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List of ambassadors of Austria to the United States

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Ambassador of the Republic of Austria to the United States
Coat of arms of Austria
since 2023
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Embassy of Austria, Washington D.C.
StyleHer Excellency
Inaugural holderWenzel von Mareschall
(as Ambassador of the Austrian Empire)
Formation1838
WebsiteAustrian Embassy, Washington D.C.

This is a list of ambassadors of Austria to the United States.

History

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The United States first established diplomatic relations with Austria in 1838 during the time of the Austrian Empire. Relations between the United States have been continuous since that time except for two interruptions during World War I and World War II.

As part of the modernization of the state system in the 1860s, Austria-Hungary began to send permanent envoys to the United States. After 11 November 1918, these were no longer representatives of the Emperor, but of the republican state of German-Austria or the Austrian Republic, who were now called ambassadors. On 13 March 1938, the Austrian representation in Washington, D.C. was closed due to the "Anschluss" to Nazi Germany and only reopened one and a half years after the re-establishment of the Republic of Austria following the end of World War II.[1]

The fact that diplomatic relations were not resumed until November 1946 reflects the fact that the United States, as the occupying power in Austria, had a high-ranking presence in Vienna since 1 September 1945, and the four occupying powers considered themselves the supreme authority in Austria. It was not until the summer of 1946 that the government of Leopold Figl was given more political leeway.

The Austrian Embassy in the United States is located in Washington, D.C.[2]

Heads of Mission

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Ambassadors of the Austrian Empire

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Term Start Term End Name Title Notes
1838 1841 Wenzel von Mareschall [3][4]
1841 1855 Johann von Hülsemann Chargé d'Affaires August Belmont served as Consul-General from 1844 to 1850.[5]
1855 1868 Imperial and Royal Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary
1863 1864 Nikolaus von Giorgi
1865 1867 Ferdinand von Wydenbruck [6]

Ambassadors of the Austro-Hungarian Empire

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Term Start Term End Image Name Title Notes
1867 1868 Karl von und zu Franckenstein Chargé d'Affaires
1868 1874 Karl von Lederer Imperial and Royal Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary Previously Ambassador to the Hanseatic Cities in Hamburg
1874 1875 Wilhelm von Schwarz-Senborn Previously General Director of the 1873 Vienna World's Fair
1875 1878 Ladislaus von Hoyos-Sprinzenstein Later Ambassador to France in Paris
1878 1881 Ernst von Mayr
1881 1886 Ignaz von Schäffer
1887 1894 Ernst Schmit von Tavera
1894 1902 Ladislaus Hengelmüller von Hengervár Previously Austro-Hungarian Minister to Brazil and Serbia
1902 1913 Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary[6]
1913 1915 Konstantin Dumba Dumba was declared persona non grata by the U.S. Government on 8 September 1915 and left the U.S. on 5 October, however, his appointment formally ended a month later.
1916 1917 Adam Tarnówski von Tarnów Count Tarnowski was named ambassador following Dumba's expulsion and arrived in Washington in 1916 but never presented his credentials to President Wilson. Therefore, his name therefore does not appear in the U.S. records and the legation is said to have been led by Erich Zwiedinek von Südenhorst as Chargé d'affaires until the embassy was closed and diplomatic relations were officially broken off on 8 April 1917. The United States did not formally declare war on Austria-Hungary until 7 December 1917.
Interuption in relations due to World War I

Ambassadors of the First Austrian Republic

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Term Start Term End Image Name Title Notes
1921 1925 Edgar L. G. Prochnik Chargés d'affaires ad interim
1925 1938 Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary Terminated mission due to Anschluss with Germany
Interuption in relations due to World War II

Ambassadors of the Second Austrian Republic

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Term Start Term End Image Name Title Notes
1946 1951 Ludwig Kleinwächter Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary Previously Consul in New York City, Buffalo, and Chicago and Counselor at the Legation in Washington, as well as Consul General to Ottawa. In 1938, the Gestapo arrested him as a "half Jew" and sent him to Dachau and Buchenwald concentration camps.[7]
1951 1952 Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
1952 1954 Max Löwenthal Later Ambassador in Ottawa, Buenos Aires, and Rome[8]
1954 1957 Karl Gruber Previously Foreign Minister of Austria from 1945 to 1953
1958 1965 Wilfried Platzer
1965 1969 Ernst Lemberger
1969 1972 Karl Gruber Second term
1972 1977 Arno Halusa
1977 1982 Karl Herbert Schober
1982 1987 Thomas Klestil Later served as President of Austria from 1992 to 2004
1987 1993 Friedrich Hoess
1993 1999 Helmut Tuerk
1999 2003 Peter Moser
2003 2009 Eva Nowotny Formerly Ambassador to France, and to the Court of St. James's (United Kingdom)
2009 2011 Christian Prosl
2011 2015 Hans Peter Manz Formerly Ambassador to Switzerland[9][10]
2016 2019 Wolfgang Waldner Formerly State Secretary for European and International Affairs, Minister in charge of Commerce, Agriculture, Forestry, Tourism, Culture and Communities for the Regional Government of Carinthia, and Ambassador to Hungary.[11]
2019 2022 Martin Weiss Formerly Ambassador to Israel, Director of the Press and Information Department of the Foreign Ministry, and Ambassador to Cyprus.[12]
2023 Present Petra Schneebauer Formerly Director-General for Consular Affairs at the Austrian Foreign Ministry and Austrian National Coordinator and leader of the Task Force for the Combat of Human Trafficking.[13]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Steininger, Rolf (2012). Austria, Germany, and the Cold War: From the Anschluss to the State Treaty, 1938-1955. Berghahn Books. pp. 74–76, 166. ISBN 978-0-85745-598-7. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
  2. ^ "Austria in USA". www.austria.org. Austria in USA. 2 July 2024. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
  3. ^ Lack, Eva (1975). Wenzel Philipp Leopold Baron von Mareschal, ein österreichischer Offizier und Diplomat, 1785-1851: mit bes. Berücks. seiner diplomat. Verwendung in Süd- u. Nordamerika (in German). VWGÖ Verb. d. Wissenschaftl. Gesellschaften Österreichs. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
  4. ^ Morris, Maud Burr (1918). An Old Washington Mansion. pp. 124–125. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
  5. ^ Katz, Irving (1968). August Belmont; a political biography. New York/London: Columbia University Press.
  6. ^ a b "Former Ambassadors". www.austria.org. Austria in USA. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
  7. ^ "Ludwig Kleinwaechter and the Marshall Plan". www.archive.austria.org. Austria in USA. 5 June 2017. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
  8. ^ "Max Löwenthal-Chlumecky". www.deutsche-digitale-bibliothek.de. Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  9. ^ "Austria's Ambassador to the U.S. Hans Peter Manz Bids Farewell". Vindobona.org | Vienna International News. December 18, 2015. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
  10. ^ "✝ Dr. Hans Peter Manz". www.austria.org. Austria in USA. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
  11. ^ "His Excellency Wolfgang Waldner". Washington Diplomat. 1 July 2019. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
  12. ^ "People- Martin Weiss President and Chief Executive Officer, Salzburg Global Seminar". www.salzburgglobal.org. Salzburg Global Seminar. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
  13. ^ "The Ambassador". www.austria.org. Austria in USA. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
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