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List of ambassadors of the United States to Poland

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Ambassador of the United States to Poland
Ambasador Stanów Zjednoczonych w Polsce
Seal of the United States Department of State
since February 22, 2022
NominatorThe President of the United States
AppointerThe President
with Senate advice and consent
Inaugural holderHugh S. Gibson
as Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary
FormationApril 16, 1919
WebsiteU.S. Embassy - Warsaw

The history of ambassadors of the United States to Poland began in 1919.

Until the end of World War I, Poland had been partitioned between Russia, Germany, and Austria-Hungary. After the war and the collapse of the empires, Poland became an independent republic in 1918.

The United States recognized the Second Polish Republic and established diplomatic relations. The first U.S. Minister to Poland was Hugh S. Gibson, appointed in 1919.

Diplomatic relations were maintained throughout the years of World War II with the government-in-exile of Poland resident in London.

The U.S. Embassy in Poland is located in Warsaw.

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 Mission ended Notes
Hugh S. Gibson[1] – Career FSO Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary April 16, 1919 May 2, 1919 May 3, 1924
Alfred J. Pearson – Political appointee April 2, 1924 June 26, 1924 August 18, 1925
John B. Stetson Jr.[2] – Political appointee July 3, 1925 August 29, 1925 August 29, 1929 From 1930 onward, the U.S. envoy to Poland had the rank of ambassador.
John N. Willys – Political appointee Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary March 8, 1930 May 24, 1930 May 30, 1932[3]
Ferdinand Lammot "Mot" Belin[4][5] – Career FSO November 2, 1932[3] December 13, 1932 Recess appointment expired, March 4, 1933 President Roosevelt nominated James Michael Curley for the post in 1933 but withdrew the nomination before the Senate acted upon it.
John Cudahy – Political appointee June 13, 1933 September 6, 1933 April 23, 1937
Anthony Joseph Drexel Biddle Jr.[a] – Political appointee May 4, 1937 June 2, 1937 Left London December 1, 1943 Biddle was the U.S. ambassador in Warsaw in September 1939 when Germany invaded Poland, which action set off World War II. The government of Poland evacuated the country, first to France (September 1939–June 1940) and later to England. Rudolf E. Schoenfeld opened the U.S. embassy near the government of Poland established in England, making his initial call as Chargé d'Affaires ad interim on September 21, 1940.[6] Biddle followed the government-in-exile to London, where he arrived on March 14, 1941, and continued as ambassador through 1943.
The U.S. embassy in London to the government-in-exile of Poland was terminated on July 5, 1945. Rudolf E. Schoenfeld was still serving as Chargé d'Affaires ad interim when United States withdrew the recognition of the Polish government in exile, recognizing the new communist government, and the mission in London was closed.
Arthur Bliss Lane – Career FSO Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary September 21, 1944 August 4, 1945 February 24, 1947 The U.S. Embassy in Warsaw was reestablished on July 5, 1945
Stanton Griffis – Political appointee May 15, 1947 July 9, 1947 April 21, 1948
Waldemar J. Gallman[7] – Career FSO July 7, 1948 October 15, 1948 July 8, 1950
Joseph Flack – Career FSO September 20, 1950 November 30, 1950 Left Poland, April 22, 1955
Joseph E. Jacobs – Career FSO April 1, 1955 May 23, 1955 July 23, 1957
Jacob D. Beam – Career FSO June 26, 1957 August 9, 1957 November 30, 1961
John M. Cabot – Career FSO January 30, 1962 March 2, 1962 September 24, 1965
John A. Gronouski – Political appointee September 11, 1965 December 7, 1965 May 26, 1968
Walter J. Stoessel Jr. – Career FSO July 24, 1968 September 12, 1968 August 5, 1972
Richard T. Davies[8] – Career FSO December 2, 1972 January 5, 1973 February 5, 1978
William E. Schaufele Jr. – Career FSO February 3, 1978 March 30, 1978 September 11, 1980
Francis J. Meehan – Career FSO October 2, 1980 October 27, 1980 February 11, 1983 The following officers served as Chargé d'Affaires ad interim: Herbert E. Wilgis Jr. (February–July 1983); and John R. Davis Jr. (September 1983–January 1987). Davis was appointed as Chargé d'Affaires on January 9, 1987 and subsequently appointed as ambassador.
John R. Davis Jr. – Career FSO February 5, 1988 March 17, 1988 July 20, 1990
Thomas W. Simons Jr. – Career FSO August 6, 1990 September 11, 1990 April 28, 1993
Nicholas Andrew Rey – Political appointee November 22, 1993 December 21, 1993 October 25, 1997
Daniel Fried – Career FSO November 10, 1997 November 27, 1997 May 6, 2000
Christopher R. Hill – Career FSO May 31, 2000 July 27, 2000 April 14, 2004
Victor Henderson Ashe – Political appointee May 26, 2004 August 17, 2004 September 29, 2009
Lee A. Feinstein – Political appointee September 28, 2009 October 20, 2009 October 28, 2012[9]
Stephen Mull – Career FSO October 24, 2012 November 8, 2012 August 29, 2015
Paul W. Jones – Career FSO June 8, 2015 September 24, 2015 July 28, 2018
Georgette Mosbacher – Political appointee February 14, 2018 September 6, 2018 January 20, 2021
Mark Brzezinski – Political appointee December 18, 2021 February 22, 2022 Incumbent

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Gibson was commissioned during a recess of the Senate but the commission not on record; he took oath of office on April 16, 1919. He was recommissioned on June 26, 1919, after confirmation.
  2. ^ Stetson was commissioned during a recess of the Senate and recommissioned after confirmation on December 17, 1925.
  3. ^ a b "THE PRESIDENCY: Thanksgiving", Time, November 14, 1932, archived from the original on October 27, 2010, retrieved October 20, 2011
  4. ^ Shapira, Ian (October 15, 2011), "A family's hidden history is revealed after sale of their grand Georgetown estate", Washington Post, archived from the original on October 16, 2011, retrieved October 20, 2011
  5. ^ Belin was appointed during a recess of the Senate. He was not recommissioned and his recess appointment expired with the beginning of the next Senate.
  6. ^ "Rudolf Schoenfeld, Ambassador To 3 Nations for U.S., Dies at 86". The New York Times. April 19, 1981. Retrieved February 4, 2020.
  7. ^ Gallman was commissioned during a recess of the Senate and recommissioned after confirmation on March 2, 1949.
  8. ^ Davies was commissioned during a recess of the Senate and recommissioned after confirmation on February 8, 1973.
  9. ^
    //history.state.gov/departmenthistory/people/feinstein-lee-andrew
  1. ^ Biddle was also commissioned to the governments-in-exile of Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Greece, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, and Yugoslavia.
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