United States Ambassador to Panama
Encyclopedia
The United States
has maintained diplomatic relations with Panama
since its independence from Colombia
in 1903. (The US encouraged this revolution in order to secure the rights to build and manage the Panama Canal
.) The rank of the US chief of mission to Panama was originally Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, but it was upgraded to Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary in 1939.
Normal diplomatic relations between the United States and Panama have been interrupted only once, from January 10 to April 3, 1964, in the aftermath of the Martyrs' Day
riots over sovereignty
.
Ambassador
s, or other Chiefs of Mission, to Panama
. The title given by the United States State Department to this position is currently Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
has maintained diplomatic relations with Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
since its independence from Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
in 1903. (The US encouraged this revolution in order to secure the rights to build and manage the Panama Canal
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
.) The rank of the US chief of mission to Panama was originally Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, but it was upgraded to Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary in 1939.
Normal diplomatic relations between the United States and Panama have been interrupted only once, from January 10 to April 3, 1964, in the aftermath of the Martyrs' Day
Martyrs' Day
Martyrs' Day is a Panamanian holiday which commemorates the January 9, 1964 riots over sovereignty of the Panama Canal Zone. The riot started after a Panamanian flag was torn during conflict between Panamanian students and Canal Zone Police officers, over the right of the Panamanian flag to be...
riots over sovereignty
Sovereignty
Sovereignty is the quality of having supreme, independent authority over a geographic area, such as a territory. It can be found in a power to rule and make law that rests on a political fact for which no purely legal explanation can be provided...
.
List of Ambassadors
The following is a list of United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Ambassador
Ambassador
An ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....
s, or other Chiefs of Mission, to Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
. The title given by the United States State Department to this position is currently Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary.
| Representative | Title | Presentation of Credentials |
Termination of Mission |
Appointed by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| William I. Buchanan | Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary | December 17, 1903 | February 2, 1904 | Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity... |
| John Barrett John Barrett (diplomat) John Barrett was a United States diplomat and one of the most influential early directors general of the Pan American Union. On his death, the New York Times commented that he had "done more than any other person of his generation to promote closer relations among the American... |
Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary | July 22, 1904 | May 13, 1905 | |
| Charles E. Magoon | Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary | August 7, 1905 | September 25, 1906 | |
| Herbert G. Squiers Herbert G. Squiers Herbert Goldsmith Squiers was a United States diplomat, serving as Minister to Cuba , and Panama and as well as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Army.-Biography:... |
Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary | November 8, 1906 | August 3, 1909 | |
| R. S. Reynolds Hitt | Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary | March 26, 1910 | July 19, 1910 | William H. Taft |
| Thomas C. Dawson | Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary | September 24, 1910 | December 1, 1910 | |
| H. Percival Dodge | Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary | November 9, 1911 | June 10, 1913 | |
| William Jennings Price | Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary | October 11, 1913 | December 28, 1921 | Woodrow Wilson Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913... |
| John Glover South | Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary | December 28, 1921 | January 5, 1930 | Warren G. Harding Warren G. Harding Warren Gamaliel Harding was the 29th President of the United States . A Republican from Ohio, Harding was an influential self-made newspaper publisher. He served in the Ohio Senate , as the 28th Lieutenant Governor of Ohio and as a U.S. Senator... |
| Roy T. Davis | Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary | March 14, 1930 | September 20, 1933 | Herbert Hoover Herbert Hoover Herbert Clark Hoover was the 31st President of the United States . Hoover was originally a professional mining engineer and author. As the United States Secretary of Commerce in the 1920s under Presidents Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge, he promoted partnerships between government and business... |
| Antonio C. Gonzalez | Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary | October 11, 1933 | January 9, 1935 | Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war... |
| George T. Summerlin George T. Summerlin George Thomas Summerlin was an American army officer and diplomat from Louisiana.A captain in the US Army, he later had a long career in the state department, serving as charges d'affaires in Mexico, as well as Minister to Honduras, Venezuela and Panama. His last post was as Chief of Protocol... |
Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary | March 8, 1935 | July 7, 1937 | |
| Frank P. Corrigan | Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary | September 2, 1937 | June 14, 1939 | |
| William Dawson William Dawson (ambassador) Wiliam Dawson, Jr. was a career United States diplomat. He was U.S. ambassador to multiple countries, including being the first ambassador to the Organization of American States.... |
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador An ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization.... |
July 14, 1939 | April 21, 1941 | |
| Edwin C. Wilson | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | May 23, 1941 | September 23, 1943 | |
