List of United States Ambassadors in Libya
The list of ambassadors of the United States in Libya provides an overview of the heads of the US diplomatic mission in Libya since the (re-) establishment of diplomatic relations until today.
After it declared independence from Italy in 1951, the US recognized the Kingdom of Libya and promoted its consulate general to a legation . The first US envoy was Henry Serrano Villard . In 1954 the USA declared their legation to be an embassy; the first US ambassador to Libya was John L. Tappin. Ambassador Joseph Palmer II's tenure ended in 1972; after him, the USA initially did not appoint any further ambassadors for Libya.
After a mob attacked the US embassy in December 1979, the US recalled their chargé d'affaires William L. Eagleton in 1980 and closed their embassy; diplomatic relations officially continued. In May 2006 the US embassy opened in Tripoli .
| Term of office | Surname | annotation |
|---|---|---|
| March 1952 – June 1954 | Henry Serrano Villard | Envoy |
| November 1954 – March 1958 | John L. Tappin | ambassador |
| March 1958 – December 1962 | John Wesley Jones | ambassador |
| May 1963 – June 1965 | Edwin Allan Lightner | ambassador |
| October 1965 – June 1969 | David D. Newsom | ambassador |
| October 1969 – November 1972 | Joseph Palmer | ambassador |
| May – October 2006 | Gregory L. Berry | Chargé d' affaires a. i. |
| November 2006 – July 2007 | Charles O. Cecil | Chargé d'affaires a. i. |
| January 2009 – December 2010 | Gene Cretz | ambassador |
| May – September 2012 | J. Christopher Stevens | ambassador |
| October 2012 – January 2013 | Laurence Pope | Chargé d'affaires a. i. |
| January 2013 – May 2013 | William Roebuck | Chargé d'affaires a. i. |
| June 2013 – November 2015 | Deborah K. Jones | Ambassador |
| November 2015-2017 | Peter W. Bodde | ambassador |
Web links
- United States Department of State: Chiefs of Mission for Libya
- United States Department of State: Libya
- United States Embassy in Tripoli
