List of ambassadors of the United States to Albania
| Ambassador of the United States to Albania | |
|---|---|
| Ambasadori i Shteteve të Bashkuara në Shqipëri | |
 Seal of the United States Department of State | |
 | |
| Nominator | Barack Obama |
| Inaugural holder | Ulysses Grant-Smith as Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary |
| Formation | September 22, 1922 |
| Website | U.S. Embassy - Tirana |
Template:U.S. diplomatic terms This is a list of Ambassadors of the United States to Albania.
Albania had been under the domination of the Ottoman Empire since the 14th century but gained a shaky independence in 1912 after an uprising against the Turks. After suffering invasions and occupations during the First and Second Balkan Wars and the Great War, Albania achieved a relatively stable degree of statehood.
The United States established diplomatic relations with Albania in 1922. President Harding appointed the first U.S. Minister to Albania, Ulysses Grant-Smith, who arrived in Tirana in December 1922. The first envoys to Albania had the rank of Minister.
Albania–United States relations were broken in 1939 upon the Italian invasion of Albania just prior to the start of World War II. Relations were not restored until the downfall of Communism in Europe in 1991.
The United States Embassy in Albania is located in Tirana.
Ambassadors
- Ulysses Grant-Smith – Career FSO
- Title: Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary
- Appointed: September 22, 1922
- Presented credentials: December 4, 1922
- Terminated mission: Left post, February 8, 1925
- Note: In 1928 the Albanian parliament declared the nation a kingdom. This change of government required a new commission for the U.S. Ambassador during his term.
- Charles C. Hart[1] – Political appointee
- Title: Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary
- Appointed: May 27, 1925
- Presented credentials: August 1, 1925 and December 13, 1928[2]
- Terminated mission: Left post, December 12, 1929
- Herman Bernstein – Political appointee
- Title: Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary
- Appointed: February 17, 1930
- Presented credentials: April 28, 1930
- Terminated mission: Left post, September 24, 1933
- Post Wheeler[3] – Career FSO
- Title: Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary
- Appointed: August 26, 1933
- Presented credentials: November 28, 1933
- Terminated mission: Left post, November 1, 1934
- Hugh Gladney Grant – Political appointee
- Title: Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary
- Appointed: August 9, 1935
- Presented credentials: November 8, 1935
- Terminated mission: Left post, September 27, 1939
- Note: Italian forces occupied Tirana on April 8, 1939, which effectively brought an end to the U.S. mission to Albania. The U.S. legation was officially closed on September 16, 1939.
- Note: The United States resumed diplomatic relations with Albania on March 15, 1991. Embassy Tirana was opened October 1, 1991 with Christopher R. Hill as Chargé d’Affaires ad interim. The previous legation was raised to embassy status and the envoys would henceforth have the rank of Ambassador.
- William Edwin Ryerson – Career FSO
- Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
- Appointed: December 2, 1991
- Presented credentials: December 21, 1991
- Terminated mission: Left post, October 13, 1994
- Joseph Edward Lake – Career FSO
- Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
- Appointed: July 5, 1994
- Presented credentials: October 17, 1994
- Terminated mission: Left post, March 15, 1996
- Marisa R. Lino – Career FSO
- Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
- Appointed: July 2, 1996
- Presented credentials: September 4, 1996
- Terminated mission: Left post May 20, 1999
- Joseph Limprecht – Career FSO
- James Franklin Jeffrey – Career FSO
- Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
- Appointed: October 3, 2002
- Presented credentials: October 22, 2002
- Terminated mission: Left post May 2, 2004
- Marcie B. Ries – Career FSO
- Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
- Appointed: October 18, 2004
- Presented credentials: October 30, 2004
- Terminated mission: June 16, 2007
- John L. Withers, II – Career FSO
- Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
- Appointed: June 28, 2007
- Presented credentials: August 29, 2007
- Terminated mission: November 10, 2010
- Alexander Arvizu – Career FSO
- Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
- Appointed: July 1, 2010
- Presented credentials: November 10, 2010
- Terminated mission: 2014
- Donald Lu – Career FSO
- Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
- Appointed: December 16, 2014
- Presented credentials: January 11, 2015
- Terminated mission: Incumbent
Notes
- ^ Hart was commissioned during a recess of the Senate and recommissioned after confirmation on December 17, 1925.
- ^ Hart was reaccredited when Albania became a monarchy. He presented new credentials December 13, 1928
- ^ Wheeler was commissioned during a recess of the Senate and recommissioned after confirmation on January 15, 1934.
- ^ Obituary, The New York Times. May 21, 2002
- ^ Obituary. Los Angeles Times. May 21, 2002
See also
- Embassy of the United States, Tirana
- Albania – United States relations
- Foreign relations of Albania
- Ambassadors of the United States
References
- United States Department of State: Background notes on Albania
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 Albania
- United States Department of State: Albania
- United States Embassy in Tirana
