United States Ambassador to the United Nations - Wikipedia United States Ambassador to the United Nations Ambassador of the United States to the United Nations Seal of the United States Department of State United States Ambassador flag Incumbent Nikki Haley since January 27, 2017 United States Department of State Style Madam Ambassador Her Excellency Member of National Security Council Reports to U.S. President U.S. Secretary of State Seat United Nations New York City, New York, U.S. Nominator President of the United States Appointer The President with Senate advice and consent Term length At the pleasure of the President No fixed term Inaugural holder Edward Stettinius Jr. Formation December 21, 1945 ; 72 years ago ( 1945 - 12 - 21 ) Salary Executive Schedule, Level 4 Website usun.state.gov The United States Ambassador to the United Nations is the leader of the U.S. delegation, the U.S. Mission to the United Nations. The position is more formally known as the `` Permanent Representative of the United States of America to the United Nations, with the rank and status of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, and Representative of the United States of America in the Security Council of the United Nations '' ; it is also known as the U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations. The U.S. Permanent Representative, currently Nikki Haley, is charged with representing the United States on the U.N. Security Council and during almost all plenary meetings of the General Assembly, except in the rare situation in which a more senior officer of the United States ( such as the U.S. Secretary of State or the President of the United States ) is present. Like all United States ambassadors, he or she must be nominated by the U.S. President and confirmed by the Senate. Many prominent U.S. politicians and diplomats have held the post, including Adlai Stevenson II, George H.W. Bush, Jeane Kirkpatrick, and Madeleine Albright. The Ambassador serves at the pleasure of the President of the United States, and is therefore appointed by the President. Nikki Haley was nominated for this position by President Donald Trump and was confirmed by the Senate. She assumed office upon presenting her credentials to the UN Secretary - General on January 27, 2017, but tendered her resignation to President Trump on October 9, 2018, to be effective at the end of that calendar year. Contents 1 Cabinet status 2 List of Ambassadors 3 Living former U.S. Ambassadors to the United Nations 4 See also 5 Notes 6 External links Cabinet status Henry Cabot Lodge Jr., a leading moderate Republican who lost his seat in the United States Senate to John F. Kennedy in the 1952 elections, was appointed ambassador to the United Nations in 1953 by Dwight D. Eisenhower in gratitude for the defeated senator 's role in the new president 's defeat of conservative leader Robert A. Taft for the 1952 Republican nomination and subsequent service as his campaign manager in the general election ; Eisenhower raised the ambassadorship to cabinet rank in order to give Lodge direct access to him without having to go through the State Department. The Ambassadorship continued to hold this status through the Ford, Carter, and Reagan administrations but was removed from cabinet rank by George H.W. Bush, who had previously held the position himself. It was restored under the Clinton administration. It was not a cabinet - level position under the George W. Bush administration ( from 2001 to 2009 ), but was once again elevated under the Obama administration, and retained by the Trump administration. Former UN Ambassador John R. Bolton has publicly opposed the granting of cabinet - level status to the office, stating `` One, it overstates the role and importance the U.N. should have in U.S. foreign policy, second, you should n't have two secretaries in the same department ''. List of Ambassadors The following is a chronological list of those who have held the office : # Ambassador Years served U.S. President Edward Stettinius, Jr. January 17, 1946 -- June 3, 1946 Harry Truman -- Herschel Johnson June 3, 1946 -- January 14, 1947 Acting Warren Austin January 14, 1947 -- January 22, 1953 Dwight D. Eisenhower Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr. January 26, 1953 -- September 3, 1960 James Jeremiah Wadsworth September 8, 1960 -- January 21, 1961 John Kennedy 5 Adlai Stevenson January 23, 1961 -- July 14, 1965 Lyndon B. Johnson 6 Arthur Goldberg