the U.S. Embassy in Slovakia (January 1-July 7, 1993), followed by Eleanor Sutter. In November 1993, Theodore E. Russell
, former deputy chief of mission in Prague
, became the first U.S. ambassador to Slovakia
.
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
in 1918 at the end of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, the Czechs, Moravia
Moravia
Moravia is a historical region in Central Europe in the east of the Czech Republic, and one of the former Czech lands, together with Bohemia and Silesia. It takes its name from the Morava River which rises in the northwest of the region...
ns, and Slovaks
Slovaks
The Slovaks, Slovak people, or Slovakians are a West Slavic people that primarily inhabit Slovakia and speak the Slovak language, which is closely related to the Czech language.Most Slovaks today live within the borders of the independent Slovakia...
united to form the new nation of Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
. 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...
Czechoslovakia and commissioned its first ambassador on April 23, 1919.
Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
invaded Czechoslovakia in March 1939, establishing a German “protectorate
Protectorate
In history, the term protectorate has two different meanings. In its earliest inception, which has been adopted by modern international law, it is an autonomous territory that is protected diplomatically or militarily against third parties by a stronger state or entity...
.” By this time, Slovakia had already declared independence and had become a puppet state of Germany. German forces occupied Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
on March 15, 1939. The U.S. embassy was closed on March 21, 1939 and the ambassador left his post on April 6, 1939.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
the U.S. maintained diplomatic relations with the government-in-exile of Czechoslovakia in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. Ambassador Anthony J. Biddle, Jr.
Anthony Joseph Drexel Biddle, Jr.
Anthony Joseph Drexel Biddle, Jr. , also known as A. J. Drexel Biddle, Jr. or Tony Biddle, was a wealthy socialite who became a diplomat of the United States, and served in the United States Army during World War I and after World War II, reaching the rank of major general.-Biography:Biddle was the...
established an embassy in London on September 17, 1941 and the embassy was maintained until the end of the war. Following the war the embassy in Prague was reopened on May 29, 1945.
In June 1992, the Slovak parliament voted to declare sovereignty and the Czech-Slovak federation dissolved peacefully
Dissolution of Czechoslovakia
The dissolution of Czechoslovakia, which took effect on 1 January 1993, was an event that saw the self-determined separation of the federal state of Czechoslovakia. The Czech Republic and Slovakia, entities which had arisen in 1969 within the framework of Czechoslovak federalisation, became...
on January 1, 1993. The United States recognized the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
and Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
as independent nations and moved to establish diplomatic relations. The previous ambassador to Czechoslovakia, Adrian A. Basora
Adrian A. Basora
Adrian Anthony Basora is an American diplomat, and former United States Ambassador to the Czech Republic. He is currently a senior fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute researching democratization in the post-Communist states of Europe and Central Asia, and a member of the Council on...
, continued as the ambassador to the Czech Republic. Paul Hacker, the incumbent U.S. consul general, served as the first chargé d'affaires of the U.S. Embassy in Slovakia (January 1-July 7, 1993), followed by Eleanor Sutter. In November 1993, Theodore E. Russell
Theodore E. Russell
Theodore E. Russell was the first U.S. ambassador to Slovakia . He subsequently served as deputy commandant for international affairs at the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania...
, former deputy chief of mission in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
, became the first U.S. ambassador to Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
.
Ambassadors
- Richard CraneRichard Crane (diplomat)Richard Teller Crane, II, was the first United States diplomat accredited to Czechoslovakia with the title Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary. He received a recess appointment from President Woodrow Wilson on April 23, 1919 and was subsequently confirmed by the United States Senate...
– Political appointee- Title: Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary
- Appointed: April 23, 1919
- Presented credentialsLetter of CredenceA letter of credence is a formal letter usually sent by one head of state to another that formally grants diplomatic accreditation to a named individual to be their ambassador in the country of the head of state receiving the letter...
: June 11, 1919 - Terminated mission: December 5, 1921
- Lewis EinsteinLewis EinsteinLewis David Einstein was an American diplomat and historian.-Biography:...
– Political appointee- Title: Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary
- Appointed: October 8, 1921
- Presented credentials: December 20, 1921
- Terminated mission: Left post, February 1, 1930
- Abraham C. Ratshesky – Political appointee
- Title: Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary
- Appointed: January 25, 1930
- Presented credentials: May 2, 1930
- Terminated mission: Left post, May 13, 1932
- Henry Frank Holthusen – Political appointee
- Title: Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary
- Appointed:
- Presented credentials:
- Terminated mission:
- Francis WhiteFrancis White (diplomat)Francis White was an American diplomat. He was born in Baltimore. He served as U.S. Minister to Czechoslovakia in 1933, U.S. Ambassador to Mexico between 1953-1957, and U.S. Ambassador to Sweden between 1957-1958....
– Career FSO- Title: Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary
- Appointed: June 13, 1933
- Presented credentials: September 7, 1933
- Terminated mission: Relinquished charge on November 30, 1933
- J. Butler WrightJ. Butler WrightJoshua Butler Wright was a United States diplomat who served as the representative of the US in Hungary, Uruguay, Czechoslovakia, and Cuba....
