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Career Ambassadors

Creation of this Position

Title: Career Ambassador
Name: James Clement Dunn
State of Residency: New York
Foreign Service Officer
Appointment: Mar 7, 1956

Title: Career Ambassador
Name: Loy W. Henderson
State of Residency: Colorado
Foreign Service Officer
Appointment: Mar 7, 1956

Title: Career Ambassador
Name: H. Freeman Matthews
State of Residency: District of Colombia
Foreign Service Officer
Appointment: Mar 7, 1956

Title: Career Ambassador
Name: Robert Murphy
State of Residency: Wisconsin
Foreign Service Officer
Appointment: Mar 7, 1956

Title: Career Ambassador
Name: Livingston Merchant
State of Residency: District of Colombia
Foreign Service Officer
Appointment: Jun 24, 1960

Title: Career Ambassador
Name: James W. Riddleberger
State of Residency: Virginia
Foreign Service Officer
Appointment: Jun 24, 1960

Title: Career Ambassador
Name: George V. Allen
State of Residency: North Carolina
Foreign Service Officer
Appointment: Jun 24, 1960

Title: Career Ambassador
Name: Charles E. Bohlen
State of Residency: District of Colombia
Foreign Service Officer
Appointment: Jun 24, 1960
Note: Was Special Assistant to the Secretary of State at the time.

Title: Career Ambassador
Name: Ellis O. Briggs
State of Residency: Maine
Foreign Service Officer
Appointment: Jun 24, 1960

Title: Career Ambassador
Name: Raymond A. Hare
State of Residency: West Virginia
Foreign Service Officer
Appointment: Jun 24, 1960

Title: Career Ambassador
Name: Llewellyn E. Thompson
State of Residency: Colorado
Foreign Service Officer
Appointment: Jun 24, 1960

Title: Career Ambassador
Name: W. Walton Butterworth
State of Residency: Louisana
Foreign Service Officer
Appointment: Mar 20, 1962

Title: Career Ambassador
Name: Walter C. Dowling
State of Residency: Georgia
Foreign Service Officer
Appointment: Mar 20, 1962

Title: Career Ambassador
Name: Frances E. Willis
State of Residency: California
Foreign Service Officer
Appointment: Mar 20, 1962

Title: Career Ambassador
Name: U. Alexis Johnson
State of Residency: California
Foreign Service Officer
Appointment: Jul 1, 1964
Note: Was Deputy Ambassador to Vietnam at the time.

Title: Career Ambassador
Name: Charles W. Yost
State of Residency: New York
Foreign Service Officer
Appointment: Aug 6, 1964
Note: Was Deputy U.S. Representative to the United Nations at the time.

Title: Career Ambassador
Name: Foy D. Kohler
State of Residency: Ohio
Foreign Service Officer
Appointment: Aug 22, 1964

Title: Career Ambassador
Name: Douglas MacArthur, II
State of Residency: District of Colombia
Foreign Service Officer
Appointment: Aug 22, 1964

Title: Career Ambassador
Name: Walworth Barbour
State of Residency: Massachusetts
Foreign Service Officer
Appointment: Aug 11, 1969

Title: Career Ambassador
Name: Winthrop G. Brown
State of Residency: District of Colombia
Foreign Service Officer
Appointment: Aug 11, 1969
Note: Was Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs at the time.

Title: Career Ambassador
Name: C. Burke Elbrick
State of Residency: Kentucky
Foreign Service Officer
Appointment: Aug 11, 1969

Title: Career Ambassador
Name: Edwin M. Martin
State of Residency: Ohio
Foreign Service Officer
Appointment: Aug 11, 1969
Note: Was Chairman of the Development Assistance Committee, Agency for International Development in Paris at the time.

Title: Career Ambassador
Name: Alfred L. Atherton, Jr.
State of Residency: Florida
Foreign Service Officer
Appointment: Dec 11, 1981

Title: Career Ambassador
Name: Arthur W. Hummel, Jr.
State of Residency: Maryland
Foreign Service Officer
Appointment: Dec 11, 1981

Title: Career Ambassador
Name: Walter J. Stoessel, Jr.
State of Residency: California
Foreign Service Officer
Appointment: Dec 11, 1981

Title: Career Ambassador
Name: Lawrence S. Eagleburger
State of Residency: Florida
Foreign Service Officer
Appointment: Apr 12, 1984

Title: Career Ambassador
Name: Arthur A. Hartman
State of Residency: Maryland
Foreign Service Officer
Appointment: Apr 12, 1984

Title: Career Ambassador
Name: Thomas R. Pickering
State of Residency: New Jersey
Foreign Service Officer
Appointment: Sep 29, 1984

Title: Career Ambassador
Name: Ronald I. Spiers
State of Residency: Vermont
Foreign Service Officer
Appointment: Sep 29, 1984

Title: Career Ambassador
Name: Richard W. Murphy
State of Residency: Maryland
Foreign Service Officer
Appointment: Nov 15, 1985

Title: Career Ambassador
Name: Deane R. Hinton
State of Residency: Illinois
Foreign Service Officer
Appointment: Mar 12, 1987

Title: Career Ambassador
Name: George S. Vest
State of Residency: Maryland
Foreign Service Officer
Appointment: Nov 23, 1987

Title: Career Ambassador
Name: Terence A. Todman
State of Residency: Virgin Islands
Foreign Service Officer
Appointment: Nov 6, 1989

Title: Career Ambassador
Name: Morton I. Abramowitz
State of Residency: District of Colombia
Foreign Service Officer
Appointment: Nov 21, 1989

Title: Career Ambassador
Name: Herman Cohen
State of Residency: New York
Foreign Service Officer
Appointment: Mar 11, 1992

Title: Career Ambassador
Name: Frank G. Wisner, II
State of Residency: District of Colombia
Foreign Service officer
Appointment: Mar 4, 1995

Title: Career Ambassador
Name: J. Stapleton Roy
State of Residency: Pennsylvania
Foreign Service officer
Appointment: Jun 6 1996

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Creation of Position: The class of Career Ambassador was first established by an Act of Congress on Aug 5, 1955, as an amendment to the Foreign Service act of 1946 (P.L. 84-250; 69 Stat. 537). Under its provisions, the President with the advice and consent of the Senate was empowered to appoint individuals to the class who had (1) served at least 15 years in a position of responsibility in a government agency, including at least 3 years as a Career Minister; (2) rendered exceptionally distinguished service to the government; and (3) met other requirements prescribed by the Secretary of State. Under the 1980 Foreign Service Act (P.L. 96-465; 94 Stat. 2084), which repealed the 1946 Act as amended, the President is empowered with the advice and consent of the Senate to confer the personal rank of Career Ambassador upon a career member of the Senior Foreign Service in recognition of especially distinguished service over a sustained period. Except as noted, all persons included in this list are also listed in this volume under the country and Department positions they held.

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