# List of ambassadors of the United States to Ethiopia

The United States established diplomatic relations with Ethiopia in 1903 and commissioned its first ambassador to Ethiopia, Hoffman Philip, in 1908. Relations continued uninterrupted until 1980. In July 1980, the U.S. Ambassador to Ethiopia was recalled at the request of the Ethiopian Government, and the U.S. Embassy in Ethiopia and the Ethiopian Embassy in the United States were headed by chargés d’affaires. After the defeat of the Derg regime in 1991 and installation of a new government, the current chargé was commissioned as the new ambassador. The U.S. has had good relations with the Ethiopian government since that time.

## Ambassadors

| Name | Title | Appointed | Presented credentials | Terminated mission | Notes |
| Hoffman Philip | Minister Resident/Consul General | July 20, 1908 | July 6, 1909 | February 8, 1910 | |
| Addison E. Southard – Career FSO | Minister Resident/Consul General | October 12, 1927 | March 1, 1928 | October 26, 1934 | |
| Cornelius Van H. Engert – Career FSO | Minister Resident/Consul General | February 7, 1936 | April 30, 1936 | May 4, 1937 | The U. S. Legation in Addis Ababa was closed and diplomatic personnel were withdrawn following the Italian occupation of Ethiopia in 1937. The U. S. never recognized Italian authority in Ethiopia. The legation was reopened and a new Minister Resident/Consul was appointed in 1943. |
| John K. Caldwell – Career FSO | Minister Resident/Consul General | April 14, 1943 | August 31, 1943 | December 9, 1943 | |
| John K. Caldwell – Career FSO | Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary | October 7, 1943 | December 9, 1943 | August 26, 1945 | |
| Felix Cole – Career FSO | Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary | February 20, 1945 | October 5, 1945 | October 8, 1947 | |
| George R. Merrell – Career FSO | Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary | May 15, 1947 | January 1, 1948 | May 21, 1949 | |
| George R. Merrell – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | May 21, 1949 | June 28, 1949 | March 17, 1951 | |
| J. Rives Childs – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | April 19, 1951 | May 14, 1951 | January 19, 1953 | |
| Joseph Simonson – Political appointee | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | July 22, 1953 | October 6, 1953 | May 1, 1957 | |
| Don C. Bliss – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | May 20, 1957 | June 22, 1957 | June 4, 1960 | |
| Arthur L. Richards – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | June 24, 1960 | August 26, 1960 | Left Ethiopia, November 25, 1962 | |
| Edward M. Korry – Political appointee | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | March 9, 1963 | April 20, 1963 | September 22, 1967 | |
| William O. Hall – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | September 13, 1967 | October 27, 1967 | May 15, 1971 | |
| E. Ross Adair – Political appointee | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | May 11, 1971 | July 8, 1971 | February 12, 1974 | |
| Arthur W. Hummel, Jr. – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | February 20, 1975 | April 3, 1975 | July 6, 1976 | |
| Frederic L. Chapin – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | June 27, 1978 | July 21, 1978 | July 29, 1980 | The U.S. ambassador was recalled in July 1980 and a series of chargés maintained the embassy until June 1992. |
| Owen W. Roberts | Chargé d'Affaires | July 29, 1980 | Unknown | May 1982 | |
| David A. Korn | Chargé d'Affaires | June 1982 | Unknown | July 1985 | |
| James Cheek | Chargé d'Affaires | July 1985 | Unknown | August 1988 | |
| Robert G. Houdek | Chargé d'Affaires | August 1988 | Unknown | June 1991 | |
| Marc Allen Baas – Career FSO | Chargé d'Affaires | June 1991 | Unknown | June 24, 1992 | |
| Marc Allen Baas – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | June 15, 1992 | June 24, 1992 | July 8, 1994 | |
| Irvin Hicks – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | May 9, 1994 | July 22, 1994 | June 26, 1996 | |
| David H. Shinn – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | June 6, 1996 | July 2, 1996 | August 14, 1999 | |
| Tibor P. Nagy – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | August 9, 1999 | October 12, 1999 | July 19, 2002 | |
| Aurelia E. Brazeal – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | October 3, 2002 | November 20, 2002 | September 2, 2005 | |
| Vicki J. Huddleston | Chargé d'Affaires | September 2, 2005 | Unknown | November 9, 2006 | |
| Donald Yamamoto – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | November 9, 2006 | December 6, 2006 | July 28, 2009 | |
| Donald E. Booth – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | April 2, 2010 | May 2, 2010 | August 16, 2013 | |
| Patricia M. Haslach – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | August 14, 2013 | September 25, 2013 | August 31, 2016 | |
| Peter H. Vrooman | Chargé d'Affaires | September 1, 2016 | Unknown | July 2017 | |
| Michael A. Raynor – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | August 3, 2017 | September 29, 2017 | January 20, 2021 | |
| David Renz – Career FSO | Chargé d'Affaires | January 20, 2021 | Unknown | March 5, 2021 | |
| Geeta Pasi – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | December 22, 2020 | March 5, 2021 | February 25, 2022 | |
| Tracey Ann Jacobson – Career FSO | Chargé d'Affaires | February 25, 2022 | | September 25, 2023 | |
| Gwendolyn Green – Career FSO | Chargé d'Affaires | September 26, 2023 | | October 3, 2023 | |
| Ervin Jose Massinga | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | July 23, 2023 | October 3, 2023 | Incumbent | |