– Career FSO- Title: Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary
- Appointed: March 9, 1934
- Presented credentials: October 25, 1934
- Terminated mission: Left post, June 1, 1937
- Wilbur J. Carr – Political appointee
- Title: Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary
- Appointed: July 13, 1937
- Presented credentials: September 16, 1937
- Terminated mission: April 6, 1939
- Note: The embassy in Prague was closed on March 21, 1939, following the occupation of Prague by German forces on March 15. The U.S. opened an embassy in LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and maintained diplomatic relations with the government-in-exileGovernment in exileA government in exile is a political group that claims to be a country's legitimate government, but for various reasons is unable to exercise its legal power, and instead resides in a foreign country. Governments in exile usually operate under the assumption that they will one day return to their...
of Czechoslovakia during the war. - Anthony J. Biddle, Jr.Anthony Joseph Drexel Biddle, Jr.Anthony Joseph Drexel Biddle, Jr. , also known as A. J. Drexel Biddle, Jr. or Tony Biddle, was a wealthy socialite who became a diplomat of the United States, and served in the United States Army during World War I and after World War II, reaching the rank of major general.-Biography:Biddle was the...
– Political appointee- Title: Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary
- Appointed: September 17, 1941
- Presented credentials: October 28, 1941
- Terminated mission: June 4, 1943
- Note: The title of the commission was changed to Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary in 1943. This required a new commission for the ambassador.
- Anthony J. Biddle, Jr.Anthony Joseph Drexel Biddle, Jr.Anthony Joseph Drexel Biddle, Jr. , also known as A. J. Drexel Biddle, Jr. or Tony Biddle, was a wealthy socialite who became a diplomat of the United States, and served in the United States Army during World War I and after World War II, reaching the rank of major general.-Biography:Biddle was the...
– Political appointee- Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
- Appointed: June 4, 1943
- Presented credentials: July 12, 1943
- Terminated mission: Left London on December 1, 1943
- Note: After Germany’s surrender at the close of WWII in Europe, the mission of the embassy in London was terminated. Rudolph E. Schoenfeld was serving as chargé d'affaires ad interim when the embassy was closed.
- Note: The embassy in Prague was re-established on May 29, 1945, with Alfred W. Klieforth as chargé d'affaires ad interim.
- Laurence A. SteinhardtLaurence SteinhardtLaurence Adolph Steinhardt was a United States diplomat. He served as the U.S. Minister to Sweden and U.S. Ambassador to Peru, the USSR, Turkey, Czechoslovakia, and Canada....
– Political appointee- Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
- Appointed: December 20, 1944
- Presented credentials: July 20, 1945
- Terminated mission: Left post, September 19, 1948
- Joseph E. Jacobs – Career FSO
- Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
- Appointed: October 15, 1948
- Presented credentials: January 5, 1949
- Terminated mission: Left post, October 12, 1949
- Ellis O. Briggs – Career FSO
- Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
- Appointed: September 1, 1949
- Presented credentials: November 8, 1949
- Terminated mission: Left post, August 27, 1952
- George WadsworthGeorge Wadsworth (diplomat)George Wadsworth II was a United States diplomat, specializing in the Middle East.Wadsworth was born in Buffalo, New York and received a degree in chemical engineering from Union College in Schenectady, New York...
– Career FSO- Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
- Appointed: October 8, 1952
- Presented credentials: December 29, 1952
- Terminated mission: Left post, October 30, 1953
- U. Alexis JohnsonU. Alexis Johnson-Background:Ural Alexis Johnson was born in Falun, Kansas into a family of Swedish descent. His mother named him for the mountain range, of which she learned from a geography book. He had a rural upbringing and schooling until 1923, when the family moved to Glendale, California. He graduated...
– Career FSO- Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
- Appointed: November 10, 1953
- Presented credentials: December 31, 1953
- Terminated mission: Left post, December 29, 1957
- John M. Allison – Career FSO
- Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
- Appointed: March 12, 1958
- Presented credentials: April 24, 1958
- Terminated mission: Relinquished charge on May 4, 1960
- Christian M. Ravnda – Career FSO
- Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
- Appointed: July 21, 1960
- Presented credentials: September 16, 1960
- Terminated mission: Left post, May 6, 1961
- Note: After 1961 the succeeding ambassadors were commissioned to the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic.
- Edward T. WailesEdward T. WailesEdward Thompson Wailes was a United States diplomat.-Biography:Edward T. Wailes was born in Brooklyn on February 16, 1903. He was educated at Princeton University, receiving a B.A. in 1925 and Columbia Law School, graduating in 1927....
