# List of ambassadors of the United States to Benin

The Kingdom of Dahomey was an overseas possession of France—part of French West Africa—until 1958. In that year Dahomey became an autonomous republic, and gained full independence in 1960. The United States immediately recognized Dahomey and began the process of initiating diplomatic relations. A U.S. Embassy at Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire (then named Ivory Coast) was established with Donald L. Norland as Chargé d'Affaires ad interim. The embassy was also accredited also to Dahomey, Niger, and Upper Volta (now named Burkina Faso) while resident at Abidjan. On July 31, 1960, Chargé Norland presented his credentials to the government of Dahomey, to take effect on August 1, 1960. On October 14, 1960, R. Borden Reams was appointed as the ambassador and presented his credentials on November 26, 1960.
On February 15, 1961, the Embassy in Cotonou, Dahomey, was established with Converse Hettinger as Chargé d'Affaires ad interim. Ambassador Reams remained resident in Abidjan.
In 1961 Robinson McIlvaine was appointed as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary with a separate commission solely to Dahomey. He presented his credentials to the government of Dahomey on June 22, 1961.
The Republic of Dahomey changed its name to Republic of Benin in 1975.

## Ambassadors

| Name | Title | Appointed | Presented credentials | Terminated mission |
| R. Borden Reams – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | October 14, 1960 | November 26, 1960 | Superseded, July 31, 1961 |
| Robinson McIlvaine – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | June 22, 1961 | July 31, 1961 | March 19, 1964 |
| Clinton E. Knox – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | July 9, 1964 | August 18, 1964 | June 11, 1969 |
| Matthew J. Looram, Jr. – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | May 27, 1969 | July 21, 1969 | December 3, 1971 |
| Robert Anderson – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | February 15, 1972 | March 25, 1972 | April 11, 1974 |
| James B. Engle – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | July 23, 1974 | November 26, 1974 | February 15, 1976 |
| W. Kenneth Thompson | Chargé d’Affaires ad interim | - | August 1976 | August 1978 |
| John S. Davidson | Chargé d’Affaires ad interim | - | September 1978 | May 1980 |
| James R. Bullington | Chargé d’Affaires ad interim | - | June 1980 | July 1982 |
| Charles H. Twining, Jr. | Chargé d’Affaires ad interim | - | July 1982 | October 1983 |
| George E. Moose – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | October 7, 1983 | November 4, 1983 | July 7, 1986 |
| Walter Edward Stadtler – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | October 16, 1986 | November 19, 1986 | December 3, 1989 |
| Harriet Winsar Isom – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | November 21, 1989 | January 26, 1990 | November 14, 1992 |
| Ruth A. Davis – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | August 17, 1992 | December 24, 1992 | November 3, 1995 |
| John M. Yates – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | November 3, 1995 | November 24, 1995 | October 27, 1998 |
| Robert C. Felder – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | October 22, 1998 | November 20, 1998 | June 10, 2000 |
| Pamela E. Bridgewater – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | September 15, 2000 | November 24, 2000 | December 10, 2002 |
| Wayne E. Neill – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | April 16, 2003 | July 4, 2003 | July 22, 2006 |
| Gayleatha B. Brown – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | July 5, 2006 | September 8, 2006 | August 22, 2009 |
| James Knight – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | August 7, 2009 | November 3, 2009 | April 28, 2012 |
| Michael A. Raynor – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | May 5, 2012 | September 13, 2012 | May 29, 2015 |
| Lucy Tamlyn – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | October 13, 2015 | November 8, 2015 | October 19, 2018 |
| Patricia Mahoney – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | January 7, 2019 | July 4, 2019 | February 1, 2022 |
| Brian W. Shukan – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | December 18, 2021 | May 5, 2022 | Incumbent |