The United States first established diplomatic relations with the Baltic states (Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia) in 1922. One ambassador, resident in Riga, Latvia, was appointed to all three nations. Relations with the three nations were broken after the Soviet invasion of the republics in 1940 at the beginning of World War II. The United States never recognized the legitimacy of the Soviet occupation of the Baltic states, nor the legitimacy of the governments of those states under Soviet occupation. Hence, full diplomatic relations were not resumed until 1992 after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
| Ambassador of the United States to Latvia | |
|---|---|
 Seal of the United States Department of State | |
| Nominator | The President of the United States |
| Appointer | The President with Senate advice and consent |
| Inaugural holder | Frederick W.B. Coleman as Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary |
| Formation | September 20, 1922 |
| Website | U.S. Embassy - Riga |
The U.S. Embassy in Latvia is located in Riga.
Ambassadors
| Name | Title | Appointed | Presented credentials | Terminated mission | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frederick W. B. Coleman[1] – Political appointee | Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary | September 20, 1922 | November 13, 1922 | October 20, 1931 | |
| Robert Peet Skinner[1][2] – Career FSO | September 23, 1931 | January 28, 1932 | April 29, 1933 | ||
| John Van Antwerp MacMurray[1][3] – Career FSO | August 28, 1933 | December 13, 1933 | February 12, 1936 | ||
| Arthur Bliss Lane[1] – Career FSO | January 24, 1936 | July 2, 1936 | September 16, 1937 | ||
| John C. Wiley[4][5] – Career FSO | July 18, 1938 | October 6, 1938 | June 17, 1940 | ||
| Soviet forces occupied Riga on June 17, 1940, which effectively ended the U.S. diplomatic presence in those nations. Ambassador Wiley departed Riga on July 25, 1940.[6] Earl L. Packer was serving as Chargé d'Affaires ad interim when all U.S. diplomatic officials were withdrawn and the legation in Riga was officially closed on September 5, 1940. Semi-official diplomatic relations continue until 1992 through the Latvian Diplomatic Service. | |||||
| The United States announced its readiness to reestablish full relations with Latvia on September 2, 1991.[7] Embassy Riga was reestablished October 2, 1991 with Ints M. Siliņš as Chargé d'Affaires ad interim pending his appointment as ambassador. | |||||
| Ints Siliņš – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | March 23, 1992 | April 10, 1992 | July 14, 1995 | |
| Larry C. Napper – Career FSO | June 27, 1995 | August 1, 1995 | October 1, 1998 | ||
| James Howard Holmes – Career FSO | August 4, 1998 | August 27, 1998 | September 15, 2001 | ||
| Brian E. Carlson – Career FSO | November 5, 2001 | December 4, 2001 | December 6, 2004 | ||
| Catherine Todd Bailey – Political appointee | November 29, 2004[8] | February 4, 2005 | February 4, 2008 | ||
| Charles W. Larson, Jr. – Political appointee | January 7, 2008 | February 12, 2008 | January 20, 2009[9] | ||
| Judith G. Garber – Career FSO | August 14, 2009 | August 25, 2009 | July 9, 2012 | ||
| Mark Pekala – Career FSO | July 10, 2012 | September 4, 2012 | August 7, 2014 | ||
| Nancy Pettit – Career FSO | July 29, 2015 | September 8, 2015 | July 14, 2019 | ||
| John Carwile – Career FSO | September 30, 2019 | November 5, 2019 | January 27, 2023[10] | ||
| Christopher T. Robinson - Career FSO | December 13, 2022 | February 21, 2023 | Incumbent | ||
Notes
See also
References
External links
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