| Avra M. Warren Avra M. Warren Avra M. Warren served as the United States Ambassador to 4 countries and minister to 3 .... |
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | June 22, 1944 | January 5, 1945 | |
| Frank T. Hines | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | November 1, 1945 | February 20, 1948 | Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman was the 33rd President of the United States . As President Franklin D. Roosevelt's third vice president and the 34th Vice President of the United States , he succeeded to the presidency on April 12, 1945, when President Roosevelt died less than three months after beginning his... |
| Monnett B. Davis | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | May 28, 1948 | January 24, 1951 | |
| John C. Wiley | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | July 25, 1951 | November 27, 1953 | |
| Selden Chapin Selden Chapin Selden Chapin was a career foreign service officer and United States diplomat.-Biography:Selden Chapin was born at Erie, Pennsylvania. He graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1919 and served in the U.S. Navy from 1919 to 1925. He married Mary Paul Noyes, March 30, 1927.He was... |
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | January 22, 1954 | May 29, 1955 | Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army... |
| Julian F. Harrington Julian F. Harrington Julian F. Harrington served as the United States Ambassador to Panama from 1955-1960.Harrington was born in Framingham, Massachusetts. He graduated from Columbia University. He served as a US vice counsel or counsel in Mexico, Spain and Canada prior to serving as ambassador in Panama.-Sources:**... |
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | August 30, 1955 | July 14, 1960 | |
| Joseph S. Farland Joseph S. Farland Joseph Simpson Farland served as United States Ambassador to four different countries.Farland was born in Clarksburg, West Virginia and raised that city as well as in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. He received his bachelors and a law degree from West Virginia University and did further studies at... |
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | August 29, 1960 | August 31, 1963 | |
| Wallace W. Stuart | Chargé d'Affaires Chargé d'affaires In 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 interim |
September 1963 | January 10, 1964 | Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson , often referred to as LBJ, was the 36th President of the United States after his service as the 37th Vice President of the United States... |
| Henry L. Taylor | Chargé d'Affaires ad interim | April 3, 1964 | May 6, 1964 | |
| Jack Hood Vaughn | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | May 6, 1964 | February 27, 1965 | |
| Charles W. Adair, Jr. | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | May 13, 1965 | September 6, 1969 | |
| Robert M. Sayre | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | October 31, 1969 | March 14, 1974 | Richard Nixon Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under... |
| William J. Jorden | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | April 17, 1974 | August 25, 1978 | |
| Ambler Hodges Moss, Jr. | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | October 6, 1978 | July 15, 1982 | Jimmy Carter Jimmy Carter James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office... |
| Everett Ellis Briggs Everett Ellis Briggs Everett Ellis Briggs is a United States diplomat.Briggs was born in Havana, Cuba in 1934. He is an alumnus of Dartmouth College.... |
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | October 29, 1982 | February 24, 1986 | Ronald Reagan Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor.... |
| Arthur H. Davis, Jr. | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | April 4, 1986 | January 3, 1990 | |
| Deane Roesch Hinton | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | January 9, 1990 | February 12, 1994 | George H. W. Bush George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States . He had previously served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States , a congressman, an ambassador, and Director of Central Intelligence.Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, to... |
| Oliver P. Garza | Chargé d'Affaires ad interim | February 1994 | November 1995 | Bill Clinton Bill Clinton William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation... |
| William J. Hughes William J. Hughes William John "Bill" Hughes served as a Democratic Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1975 to 1995, representing New Jersey’s Second Congressional District which includes major portions of the Jersey Shore and Pine Barrens, the cities of Vineland and Atlantic City, and the counties... |
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | November 7, 1995 | October 13, 1998 | |
| Simon Ferro | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | February 26, 1999 | March 1, 2001 | |
| Linda Ellen Watt | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | December 17, 2002 | June 3, 2005 | George W. Bush George W. Bush George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000.... |
| William A. Eaton William A. Eaton William Alan "Bill" Eaton is a United States diplomat.-Biography:William A. Eaton was born in Winchester, Virginia ca. 1956. He was educated at the University of Virginia, receiving a B.A. in international relations in 1978... |
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | September 9, 2005 | August 2008 | |
| Barbara J. Stephenson Barbara J. Stephenson Barbara J. Stephenson is the former United States Ambassador to the Republic of Panama. She was confirmed by the U.S. Senate and was appointed by President George W. Bush in the Spring of 2008.... |
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | August 2008 | 2010 | |
| Phyllis M. Powers | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | August 8, 2010 | Incumbent | Barack Obama Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in... |
See also
- Panama – United States relations
- Foreign relations of PanamaForeign relations of PanamaPanama is currently a member of the UN General Assembly and has served three terms in the UN Security Council. In November 2006 it was elected to serve a two year term on the Security Council, beginning January 1, 2007...
- Ambassadors of the United States