Ambassador of the United States to Belgium | |
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Ambassadeur van de Verenigde Staten in België Ambassadeur des États-Unis en Belgique Botschafter der Vereinigten Staaten in Belgien | |
Nominator | The President of the United States |
Appointer | The President with Senate advice and consent |
Inaugural holder | Hugh S. Legaré as Chargé d'Affaires |
Formation | 1832 |
Website | U.S. Embassy - Brussels |
In 1832, shortly after the creation of the Kingdom of Belgium, the United States established diplomatic relations. Since that time, a long line of distinguished envoys have represented American interests in Belgium. These diplomats included men and women whose career paths would lead them to become Secretary of States (Hugh S. Legaré), Secretary of Commerce (Charles Sawyer) and Chair of the Federal Trade Commission (Joseph E. Davies).
Belgian-American Relations were cemented when Brand Whitlock, as representative of the neutral United States, worked during World War I to bring humanitarian aid to help millions of Belgians in danger of starvation caused by the British blockade and the German occupation.
Future envoys found themselves working through the Marshall Plan, the foundation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and joint efforts with the European Union. In 1944, when Franklin D. Roosevelt appointed Charles W. Sawyer to Ambassador to Belgium he remarked "What could be more interesting, than the carrefour [crossroads] of Europe in the closing days of the war?" and during the late 1960s another well-respected envoy John S.D. Eisenhower, the son of President Dwight D. Eisenhower, served as ambassador to Belgium.
This is a complete list of United States ambassadors to Belgium:
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