| Ambassador of the United States to the Democratic Republic of the Congo | |
|---|---|
 Seal of the United States Department of State | |
 IncumbentLucy Tamlyn since February 6, 2023 | |
| Nominator | The President of the United States |
| Appointer | The President with Senate advice and consent |
| Inaugural holder | Clare H. Timberlake as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary |
| Formation | July 5, 1960 |
| Website | U.S. Embassy - Kinshasa |
This is a list of ambassadors of the United States to the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
From 1877 until 1960, the republic had been a colony of Belgium, first under the name Congo Free State and then Belgian Congo.
The Congo was granted its independence on June 30, 1960, adopting the name “Republic of the Congo” (République du Congo). As the French colony of Middle Congo (Moyen-Congo) also chose the name Republic of Congo upon receiving its independence, the two countries were more commonly known as Congo-Léopoldville and Congo-Brazzaville, after their capital cities.
The United States immediately recognized the new Republic of the Congo and moved to establish diplomatic relations. The embassy in Léopoldville (now Kinshasa) was established on June 30, 1960, with John D. Tomlinson as Chargé d'Affaires ad interim. The first ambassador, Clare H. Timberlake was appointed on July 5, 1960.
In 1971, President Joseph-Désiré Mobutu changed the country’s official name to Zaire.
In 1997, President Laurent Kabila restored the name "Democratic Republic of the Congo", previously used from 1964 to 1971.
Ambassadors
| Name | Title | Appointed | Presented credentials | Terminated mission | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clare H. Timberlake – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | July 5, 1960 | July 25, 1960 | June 15, 1961 | |
| Edmund A. Gullion – Career FSO | August 3, 1961 | September 11, 1961 | February 20, 1964 | ||
| G. McMurtrie Godley – Career FSO | February 20, 1964 | March 23, 1964 | October 15, 1966 | ||
| Robert H. McBride – Career FSO | May 10, 1967 | June 29, 1967 | May 16, 1969 | ||
| Sheldon B. Vance – Career FSO | May 27, 1969 | June 28, 1969 | March 26, 1974 | ||
| Deane R. Hinton – Career FSO | June 20, 1974 | August 21, 1974 | June 21, 1975 | ||
| Walter L. Cutler – Career FSO | November 20, 1975 | December 23, 1975 | May 9, 1979 | ||
| Robert B. Oakley – Career FSO | November 6, 1979 | November 28, 1979 | August 22, 1982 | ||
| Peter Dalton Constable – Career FSO | September 30, 1982 | October 18, 1982 | August 31, 1984 | ||
| Brandon Hambright Grove, Jr. – Career FSO | August 13, 1984 | September 18, 1984 | September 18, 1987 | ||
| William Caldwell Harrop – Career FSO | December 18, 1987 | January 28, 1988 | May 18, 1991 | ||
| Melissa Foelsch Wells – Career FSO | April 25, 1991 | June 11, 1991 | March 21, 1992 | ||
| John M. Yates | Chargé d'Affaires ad interim | March 21, 1992 | Unknown | September 1995 | |
| Roger A. Meece | September 1995 | Unknown | November 23, 1995 | ||
| Daniel H. Simpson – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | October 3, 1995 | November 23, 1995 | June 11, 1998 | |
| William Lacy Swing – Career FSO | August 11, 1998 | October 13, 1998 | August 11, 2001 | ||
| Aubrey Hooks – Career FSO | July 12, 2001 | September 4, 2001 | April 17, 2004 | ||
| Roger A. Meece – Career FSO | May 14, 2004 | August 3, 2004 | August 14, 2007 | ||
| William J. Garvelink – Career FSO | July 2, 2007 | November 29, 2007 | May 10, 2010 | ||
| Samuel C. Laeuchli - Career FSO | Chargé d'Affaires ad interim | August 2010 | Unknown | November 4, 2010 | |
| James F. Entwistle - Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | August 8, 2010 | November 4, 2010 | August 10, 2013 | |
| James C. Swan - Career FSO | August 6, 2013 | November 1, 2013 | December 31, 2016 | ||
| Michael A. Hammer - Career FSO | September 6, 2018 | December 22, 2018 | June 1, 2022 | ||
| Lucy Tamlyn - Career FSO | December 20, 2022 | February 6, 2023 | Incumbent |
Notes
- Hinton was declared persona non grata by the Government of Zaire on June 18, 1975 and he left the country three days later.
- "The Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training Foreign Affairs Oral History Project AMBASSADOR PETER D. CONSTABLE" (PDF). Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training. January 17, 1990. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 19, 2024. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
- Swing was commissioned during a recess of the Senate and recommissioned following confirmation on March 25, 1999.
See also
- Democratic Republic of the Congo – United States relations
- Foreign relations of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Ambassadors from the United States
References
- United States Department of State: Background notes on the Democratic Republic of Congo
This article incorporates public domain material from U.S. Bilateral Relations Fact Sheets. United States Department of State.
External links
- United States Department of State: Chiefs of Mission for the Democratic Republic of Congo
- United States Department of State: Democratic Republic of the Congo
- United States Embassy in Kinshasa
