List of ambassadors of the United States to Romania

A United States diplomatic representative to Romania has existed since 1880. The United States formally recognized Romania in 1878, following the Treaty of Berlin; diplomatic relations were opened in 1880, and American diplomats were sent to the country. Until the early 20th century, most ambassadors to Romania were also responsible for Greece, Serbia, and occasionally Bulgaria. No U.S. Embassy was established in Romania for some time; ambassadors typically operated out of Athens until about 1905, at which point an embassy was established in Bucharest.

Ambassador of the United States to Romania
Ambasadorilor Statelor Unite ale Americii în România
Seal of the United States Department of State
Incumbent Kathleen Kavalec since February 14, 2023
Nominator	The President of the United States
Appointer	The President with Senate advice and consent
Inaugural holder	Eugene Schuyler as Diplomatic Agent/Consul General
Formation	June 11, 1880
Website	U.S. Embassy - Bucharest

The main U.S. embassy in Romania remains in Bucharest and is located at 4-6 Dr. Liviu Librescu Blvd. For several years during World War II, following the death of Ambassador Franklin Mott Gunther, there was no American ambassador to Romania. The latter country became an Axis country, and declared war on the Allies (see Romania during World War II). Preceded by American representation in the Allied Commission after 1945, the diplomatic mission was reopened in 1947. In 1994, the U.S. embassy was expanded, and a branch office was opened in Cluj-Napoca.

Ambassadors

Name	Title	Appointed	Presented credentials	Terminated mission	Notes
Eugene Schuyler[1]	Diplomatic Agent/Consul General	June 11, 1880	December 14, 1880[2]	September 7, 1884
Walker Fearn	Minister Resident/Consul General	April 18, 1885[3]	October 20, 1885	October 24, 1899
A. Loudon Snowden[4]		July 1, 1889[5]	November 25, 1889	August 18–25, 1892
Truxtun Beale[6]		July 22, 1892	Did not present credentials in Romania	1893
Eben Alexander	Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary/Consul General	April 7, 1893[7]	June 15, 1894	Athens, August 1, 1897
William Woodville Rockhill[8]		July 8, 1897[7]	May 18, 1898	April 27, 1899
Arthur S. Hardy	Envoy Extraordinary/Minister Plenipotentiary	April 18, 1899[9]	July 14, 1900	March 13, 1901
Charles Spencer Francis		December 20, 1900[7]	October 16, 1901	December 24, 1902
John Brinkerhoff Jackson		October 13, 1902[10]	April 7, 1903	July 25, 1905
John W. Riddle		March 8, 1905[11]	October 3, 1905	January 23, 1907
Horace G. Knowles		January 16, 1907[12]	May 7, 1907	February 4, 1909
Spencer F. Eddy		January 11, 1909[13]	July 9, 1909	September 29, 1909
John R. Carter		September 25, 1909[14]	November 14, 1909	October 24, 1911.
John Brinkerhoff Jackson		August 12, 1911[15]	December 24, 1911	October 28, 1913
Charles J. Vopicka – Political Appointee		September 11, 1913[15]	November 27, 1913	July 10, 1920
Peter Augustus Jay – Career FSO		April 18, 1921	June 30, 1921	May 9, 1925
William S. Culbertson – Political Appointee		April 28, 1925[16]	December 12, 1925	April 15, 1928
Charles S. Wilson – Career FSO		June 23, 1928[17]	October 13, 1928	August 2, 1933
Alvin Mansfield Owlsey – Political Appointee		June 13, 1933	September 15, 1933	June 16, 1935
Leland Harrison – Career FSO		May 15, 1935	July 24, 1935	September 3, 1937
Franklin Mott Gunther – Career FSO		July 31, 1937	October 23, 1937	December 22, 1941	Romania declared war on U.S., December 12, 1941 Gunther died at Bucharest, December 22, 1941
Rudolf E. Schoenfeld – Career FSO		July 28, 1947	September 25, 1947	May 24, 1950
James W. Gantenbein – Career FSO	Chargé d'Affaires ad interim	September 1950		November 1952
Harold Shantz – Career FSO	Envoy Extraordinary/Minister Plenipotentiary	September 27, 1952[18]	November 20, 1952	August 30, 1955
Robert H. Thayer – Political Appointee		August 17, 1955[19]	November 10, 1955	December 12, 1957
Clifton R. Wharton – Career FSO		February 5, 1958	March 7, 1958	October 21, 1960
William A. Crawford – Career FSO		November 28, 1961[20]	February 10, 1962	December 24, 1964	Promoted to Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
William A. Crawford – Career FSO	Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary	December 4, 1964	December 24, 1964	October 10, 1965
Richard H. Davis – Career FSO		September 24, 1965[21]	December 16, 1965	August 6, 1969
Leonard C. Meeker – Political Appointee		July 22, 1969[21]	September 16, 1969	May 10, 1973
Harry G. Barnes, Jr. – Career FSO		December 19, 1973[21]	March 14, 1974	November 10, 1977
O. Rudolph Aggrey – Career FSO		October 21, 1977[21]	November 22, 1977	July 11, 1981
David B. Funderburk – Political Appointee		October 2, 1981[21]	October 13, 1981	May 13, 1985
Roger Kirk – Career FSO		November 15, 1985[21]	November 29, 1985	July 5, 1989
Alan Green, Jr. – Political Appointee		October 10, 1989[21]	December 7, 1989	January 11, 1992
John R. Davis Jr. – Career FSO		December 2, 1991	March 11, 1992	August 9, 1994
Alfred H. Moses – Political Appointee		September 29, 1994	December 14, 1994	August 11, 1997
James Carew Rosapepe – Political Appointee		November 10, 1997	February 4, 1998	March 1, 2001
Michael E. Guest – Career FSO		August 3, 2001	September 24, 2001	July 8, 2004
Jack Dyer Crouch II – Political Appointee		May 25, 2004	July 16, 2004	February 28, 2005
Nicholas F. Taubman – Political Appointee		November 29, 2005	December 5, 2005	December 3, 2008
Mark Gitenstein – Political Appointee		July 29, 2009	August 28, 2009	December 14, 2012
Duane C. Butcher – Career FSO	Chargé d'affaires ad interim	December 14, 2012		July 2014
Dean R. Thompson – Career FSO		July 2014[22]		September 20, 2015
Hans G. Klemm – Career FSO	Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary	August 7, 2015	September 21, 2015	December 14, 2019
Adrian Zuckerman - Political appointee		November 21, 2019	December 17, 2019	January 20, 2021
David Muniz	Chargé d'affaires ad interim	January 20, 2021		February 14, 2023
Kathleen Kavalec – Career FSO	Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary	December 15, 2022	February 14, 2023	Incumbent