July 28, 1965 -- June 24, 1968 7 George W. Ball June 26, 1968 -- September 25, 1968 8 James Russell Wiggins October 7, 1968 -- January 20, 1969 9 Charles Yost January 23, 1969 -- February 25, 1971 Richard Nixon 10 George H.W. Bush March 1, 1971 -- January 18, 1973 11 John A. Scali February 20, 1973 -- June 29, 1975 Gerald Ford 12 Daniel Patrick Moynihan June 30, 1975 -- February 2, 1976 13 William Scranton March 15, 1976 -- January 19, 1977 14 Andrew Young January 30, 1977 -- September 23, 1979 Jimmy Carter 15 Donald McHenry September 23, 1979 -- January 20, 1981 16 Jeane Kirkpatrick February 4, 1981 -- April 1, 1985 Ronald Reagan 17 Vernon A. Walters May 22, 1985 -- March 15, 1989 George H.W. Bush 18 Thomas R. Pickering March 20, 1989 -- May 7, 1992 19 Edward J. Perkins May 12, 1992 -- January 27, 1993 Bill Clinton 20 Madeleine Albright January 27, 1993 -- January 21, 1997 21 Bill Richardson February 18, 1997 -- August 18, 1998 -- Peter Burleigh August 18, 1998 -- September 7, 1999 Acting 22 Richard Holbrooke September 7, 1999 -- January 20, 2001 -- James B. Cunningham January 20, 2001 -- September 19, 2001 Acting George W. Bush 23 John Negroponte September 19, 2001 -- June 23, 2004 24 John Danforth July 23, 2004 -- January 20, 2005 -- Anne W. Patterson January 20, 2005 -- August 2, 2005 Acting 25 John R. Bolton August 2, 2005 -- December 31, 2006 Recess appointment, not confirmed by the U.S. Senate -- Alejandro Daniel Wolff December 31, 2006 -- April 30, 2007 Acting 26 Zalmay Khalilzad April 30, 2007 -- January 22, 2009 Barack Obama 27 Susan Rice January 26, 2009 -- June 30, 2013 -- Rosemary DiCarlo June 30, 2013 -- August 5, 2013 Acting 28 Samantha Power August 5, 2013 -- January 20, 2017 -- Michele J. Sison January 20, 2017 -- January 27, 2017 Acting Donald Trump 29 Nikki Haley January 27, 2017 -- present Living former U.S. ambassadors to the United Nations As of October 2018, there are thirteen living former U.S. Ambassadors to the United Nation ( with all Ambassadors that have served since 2001 still living ), the oldest being George H.W. Bush ( served 1971 -- 1973, born 1924 ). The most recent Ambassador to die was William Scranton ( served 1976 -- 1977, born 1917 ), on July 28, 2013. Living former U.S. Ambassadors to the United Nations George H.W. Bush served 1971 -- 1973, born June 12, 1924 ( age 94 ) Andrew Young served 1977 -- 1979, born March 13, 1932 ( age 86 ) Donald McHenry served 1979 -- 1981, born October 13, 1936 ( age 82 ) Thomas R. Pickering served 1989 -- 1992, born November 5, 1931 ( age 86 ) Edward J. Perkins served 1992 -- 1993, born June 8, 1928 ( age 90 ) Madeleine Albright served 1993 -- 1997, born May 15, 1937 ( age 81 ) Bill Richardson served 1997 -- 1998, born November 15, 1947 ( age 70 ) John Negroponte served 2001 -- 2004, born July 21, 1939 ( age 79 ) John Danforth served 2004 -- 2005, born September 5, 1936 ( age 82 ) John R. Bolton served 2005 -- 2006, born November 20, 1948 ( age 69 ) Zalmay Khalilzad served 2007 -- 2009, born March 22, 1951 ( age 67 ) Susan Rice served 2009 -- 2013, born November 17, 1964 ( age 53 ) Samantha Power served 2013 -- 2017, born September 21, 1970 ( age 48 ) See also Diplomatic Security Service Residence of the United States Ambassador to the United Nations Notes Jump up ^ `` Trump chooses women for Cabinet : Haley for UN, DeVos for Ed ''. The Big Story. Retrieved 2016 - 11 - 23. Jump up ^ Hubbard, James P. ( 2011 ). The United States and the End of British Colonial Rule in Africa, 1941 -- 1968. Jefferson City, NC : McFarland & Company. p. 172. ISBN 978 - 0 - 7864 - 5952 - 0. Jump up ^ Kelemen, Michele ( December 1, 2008 ). `` U.N. Envoy Nominee Rice Known As Smart, Tough ''. National Public Radio. Retrieved January 21, 2009. The head of the United Nations Foundation, a Washington - based advocacy group, released a statement praising Rice as well as Obama 's decision to make the post of U.N. ambassador a Cabinet - level position once again -- as it was during the Clinton years. Jump up ^ Cooper, Helene ( November 20, 2008 ). `` Clinton Decision Holding Up Other Obama Choices ''. New York Times. Retrieved February 9, 2009. Ms. Rice could get the post of United States ambassador to the United Nations, a cabinet - level position under President Clinton. President Bush downgraded the position when he came into office Jump up ^ Walker, Hunter. `` President Trump announces his full Cabinet roster. '' Yahoo News. 2017 - 02 - 07. Retrieved 2017 - 02 - 08. Jump up ^ Chesly Manly ( January 27, 1953 ). `` Lodge Asks FBI to Screen All U.S. Aids ( sic ) on U.N. '' Chicago Tribune. Chicago Tribune Press Service. External links Official website United States Ambassadors to the United Nations Stettinius Johnson Austin Lodge Wadsworth Stevenson Goldberg Ball Wiggins Yost Bush Scali Moynihan Scranton Young McHenry Kirkpatrick Walters Pickering Perkins Albright Richardson Burleigh Holbrooke Cunningham Negroponte Danforth Patterson Bolton Wolff Khalilzad Rice DiCarlo Power Sison Haley Italics indicates acting Ambassadors of the United States Current countries Afghanistan Albania Algeria Andorra Angola Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bolivia Bosnia - Herzegovina Botswana Brazil Brunei Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burma Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cape Verde Central African Republic Chad Chile China Colombia Comoros DR Congo Congo Costa Rica Croatia Cuba Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic East Timor Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Fiji Finland France Gabon The Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Greece Grenada Guatemala Guinea Guinea - Bissau Guyana Haiti Holy See Honduras Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iraq Ireland Israel Italy Ivory Coast Jamaica Japan Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati South Korea Kosovo Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Laos Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macedonia Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Mauritania Mauritius Mexico Micronesia Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Morocco Mozambique Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Norway Oman Pakistan Palau Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Poland Portugal Qatar Romania Russia Rwanda Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa San Marino São Tomé and Príncipe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Sudan Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Swaziland Sweden Switzerland Syria Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Togo Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Tuvalu Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela Vietnam Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe Defunct countries Czechoslovakia East Germany Hawaii Iran North Yemen Ottoman Empire Prussia South Vietnam South Yemen Soviet Union Tanganyika Two Sicilies United Arab Republic Texas Yugoslavia Other places Curaçao Hong Kong and Macau Jerusalem Taiwan International organizations AU APEC ASEAN SAARC CD EU ICAO NATO OAS OECD OIC OPCW OSCE UN UNESCO UNEP UN Food and Agriculture UNVIE UN in Geneva UN Human Rights WTO Ambassadors - at - large Counterterrorism Global Women 's Issues International Religious Freedom War Crimes Issues Trafficking in Persons AIDS Permanent representatives to the United Nations Africa Liberia Morocco Tanzania Americas Barbados Canada Chile Colombia Guyana Honduras Panama United States Asia Afghanistan Bangladesh China India Indonesia Iran Iraq Israel Pakistan Philippines Sri Lanka Syria Europe Belgium Belarus Croatia Finland France Germany Italy Lithuania Luxembourg Russia Sweden United Kingdom Ukraine Oceania Australia New Zealand Permanent Observers Holy See Palestine Sovereign Military Order of Malta Related articles Current permanent representatives UN Members General Assembly Security Council President Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=United_States_Ambassador_to_the_United_Nations&oldid=864404510 '' Categories : Lists of Permanent Representatives to the United Nations Permanent Representatives to the United Nations Permanent Representatives of the United States to the United Nations Lists of ambassadors of the United States United States and the United Nations Hidden categories : Official website different in Wikidata and Wikipedia Talk Contents About Wikipedia Čeština Deutsch Español فارسی Français Bahasa Indonesia Italiano עברית 日本 語 Polski Português Русский Simple English Svenska ไทย Türkçe Українська 中文 9 more Edit links This page was last edited on 17 October 2018, at 00 : 23 ( UTC ). 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Question: what does the ambassador of the united nations do
Answer: charged with representing the United States on the U.N. Security Council and during almost all plenary meetings of the General Assembly