# List of ambassadors of Canada to the United States

This is a list of ambassadors of Canada to the United States, formally titled as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the United States of America for His [Her] Majesty's Government in Canada. Originally, Canada's top diplomatic representative to the U.S. had the rank of Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary. The title was promoted to the rank of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary in 1943, during the period when Leighton McCarthy had the post.
Before November 25, 1926, Canada was represented in Washington D.C. by the British ambassador to the United States.
Most Canadian ambassadors to the United States have been political appointees to the position. A few (Chrétien, Pearson, Charles Ritchie, Edgar Ritchie, Kirsten Hillman, and Wrong) were career diplomats or spent most of their career at the Department of External Affairs (or its successors).

## Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary

| # | Name | Took office | Left office | Prime Minister(s) |
| 1 | Vincent Massey | November 25, 1926 | July 23, 1930 | William Lyon Mackenzie King |
| — | H. H. Wrong (Chargé d'Affaires ad interim) | July 23, 1930 | March 9, 1931 | William Lyon Mackenzie King R. B. Bennett |
| 2 | W.D. Herridge | March 9, 1931 | 1935 | R. B. Bennett |
| — | H. H. Wrong (Chargé d'Affaires ad interim) | 1935 | 1936 | R. B. Bennett William Lyon Mackenzie King |
| 3 | Sir Herbert Marler | 1936 | 1939 | William Lyon Mackenzie King |
| 4 | Loring Christie | 1939 | 1941 | William Lyon Mackenzie King |
| 5 | Leighton McCarthy | 1941 | 1943 | William Lyon Mackenzie King |

## Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary

| # | Name | Took office | Left office | Prime Minister(s) |
| 5 | Leighton McCarthy | 1943 | 1944 | William Lyon Mackenzie King |
| 6 | Lester B. Pearson | 1944 | 1946 | William Lyon Mackenzie King |
| 7 | H. H. Wrong | 1946 | 1953 | William Lyon Mackenzie King Louis St. Laurent |
| 8 | A.D.P. Heeney | 1953 | 1957 | Louis St. Laurent |
| 9 | Norman Robertson | 1957 | 1958 | John Diefenbaker |
| — | A.D.P. Heeney | 1959 | 1962 | John Diefenbaker |
| 10 | C.S.A. Ritchie | 1962 | 1966 | John Diefenbaker Lester B. Pearson |
| 11 | A.E. Ritchie | 1966 | 1970 | Lester B. Pearson Pierre Elliott Trudeau |
| 12 | Marcel Cadieux | 1970 | 1975 | Pierre Elliott Trudeau |
| 13 | Jake Warren | 1975 | 1977 | Pierre Elliott Trudeau |
| 14 | Peter Towe | 1977 | 1981 | Joseph Clark Pierre Elliott Trudeau |
| 15 | Allan Gotlieb | 1981 | 1989 | Pierre Elliott Trudeau John Turner Brian Mulroney |
| 16 | Derek Burney | 1989 | 1993 | Brian Mulroney Kim Campbell |
| 17 | John de Chastelain | 1993 | 1994 | Jean Chrétien |
| 18 | Raymond Chrétien | 1994 | 2000 | Jean Chrétien |
| 19 | Michael Kergin | October 26, 2000 | February 28, 2005 | Jean Chrétien Paul Martin |
| 20 | Frank McKenna | March 8, 2005 | March 13, 2006 | Paul Martin Stephen Harper |
| 21 | Michael Wilson | March 13, 2006 | October 19, 2009 | Stephen Harper |
| 22 | Gary Doer | October 19, 2009 | March 3, 2016 | Stephen Harper Justin Trudeau |
| 23 | David MacNaughton | March 3, 2016 | August 31, 2019 | Justin Trudeau |
| 24 | Kirsten Hillman | March 26, 2020 Acting Ambassador from August 31, 2019 | Incumbent | Justin Trudeau |