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List of ambassadors of the United States to Indonesia

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Ambassador of the United States to Indonesia
Seal of the United States Department of State
since August 8, 2024
NominatorThe President of the United States
AppointerThe President
with Senate advice and consent
Inaugural holderH. Merle Cochran
as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
FormationDecember 27, 1949
WebsiteU.S. Embassy - Jakarta

This is a list of ambassadors of the United States to the Republic of Indonesia.

Indonesia had been a Dutch colony since 1800, known as the Dutch East Indies. The Dutch were expelled in March 1942 by the Japanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies. After the surrender of Japan in 1945, Sukarno declared independence on August 17, 1945. However, the Netherlands attempted to reestablish their colony during a prolonged war that lasted for four and a half years. Ultimately the struggle was unsuccessful for the Netherlands, and in December 1949, the Netherlands formally recognized Indonesian sovereignty.

The United States immediately recognized the independence of Indonesia and moved to establish diplomatic relations. A U.S. embassy was established in Jakarta on December 27, 1949, under the informal direction of a consul general. President Truman appointed H. Merle Cochran as ambassador the following day.

The United States Embassy in Indonesia is located in Jakarta, with consulates in Surabaya and Medan, and a consular agency in Bali.[1]

Ambassadors

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U.S. diplomatic terms

Career FSO
After 1915, The United States Department of State began classifying ambassadors as career Foreign Service Officers (FSOs) for those who have served in the Foreign Service for a specified amount of time.

Political appointee
A person who is not a career foreign service officer, but is appointed by the president (often as a reward to political friends).

Appointed
The date that the ambassador took the oath of office; also known as "commissioning". It follows confirmation of a presidential appointment by the Senate, or a Congressional recess appointment by the president. In the case of a recess appointment, the ambassador requires subsequent confirmation by the Senate to remain in office.

Presented credentials
The date that the ambassador presented his letter of credence to the head of state or appropriate authority of the receiving nation. At this time the ambassador officially becomes the representative of his country. This would normally occur a short time after the ambassador's arrival on station. The host nation may reject the ambassador by not receiving the ambassador's letter, but this occurs only rarely.

Terminated mission
Usually the date that the ambassador left the country. In some cases a letter of recall is presented, ending the ambassador's commission, either as a means of diplomatic protest or because the diplomat is being reassigned elsewhere and replaced by another envoy.

Chargé d'affaires
The person in charge of the business of the embassy when there is no ambassador commissioned to the host country.

Ad interim
Latin phrase meaning "for the time being", "in the meantime".
Name Title Appointed Presented credentials Terminated mission Notes
H. Merle Cochran[2] – Career FSO Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary December 28, 1949 December 30, 1949 February 27, 1953
Hugh S. Cumming, Jr.[3] – Career FSO September 3, 1953 October 15, 1953 March 3, 1957
John M. Allison – Career FSO February 21, 1957 March 13, 1957 January 29, 1958
Howard P. Jones – Career FSO February 20, 1958 March 10, 1958 May 24, 1965
Marshall Green – Career FSO June 4, 1965 July 26, 1965 March 26, 1969
Francis J. Galbraith – Career FSO May 27, 1969 July 19, 1969 February 3, 1974
David D. Newsom – Career FSO December 19, 1973 February 27, 1974 October 6, 1977
Edward E. Masters – Career FSO November 3, 1977 December 10, 1977 November 10, 1981 John Cameron Monjo served as Chargé d'Affaires ad interim, November 1981–February 1983.
John Herbert Holdridge – Career FSO December 10, 1982 February 19, 1983 January 7, 1986
Paul Dundes Wolfowitz – Political appointee March 4, 1986 April 11, 1986 May 12, 1989
John Cameron Monjo – Career FSO May 22, 1989 May 31, 1989 July 18, 1992
Robert L. Barry – Career FSO July 7, 1992 August 11, 1992 July 10, 1995
J. Stapleton Roy – Career FSO December 19, 1995 February 27, 1996 August 12, 1999
Robert S. Gelbard – Career FSO August 9, 1999 October 18, 1999 October 14, 2001
Ralph Leo Boyce – Career FSO October 1, 2001 October 24, 2001 August. 2, 2004
B. Lynn Pascoe – Career FSO October 18, 2004 November 25, 2004 February 17, 2007
Cameron R. Hume – Career FSO May 30, 2007 August 1, 2007 August 7, 2010
Scot Marciel - Career FSO August 10, 2010 September 21, 2010 July 18, 2013
Robert O. Blake, Jr. - Career FSO July 30, 2013 January 30, 2014 July 18, 2016
Joseph R. Donovan Jr. - Career FSO November 4, 2016 January 13, 2017 February 14, 2020
Heather Variava - Career FSO Chargé d'Affaires ad interim February 14, 2020 October 21, 2020
Sung Kim - Career FSO[4] Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary August 6, 2020 October 21, 2020 November 21, 2023
Michael F. Klaine - Career FSO Chargé d'Affaires ad interim November 21, 2023 July 23, 2024
Kamala Shirin Lakhdhir - Career FSO Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary May 2, 2024 August 8, 2024 Incumbent

Notes

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  1. ^ "Embassy Information". U.S. Embassy Jakarta. Retrieved June 12, 2011.
  2. ^ Cochran was commissioned during a recess of the Senate and recommissioned after confirmation on February 2, 1950.
  3. ^ Cumming was commissioned during a recess of the Senate and recommissioned after confirmation on January 26, 1954.
  4. ^ "Jokowi Terima Surat Kepercayaan Dubes AS Sung Yong Kim hingga Dubes Italia". Detik.com (in Indonesian). October 21, 2020.

See also

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References

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