# List of ambassadors of the United States to Equatorial Guinea

The United States has maintained diplomatic ties to Equatorial Guinea since independence in 1968. Until 1981, US ambassadors served as the contacts to other African countries simultaneously rather than have a separate person just for Equatorial Guinea.

## History

In the 19th century, the area of Central Africa that now contains the nation of Equatorial Guinea was under Spanish control. The area was known as Spanish Guinea and included the small mainland area of Río Muni and the island of Fernão do Pó (or Fernando Pó), now named Bioko. Rio Muni became a Spanish protectorate in 1885 and a colony in 1900. In 1926 the island of Bioko and the mainland area of Río Muni were united as the colony of Spanish Guinea.
In 1959, the Spanish territory of the Gulf of Guinea was established as a province of Spain known as the Spanish Equatorial Region. Local elections were held and representatives elected to the Cortes Generales (Spanish parliament).
In 1963 limited autonomy was granted to Spanish Guinea and the people were able to elect members to its own legislature.
In March 1968, under pressure from Equatorial Guinean nationalists and the United Nations, Spain announced that it would grant independence to Equatorial Guinea. A constitutional convention produced an electoral law and draft constitution. In the presence of a UN observer team, a referendum was held on August 11, 1968, and a new constitution was approved. In September 1968, the first president was elected, and independence was granted in October.
The United States immediately recognized Equatorial Guinea and moved to establish diplomatic relations. Albert W. Sherer, Jr., the ambassador to Togo, was additionally accredited as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Equatorial Guinea on October 28, 1968, and presented his credentials to the president on November 21. Sherer remained resident at Lomé, Togo.
An embassy in Santa Isabel (now Malabo) was opened August 1, 1969, with Albert N. Williams as chargé d'affaires ad interim.
In December 1969 the ambassador to Cameroon was accredited to Equatorial Guinea while resident in Yaoundé, Cameroon.
The embassy in Malabo was closed in 1995 and its functions were transferred to the embassy in Cameroon. The embassy was reopened in 2004.

## Ambassadors

| Name | Title | Appointed | Presented credentials | Terminated mission | Notes |
| Albert W. Sherer Jr. – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | September 13, 1967 | October 13, 1967 | March 5, 1970 | Beginning in 1969 one ambassador, resident in Yaoundé, was accredited to Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon. |
| Lewis Hoffacker – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | December 2, 1969 | January 21, 1970 | Left Yaoundé June 6, 1972 | |
| C. Robert Moore – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | September 25, 1972 | January 9, 1973 | Left Yaoundé July 28, 1975 | |
| Herbert J. Spiro – Political appointee | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | July 24, 1975 | September 1, 1975 | March 14, 1976. | Declared persona non grata by government of Equatorial Guinea. After the ambassador was rejected by the government of Equatorial Guinea, the post was vacant until 1979. |
| Mabel Murphy Smythe – Political appointee | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | December 17, 1979 | December 19, 1979 | Left Yaoundé February 24, 1980 | |
| Hume A. Horan – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | June 30, 1980 | August 14, 1980 | September 29, 1981 | In 1981 the first ambassador was appointed solely accredited to Equatorial Guinea. |
| Alan M. Hardy – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | October 26, 1981 | November 19, 1981 | June 26, 1984 | |
| Francis Stephen Ruddy – Political appointee | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | October 5, 1984 | January 27, 1985 | March 25, 1988 | |
| Chester E. Norris, Jr. – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | February 5, 1988 | March 15, 1988 | April 18, 1991 | |
| John E. Bennett – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | July 2, 1991 | September 5, 1991 | February 25, 1994 | Embassy Malabo was closed October 31, 1995. Its functions were transferred to the embassy in Yaoundé November 1, 1995. The ambassador to Cameroon was also accredited to Equatorial Guinea while resident in Yaoundé. |
| Charles H. Twining – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | December 19, 1995 | May 16, 1996 | Left Yaoundé August 17, 1998 | |
| John Melvin Yates – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | October 22, 1998 | February 4, 1999 | Left Yaoundé November 4, 2001 | |
| George McDade Staples – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | September 5, 2001 | January 24, 2002 | Left Yaoundé, July 10, 2004 | The embassy in Malabo was reopened in 2004 with the ambassador solely accredited to Equatorial Guinea. |
| R. Niels Marquardt – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | July 2, 2004 | October 29, 2004 | September 26, 2006 | |
| Donald C. Johnson – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | September 22, 2006 | November 23, 2006 | November 1, 2008 | |
| Alberto M. Fernandez – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | December 29, 2009 | March 11, 2010 | March 18, 2012 | |
| Mark L. Asquino – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | July 5, 2012 | October 4, 2012 | September 18, 2015 | |
| Julie Furuta-Toy – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | October 26, 2015 | February 11, 2016 | February 25, 2019 | |
| Susan N. Stevenson – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | January 2, 2019 | April 11, 2019 | September 30, 2021 | |
| David R. Gilmour – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | December 18, 2021 | May 22, 2022 | Incumbent | |