| Ambassador of the United States to Niger | |
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Seal of the United States Department of State
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Kathleen A. FitzGibbon since August 19, 2023 | |
| 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- Niamey |
The day before Niger's independence on August 3, 1960, the first American Chargé d'Affaires ad interim, Donald R. Norland, presented his credentials to take effect the following day. The first United States ambassador to Niger, R. Borden Reams was appointed on October 14, 1960 and presented his credentials on November 23.
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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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Donald R. Norland - Career FSO | Chargé d'Affaires ad interim | August 3, 1960[a] | N/A | October 14, 1960 |
| R. Borden Reams[b][c] - Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | October 14, 1960 | November 23, 1960 | August 2, 1961 |
| Mercer Cook - Political appointee | June 22, 1961 | August 2, 1961 | May 30, 1964 | |
| Robert J. Ryan - Career FSO | July 9, 1964 | August 24, 1964 | August 19, 1968 | |
| Samuel C. Adams, Jr. - Political appointee[1] | July 24, 1968 | September 10, 1968 | October 3, 1969 | |
| Roswell D. McClelland - Career FSO | July 8, 1970 | July 27, 1970 | July 7, 1973 | |
| L. Douglas Heck - Career FSO | March 22, 1974 | May 30, 1974 | July 20, 1976 | |
| Charles A. James - Political appointee | September 16, 1976 | December 11, 1976 | July 5, 1979 | |
| James Keough Bishop - Career FSO | July 2, 1979 | September 1, 1979 | May 29, 1981 | |
| William Robert Casey, Jr. - Political appointee | March 9, 1982 | April 3, 1982 | July 29, 1985 | |
| Richard Wayne Bogosian - Career FSO | August 1, 1985 | October 11, 1985 | August 7, 1988 | |
| Carl Copeland Cundiff - Career FSO | August 12, 1988 | September 9, 1988 | July 10, 1991 | |
| Jennifer C. Ward - Career FSO | March 25, 1991 | August 16, 1991 | May 28, 1993 | |
| John S. Davison - Career FSO | August 9, 1993 | October 23, 1993 | July 28, 1996 | |
| Charles O. Cecil - Career FSO | June 11, 1996 | September 6, 1996 | August 13, 1999 | |
| Barbro Owens-Kirkpatrick - Career FSO | August 9, 1999 | October 11, 1999 | July 12, 2002 | |
| Gail Dennise Thomas Mathieu - Career FSO | October 3, 2002 | December 4, 2002 | September 30, 2005 | |
| Bernadette M. Allen - Career FSO | February 21, 2006 | April 19, 2006 | January 15, 2010 | |
| Bisa Williams - Career FSO | August 9, 2010 | October 29, 2010 | September 13, 2013 | |
| Eunice S. Reddick - Career FSO | June 30, 2014 | July 21, 2014 | January 25, 2018 | |
| Eric P. Whitaker - Career FSO | November 2, 2017 | January 26, 2018 | December 1, 2021 | |
| Susan N’Garnim - Career FSO | Chargé d'Affaires ad interim | December 1, 2021 | N/A | August 19, 2023 |
| Kathleen A. FitzGibbon[2] - Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | August 19, 2023 | N/A[d] | Incumbent |
This article incorporates public domain material from U.S. Bilateral Relations Fact Sheets. United States Department of State.
