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The President of the United States W. Wendell Blancke
as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary U.S. Embassy - Libreville |
This is a list of Ambassadors of the United States to Gabon.
Gabon had been an overseas territory of France since 1910. At that time it became part of French Equatorial Africa, which included Middle Congo (now Republic of the Congo), Chad, and Oubangui-Chari (now Central African Republic). Gabon achieved its independence as the Gabonese Republic on August 17, 1960.
The United States immediately recognized the new Gabonese Republic and moved to establish diplomatic relations. The new U.S. embassy in Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo, had been established two days earlier on August 15. The current resident in Brazzaville, Alan W. Lukens, was commissioned also to Gabon and presented his credentials to the government on August 17. W. Wendell Blancke was appointed as the first ambassador on December 12, 1960. He served concurrently as the ambassador to Gabon, Central African Republic, Chad, and the Republic of the Congo while resident in Brazzaville.
During Blanke’s tenure as non-resident ambassador, the embassy in Libreville was established March 20, 1961, with Walker A. Diamanti as Chargé d’Affaires ad interim. In September 1961 the first ambassador was appointed solely for Gabon. In 1975 the ambassador to Gabon was also accredited to the newly independent nation of São Tomé and Príncipe.
The U.S. Embassy in Gabon is located in Libreville.
W. Wendell Blancke – Career FSOTitle: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Appointed: December 12, 1960
Presented credentials: January 13, 1961
Terminated mission: Superseded, October 10, 1961
Charles F. Darlington – Political appointeeTitle: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Appointed: September 20, 1961
Presented credentials: October 18, 1961
Terminated mission: Left post, July 26, 1964
David M. Bane – Career FSO
Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Appointed: July 22, 1965
Presented credentials: August 14, 1965
Terminated mission: Left post, June 29, 1969
Richard Funkhouser – Career FSO
Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Appointed: June 13, 1969
Presented credentials: August 9, 1969
Terminated mission: Left post, August 2, 1970
John A. McKesson, III – Career FSO
Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Appointed: December 10, 1970
Presented credentials: February 4, 1971
Terminated mission: Left post, June 1, 1975
Andrew L. Steigman – Career FSO
Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Appointed: June 10, 1975
Presented credentials: August 9, 1975
Terminated mission: Left post, August 21, 1977
Note: São Tomé and Príncipe achieved independence on July 12, 1975. The U.S. ambassador to Gabon and subsequent ambassadors were concurrently commissioned to São Tomé and Príncipe while resident in Libreville.
Arthur T. Tienken – Career FSO
Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Appointed: February 3, 1978
Presented credentials: March 6, 1978
Terminated mission: Left post, July 19, 1981
Francis Terry McNamara – Career FSO
Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Appointed: December 11, 1981
Presented credentials: January 19, 1982
Terminated mission: Left post, August 3, 1984
Larry C. Williamson – Career FSO
Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Appointed: August 13, 1984
Presented credentials: November 20, 1984
Terminated mission: Left post, August 21, 1987
Warren Clark, Jr. – Career FSO
Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Appointed: August 10, 1987
Presented credentials: September 19, 1987
Terminated mission: Left post, August 24, 1989
Keith Leveret Wauchope – Career FSO
Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Appointed: November 6, 1989
Presented credentials: December 8, 1989
Terminated mission: Left post, July 13, 1992
Joseph Charles Wilson IV – Career FSO
Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Appointed: July 14, 1992
Presented credentials: September 17, 1992
Terminated mission: Left post, August 5, 1995
Elizabeth Raspolic – Career FSO
Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Appointed: October 3, 1995
Presented credentials: November 29, 1995
Terminated mission: Left post July 24, 1998
James V. Ledesma – Career FSO
Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Appointed: October 22, 1998
Presented credentials: December 16, 1998
Terminated mission: Left post June 18, 2001
Note: The post was vacant June 2001–June 2002. Thomas F. Daughton served as Chargé d'Affaires ad interim in the interval.
Kenneth Price Moorfield – Career FSO
Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Appointed: January 30, 2002
Presented credentials: June 20, 2002
Terminated mission: 2004(?)
R. Barrie Walkley – Career FSO
Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Appointed: July 2, 2004
Presented credentials: November 12, 2004
Terminated mission: Left post, April 27, 2007
Eunice S. Reddick – Career FSO
Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Appointed: November 9, 2007
Presented credentials: December 6, 2007
Terminated mission: Unknown, prior to December 2010
Eric D. Benjaminson – Career FSO
Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Appointed: September 15, 2010
Presented credentials: December 3, 2010
Terminated mission: 2013
Cynthia Akuetteh – Career FSO
Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Appointed: August 1, 2014
Presented credentials: December 26, 2014
Terminated mission: incumbent
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