– Career FSO- Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
- Appointed: July 14, 1961
- Presented credentials: July 28, 1961
- Terminated mission: Left post, October 22, 1962
- Outerbridge Horsey – Career FSO
- Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
- Appointed: November 14, 1962
- Presented credentials: January 3, 1963
- Terminated mission: Relinquished charge on August 1, 1966
- Jacob D. BeamJacob D. BeamJacob Dyneley Beam was an American diplomat.Beam was born in Princeton, New Jersey. His father was a German professor at Princeton University, and the younger Beam earned a bachelor's degree in 1929 from Princeton...
– Career FSO- Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
- Appointed: May 27, 1966
- Presented credentials: August 31, 1966
- Terminated mission: Left post, March 5, 1969
- Malcolm ToonMalcolm ToonMalcolm Toon was an American diplomat. He graduated from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy of Tufts University in 1938, and served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. Toon was the ambassador to Czechoslovakia from 1969–1971, Yugoslavia from 1971–1975, Israel from 1975–1976, and the Soviet...
– Career FSO- Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
- Appointed: May 13, 1969
- Presented credentials: July 31, 1969
- Terminated mission: Left post, October 11, 1971
- Albert W. Sherer, Jr.Albert W. Sherer, Jr.Albert William Sherer, Jr. was an American diplomat. In 1938 he received a B.A. from Yale University and an LL.B. in 1941 from Harvard University. He served in the U.S. Army Air Force from 1941 to 1945....
– Career FSO- Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
- Appointed: February 15, 1972
- Presented credentials: March 15, 1972
- Terminated mission: Left post, July 29, 1975
- Thomas Ryan Byrne – Career FSO
- Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
- Appointed: May 1, 1976
- Presented credentials: June 23, 1976
- Terminated mission: Left post, November 15, 1978
- Francis J. Meehan – Career FSO
- Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
- Appointed: March 23, 1979
- Presented credentials: May 30, 1979
- Terminated mission: Left post, October 20, 1980
- Jack F. Matlock, Jr.Jack F. Matlock, Jr.Jack Foust Matlock, Jr. is a former American ambassador, career Foreign Service Officer, a teacher, an historian, and a linguist. He was a specialist in Soviet affairs during some of the most tumultuous years of the Cold War, and served as U.S...
– Career FSO- Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
- Appointed: September 28, 1981
- Presented credentials: November 11, 1981
- Terminated mission: September 20, 1983
- William H. LuersWilliam H. LuersWilliam Henry Luers was a diplomat and former United States Ambassador to Venezuela and Czechoslovakia...
– Career FSO- Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
- Appointed: November 14, 1983
- Presented credentials: December 29, 1983
- Terminated mission: Left post, March 11, 1986
- Julian NiemczykJulian NiemczykJulian Martin Niemczyk was a United States diplomat.Born in Fort Sill, Oklahoma, Niemczyk was the United States Ambassador to Czechoslovakia from 1986 to 1989.-References:...
– Political appointee- Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
- Appointed: August 18, 1986
- Presented credentials: October 2, 1986
- Terminated mission: Left post, July 7, 1989
- Shirley Temple BlackShirley TempleShirley Temple Black , born Shirley Jane Temple, is an American film and television actress, singer, dancer, autobiographer, and former U.S. Ambassador to Ghana and Czechoslovakia...
– Political appointee- Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
- Appointed: August 3, 1989
- Presented credentials: August 23, 1989
- Terminated mission: Left post, July 12, 1992
- Adrian A. BasoraAdrian A. BasoraAdrian Anthony Basora is an American diplomat, and former United States Ambassador to the Czech Republic. He is currently a senior fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute researching democratization in the post-Communist states of Europe and Central Asia, and a member of the Council on...
– Career FSO- Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
- Appointed: June 15, 1992
- Presented credentials: July 20, 1992
- Terminated mission: December 31, 1992
- Note: The Czech and Slovak Federal Republic ceased to exist on December 31, 1992. For later ambassadors, see United States Ambassador to the Czech RepublicUnited States Ambassador to the Czech RepublicFollowing the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian empire in 1918 at the end of The Great War, the Bohemians, Moravians, and Slovaks united to form the new nation of Czechoslovakia...
and United States Ambassador to SlovakiaUnited States Ambassador to SlovakiaUntil 1992 the Slovak Republic had been united with the Czech Republic as the nation of Czechoslovakia.Following World War II, a U.S. consulate was established in Bratislava, but the consulate was closed on May 27, 1950, on the order of the Czechoslovak government, at the height of the Cold War....
.
See also
- 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...
- United States Ambassador to the Czech RepublicUnited States Ambassador to the Czech RepublicFollowing the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian empire in 1918 at the end of The Great War, the Bohemians, Moravians, and Slovaks united to form the new nation of Czechoslovakia...
- United States Ambassador to SlovakiaUnited States Ambassador to SlovakiaUntil 1992 the Slovak Republic had been united with the Czech Republic as the nation of Czechoslovakia.Following World War II, a U.S. consulate was established in Bratislava, but the consulate was closed on May 27, 1950, on the order of the Czechoslovak government, at the height of the Cold War....
Sources
- United States Department of State: Ambassadors to Czechoslovakia
- United States Department of State: Background notes on the Czech Republic