Notes

1. Later promoted to Chargé d'Affaires/Consul General, eventually as Minister Resident/Consul General at which point he was also accredited to Greece and Serbia and transferred residence to Athens.
2. Credentials delivered in a private audience, December 14, 1880; not formally received although the Romanian Foreign Ministry had indicated on August 13, 1880 a willingness to enter provisionally into relations with the U.S. Legation.
3. Commissioned during a recess of the Senate; recommissioned after confirmation on January 13, 1886. Also accredited to Greece and Serbia; resident at Athens.
4. Promoted to Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary
5. Commissioned during a recess of the Senate; recommissioned after confirmation on December 19, 1889. Also accredited to Greece and Serbia; resident at Athens.
6. Promoted to Minister Resident/Consul General and later Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary/Consul General
7. Also accredited to Greece and Serbia; resident at Athens.
8. Later recommissioned as Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary
9. Commissioned during a recess of the Senate; recommissioned after confirmation on December 14, 1899. Also accredited to Greece and Serbia; resident at Athens.
10. Commissioned during a recess of the Senate; recommissioned after confirmation on December 8, 1902. Also accredited to Greece and Serbia; resident at Athens. Later recommissioned as Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Greece, Romania, and Serbia and Diplomatic Agent to Bulgaria; resident at Athens. Recommissioned during a recess of the Senate; recommissioned after confirmation on November 16, 1903.
11. Commissioned to Romania and Serbia; resident at Bucharest
12. Commissioned to Romania and Serbia; resident at Bucharest. Later Recommissioned as Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Romania and Serbia and Diplomatic Agent in Bulgaria during a recess of the Senate; recommissioned after confirmation on December 12, 1907.
13. Commissioned as Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Romania and Serbia and Diplomatic Agent in Bulgaria; resident at Bucharest.
14. Commissioned during a recess of the Senate as Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Romania and Serbia and Diplomatic Agent in Bulgaria; resident at Bucharest; recommissioned on December 13, 1909, after confirmation. Later recommissioned as Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Romania, Serbia, and Bulgaria
15. Commissioned as Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Romania, Serbia, and Bulgaria; resident at Bucharest.
16. Commissioned during a recess of the Senate; recommissioned after confirmation on December 17, 1925.
17. Commissioned during a recess of the Senate; recommissioned after confirmation on January 23, 1929.
18. Commissioned during a recess of the Senate; recommissioned after confirmation on June 4, 1953.
19. Commissioned during a recess of the Senate; recommissioned after confirmation on January 25, 1956.
20. Commissioned during a recess of the Senate; recommissioned after confirmation on January 30, 1962. Later promoted to Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Commissioned during a recess of the Senate; recommissioned after confirmation on January 18, 1965. John P. Shaw was serving as Chargé d'Affaires ad interim when the Legation in Bucharest was raised to Embassy status on June 1, 1964.
21. Commissioned to the Socialist Republic of Romania.
22. Chargé d'affaires a.i.

See also

• Romanian Embassy, Washington, D.C.
• Romania–United States relations
• Foreign relations of Romania
• Ambassadors of the United States

References

• United States Department of State: Background notes on Romania
• Flaviu Vasile, Rus, ed., The cultural and diplomatic relations between Romania and the United States of America. 1880-1920, Cluj-Napoca, Mega Publishing, 2018.
•  This article incorporates public domain material from U.S. Bilateral Relations Fact Sheets. United States Department of State.

External links

• United States Department of State: Chiefs of Mission for Romania
• United States Department of State: Romania
• United States Embassy in Bucharest