This is a list of Ambassadors of the United States to Estonia.
The United States has maintained continuous official diplomatic relations with Estonia (as well as Latvia and Lithuania) since 1922, when one ambassador, resident in Riga, Latvia, was appointed to all three nations. Relations with the three nations were broken after the Soviet invasion of the republics in 1940 at the beginning of World War II. The United States never recognized the legitimacy of the Soviet occupation of the three Baltic nations, nor the legitimacy of the governments of those states under Soviet occupation. Hence, diplomatic relations were not resumed until 1991 after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
The U.S. Embassy in Estonia is located in Tallinn.
Frederick W.B. Coleman – Political appointee
Title: Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary
Appointed: September 20, 1922
Presented credentials: November 20, 1922
Terminated mission: Left Riga October 20, 1931
Note: During Coleman’s tenure as nonresident Minister, the Legation in Tallinn was established on June 30, 1930 with Harry E. Carlson as Chargé d'Affaires ad interim.
Robert Peet Skinner – Career FSO
Title: Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary
Appointed: September 23, 1931
Presented credentials: April 2, 1932
Terminated mission: Left Riga April 29, 1933
John Van Antwerp MacMurray – Career FSO
Title: Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary
Appointed: August 28, 1933
Presented credentials: January 4, 1934
Terminated mission: Left Riga February 12, 1936
Arthur Bliss Lane – Career FSO
Title: Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary
Appointed: January 24, 1936
Presented credentials: September 10, 1936
Terminated mission: Left Riga September 16, 1937
Frederick A. Sterling – Career FSO
Title: Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary
Appointed: August 9, 1937
Presented credentials: —
Terminated mission: —
John C. Wiley – Career FSO
Title: Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary
Appointed: July 18, 1938
Presented credentials: November 24, 1938
Terminated mission: June 17, 1940
Note: Soviet forces occupied Tallinn and Riga on June 17, 1940, which effectively ended the U.S. diplomatice presence in those nations. Ambassador Wiley departed Riga on July 25, 1940.
Note: Walter Leonard was serving as Chargé d'Affaires ad interim when all U.S. diplomatic officials accredited to Estonia were withdrawn from Tallinn on September 4, 1940. The legation in Tallinn was officially closed, September 5, 1940.
Note: The United States announced its readiness to reestablish relations with Estonia on September 2, 1991. Embassy Tallinn was established on October 2, 1991, with Robert C. Frasure as Chargé d'Affaires ad interim. He was subsequently commissioned as Ambassador. The embassy was established in the same building on Kentmanni Street that had been the U.S. legation before the World War II.
Robert C. Frasure – Career FSO
Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Appointed: March 23, 1992
Presented credentials: April 9, 1992
Terminated mission: Left post July 8, 1994
Note: The following officers served as chargés d’affaires ad interim: Keith Smith (July–December 1994), and Jon Gundersen (December 1994–August 1995).
Lawrence P. Taylor – Career FSO
Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Appointed: June 27, 1995
Presented credentials: August 3, 1995
Terminated mission: Left post August 7, 1997
Melissa Foelsch Wells – Career FSO
Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Appointed: October 1, 1998
Presented credentials: November 3, 1998
Terminated mission: Left post September 10, 2001
Joseph M. DeThomas – Career FSO
Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Appointed: November 5, 2001
Presented credentials: December 11, 2001
Terminated mission: Left post July 7, 2004
Aldona Wos – Political appointee
Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Appointed: August 2, 2004
Presented credentials: September 2, 2004
Terminated mission: December 17, 2006
Stanley Davis Phillips – Political appointee
Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Appointed: March 21, 2007
Presented credentials: May 31, 2007
Terminated mission: January 16, 2009
Note: Karen B. Decker served as Chargé d'Affaires ad interim.
Michael C. Polt – Career FSO
Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Appointed: September 25, 2009
Presented credentials: December 10, 2009
Terminated mission: July 22, 2012
Note: Robert Gilchrist served as Chargé d'Affaires ad interim.
Jeffrey D. Levine – Career FSO
Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Appointed: February 17, 2012
Presented credentials: September 17, 2012
Terminated mission: September 27, 2015
James D. Melville, Jr.; Career FSO
Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Appointed: May 7, 2015
Presented credentials: December 8, 2015
