The United States recognized the government of King Ibn Saud in 1931, but it was not until 1939 when it appointed its first U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Bert Fish, then resident in Cairo and ambassador to Egypt. Fish made one trip down to Jeddah in 1940 to meet the King and present his credentials, but it was not until after his mission was terminated that a legation was established there on May 1, 1942. The position has been vacant since the departure from Riyadh January 9, 2017 of ambassador Joseph W. Westphal, with Christopher Henzel as Chargé d'Affaires a.i.
In 2016, American porn actress Mia Khalifa was the subject of a large online petition to have President Trump appoint her as Ambassador to Saudi Arabia. It gained thousands of signatures but was unable to be put into action.
Bert Fish - Political appointee
Title: Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary
Appointment: Aug 7, 1939
Presentation of Credentials: Feb 4, 1940
Termination of Mission: Left Cairo Feb 28, 1941
Note: After Fish had withdrawn but before Kirk presented credentials as non-resident Minister, the Legation in Jidda was established on May 1, 1942, with James S. Moose, Jr., as Chargé d'Affaires ad interim.
Alexander C. Kirk - Career FSO
Title: Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary
Appointment: Feb 21, 1941
Presentation of Credentials: May 11, 1942
Termination of Mission: Superseded Jul 18, 1943
James S. Moose, Jr. - Career FSO
Title: Minister Resident/Foreign Service officer
Appointment: Jun 4, 1943
Presentation of Credentials: Jul 18, 1943
Termination of Mission: Left post Aug 18, 1944
William A. Eddy - Political appointee
Title: Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary
Appointment: Aug 12, 1944
Presentation of Credentials: Sep 23, 1944
Termination of Mission: Left post May 28, 1946
J. Rives Childs - Career FSO
Title: Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary
Appointment: Apr 27, 1946
Presentation of Credentials: Jun 29, 1946
Termination of Mission: Promoted to Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
J. Rives Childs - Career FS
Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Appointment: Mar 2, 1949
Presentation of Credentials: Mar 18, 1949
Termination of Mission: Left post Jul 21, 1950
Raymond A. Hare - Career FSO
Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Appointment: Sep 20, 1950
Presentation of Credentials: Oct 24, 1950
Termination of Mission: Left post Jul 8, 1953
George Wadsworth - Career FSO
Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Appointment: Oct 21, 1953
Presentation of Credentials: Jan 9, 1954
Termination of Mission: Left post Jan 1, 1958
Donald R. Heath - Career FSO
Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Appointment: Nov 27, 1957
Presentation of Credentials: Jan 9, 1958
Termination of Mission: Left post, Apr 18, 1961
Parker T. Hart - Career FSO
Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Appointment: Apr 6, 1961
Presentation of Credentials: Jul 22, 1961
Termination of Mission: Left post, May 29, 1965
William J. Porter - Career FSO
Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Hermann F. Eilts - Career FSO
Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Appointment: Oct 20, 1965
Presentation of Credentials: Jan 15, 1966
Termination of Mission: Left post, Jul 23, 1970
Nicholas G. Thacher - Career FSO
Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Appointment: Sep 8, 1970
Presentation of Credentials: Sep 22, 1970
Termination of Mission: Left post, Sep 19, 1973
James E. Akins - Career FSO
Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Appointment: Sep 20, 1973
Presentation of Credentials: Nov 7, 1973
Termination of Mission: Left post, Feb 10, 1975
William J. Porter - Career FSO
Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Appointment: Dec 22, 1975
Presentation of Credentials: Feb 21, 1976
Termination of Mission: Left post, May 27, 1977
John C. West - Political appointee
Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Appointment: Jun 8, 1977
Presentation of Credentials: Jun 29, 1977
Termination of Mission: Left post, Mar 21, 1981
Robert Gerhard Neumann - Political appointee
Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Appointment: May 20, 1981
Presentation of Credentials: Jun 22, 1981
Termination of Mission: Left post, Jul 16, 1981
Richard W. Murphy - Career FSO
Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Appointment: Aug 19, 1981
Presentation of Credentials: Aug 29, 1981
Termination of Mission: Left post, Aug 21, 1983
Walter Leon Cutler - Career FSO
Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Appointment: Feb 10, 1984
Presentation of Credentials: Mar 31, 1984
Termination of Mission: Left post Jun 22, 1987
Note: On Sep 26, 1984, the U.S. Liaison Office in Riyadh was raised to the rank of embassy while the embassy in Jeddah became a consulate.
Hume Alexander Horan - Career FSO
Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Appointment: Jul 2, 1987
Presentation of Credentials: Sep 22, 1987
Termination of Mission: Left post Apr 22, 1988
Walter Leon Cutler - Career FSO
Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Appointment: Jul 15, 1988
Presentation of Credentials: Aug 17, 1988
Termination of Mission: Left post Apr 30, 1989
Charles W. Freeman, Jr. - Career FSO
Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Appointment: Jun 15, 1989
Presentation of Credentials: Jan 14, 1990
Termination of Mission: Left post Aug 13, 1992
John Frank Bookout, Jr. - Political appointee
Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Note: C. David Welch served as Chargé d'Affaires ad interim Aug 1992-Aug 1994.
Raymond Edwin Mabus, Jr. - Political appointee
Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Appointment: Jul 5, 1994
Presentation of Credentials: Aug 1, 1994
Termination of Mission: Left post Apr 25, 1996
Wyche Fowler, Jr. - Political appointee
Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Appointment: Aug 9, 1996
Presentation of Credentials: Sep 14, 1996
Termination of Mission: Left post Mar 1, 2001
Robert W. Jordan - Political appointee
Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Appointment: Oct 5, 2001
Presentation of Credentials: Jun 30, 2002
Termination of Mission: Left post Oct 13, 2003
James C. Oberwetter - Political appointee
Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Appointment: Dec 11, 2003
Presentation of Credentials: Oct 10, 2004
Termination of Mission: Left post, Mar 31, 2007
Ford M. Fraker - Political appointee
Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Appointment: Mar 30, 2007
Presentation of Credentials: Sep 2, 2007
Termination of Mission: 2009
James B. Smith - Political appointee
Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Appointment: September 16, 2009
Presentation of Credentials: Unknown
Termination of Mission: September 27, 2013
Joseph W. Westphal - Political appointee
Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Appointment: March 2014
Presentation of Credentials: March 28, 2014
Termination of Mission: Left post January 9, 2017
