| Ambassador of the United States to Benin | |
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| Ambassadeur des Etats-Unis au Bénin | |
Seal of the United States Department of State
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Brian W. Shukan since May 5, 2022 | |
| Nominator | The President of the United States |
| Appointer | The President with Senate advice and consent |
| Inaugural holder | R. Borden Reams as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary |
| Formation | October 14, 1960 |
| Website | U.S. Embassy - Cotonou |
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.
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U.S. diplomatic terms |
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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 to remain in office. 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. Ad interim Latin phrase meaning "for the time being", "in the meantime". |
| Name | Title | Appointed | Presented credentials | Terminated mission | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R. Borden Reams[1][2][3] – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | October 14, 1960 | November 26, 1960 | Superseded, July 31, 1961 | |
| Robinson McIlvaine – Career FSO | June 22, 1961 | July 31, 1961 | March 19, 1964 | ||
| Clinton E. Knox – Career FSO | July 9, 1964 | August 18, 1964 | June 11, 1969 | ||
| Matthew J. Looram, Jr. – Career FSO | May 27, 1969 | July 21, 1969 | December 3, 1971 | ||
| Robert Anderson[4] – Career FSO | February 15, 1972 | March 25, 1972 | April 11, 1974 | ||
| James B. Engle – Career FSO | July 23, 1974 | November 26, 1974 | February 15, 1976 | ||
| W. Kenneth Thompson | Chargé d’Affaires ad interim | - | August 1976 | August 1978 | |
| John S. Davidson | - | September 1978 | May 1980 | ||
| James R. Bullington | - | June 1980 | July 1982 | ||
| Charles H. Twining, Jr. | - | 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 | October 16, 1986 | November 19, 1986 | December 3, 1989 | ||
| Harriet Winsar Isom – Career FSO | November 21, 1989 | January 26, 1990 | November 14, 1992 | ||
| Ruth A. Davis – Career FSO | August 17, 1992 | December 24, 1992 | November 3, 1995 | ||
| John M. Yates – Career FSO | November 3, 1995 | November 24, 1995 | October 27, 1998 | ||
| Robert C. Felder – Career FSO | October 22, 1998 | November 20, 1998 | June 10, 2000 | ||
| Pamela E. Bridgewater – Career FSO | September 15, 2000 | November 24, 2000 | December 10, 2002 | ||
| Wayne E. Neill – Career FSO | April 16, 2003 | July 4, 2003 | July 22, 2006 | ||
| Gayleatha B. Brown – Career FSO | July 5, 2006 | September 8, 2006 | August 22, 2009 | ||
| James Knight – Career FSO | August 7, 2009 [1] | November 3, 2009 | April 28, 2012 | ||
| Michael A. Raynor – Career FSO | May 5, 2012 | September 13, 2012 | May 29, 2015 | ||
| Lucy Tamlyn – Career FSO | October 13, 2015 | November 8, 2015 | October 19, 2018 | ||
| Patricia Mahoney – Career FSO | January 7, 2019 | July 4, 2019 | February 1, 2022 | ||
| Brian W. Shukan – Career FSO | December 18, 2021 | May 5, 2022 | Incumbent |
This article incorporates public domain material from U.S. Bilateral Relations Fact Sheets. United States Department of State.
