United States Ambassador to Czechoslovakia

Ambassador of the United States to Czechoslovakia

Seal of the United States Department of State
Incumbent
None
Inaugural holder Richard Crane
as Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary
Formation April 23, 1919
Abolished December 31, 1992
Succession United States Ambassador to the Czech Republic
United States Ambassador to Slovakia

Following the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian empire in 1918 at the end of World War I, the Czechs, and Slovaks united to form the new nation of Czechoslovakia. The United States recognized Czechoslovakia and commissioned its first ambassador on April 23, 1919.

Germany invaded Czechoslovakia in March 1939, establishing a German “protectorate.” By this time, Slovakia had already declared independence and had become a puppet state of Germany. German forces occupied Prague on March 15, 1939. The U.S. embassy was closed on March 21, 1939 and the ambassador left his post on April 6, 1939.

During World War II the U.S. maintained diplomatic relations with the government-in-exile of Czechoslovakia in London. Ambassador Anthony J. Biddle, Jr. established an embassy in London on September 17, 1941 and the embassy was maintained until the end of the war. Following the war the embassy in Prague was reopened on May 29, 1945.

In June 1992, the Slovak parliament voted to declare sovereignty and the Czech-Slovak federation dissolved peacefully on January 1, 1993. The United States recognized the Czech Republic and Slovakia as independent nations and moved to establish diplomatic relations. The previous ambassador to Czechoslovakia, Adrian A. Basora, continued as the ambassador to the Czech Republic. Paul Hacker, the incumbent U.S. consul general, served as the first chargé d'affaires of the U.S. Embassy in Slovakia (January 1-July 7, 1993), followed by Eleanor Sutter. In November 1993, Theodore E. Russell, former deputy chief of mission in Prague, became the first U.S. ambassador to Slovakia.

Ambassadors

U.S. diplomatic terms

Career FSO
After 1915, The United States Department of State began classifying ambassadors as career Foreign Service Officers (FSOs) for those who have served in the Foreign Service for a specified amount of time.

Political appointee
A person who is not a career foreign service officer, but is appointed by the president (often as a reward to political friends).

Appointed
The date that the ambassador took the oath of office; also known as “commissioning”. It follows confirmation of a presidential appointment by the Senate, or a Congressional-recess appointment by the president. In the case of a recess appointment, the ambassador requires subsequent confirmation by the Senate.

Presented credentials
The date that the ambassador presented his letter of credence to the head of state or appropriate authority of the receiving nation. At this time the ambassador officially becomes the representative of his country. This would normally occur a short time after the ambassador’s arrival on station. The host nation may reject the ambassador by not receiving the ambassador’s letter, but this occurs only rarely.

Terminated mission
Usually the date that the ambassador left the country. In some cases a letter of recall is presented, ending the ambassador’s commission, either as a means of diplomatic protest or because the diplomat is being reassigned elsewhere and replaced by another envoy.

Chargé d'affaires
The person in charge of the business of the embassy when there is no ambassador commissioned to the host country. See chargé d'affaires.

Ad interim
Latin phrase meaning "for the time being", "in the meantime". See ad interim.

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Crane was commissioned during a recess of the Senate and recommissioned after confirmation on June 26, 1919.
  2. ↑ Holthusen was not commissioned; his nomination was not confirmed by the United States Senate.
  3. ↑ German forces occupied Prague on March 15, 1939. Ambassador Carr closed the legation in Prague on March 21, 1939, and left post on April 6, 1939.
  4. 1 2 The title of the commission was changed to Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary in 1943 and Biddle was commissioned to the new position while remaining in the office of ambassador.
  5. ↑ Biddle was also commissioned to the governments-in-exile of Belgium, Greece, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, and Yugoslavia.
  6. ↑ Jacobs was commissioned during a recess of the Senate and recommissioned after confirmation on March 2, 1949.
  7. ↑ Wadsworth was commissioned during a recess of the Senate and recommissioned after confirmation on May 1, 1953.
  8. ↑ Johnson was commissioned during a recess of the Senate and recommissioned after confirmation on January 26, 1954.
  9. ↑ Ravnda was commissioned during a recess of the Senate and recommissioned after confirmation on August 27, 1960.
  10. ↑ Horsey was commissioned during a recess of the Senate and recommissioned after confirmation on March 12, 1963.
  11. ↑ An earlier nomination of September 25, 1980, was not acted upon by the Senate.
  12. ↑ Basora remained in Prague as the ambassador to the Czech Republic when Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia

Sources

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