Ambassador of the United States to Botswana | |
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Nominator | The President of the United States |
Appointer | The President with Senate advice and consent |
Inaugural holder | Charles H. Pletcher as Chargé d'Affaires |
Formation | September 1966 |
Website | U.S. Embassy - Gaborone |
From 1885 until 1966 the area of Southern Africa that is now Botswana was part of the Bechuanaland Protectorate of Great Britain.
In June 1964, Britain accepted proposals for democratic self-government in Botswana. The seat of government was moved from Mahikeng in South Africa, to newly established in Gaberones (now Gaborone) in 1965. The 1965 constitution led to the first general elections and to independence on September 30, 1966.[ citation needed ]
The United States immediately recognized the new nation and moved to establish diplomatic relations. An embassy in Gaberones was established on September 30, 1966—independence day for Botswana. Charles H. Pletcher was appointed as Chargé d'affaires ad interim pending the appointment of an ambassador. [1] He served June 1970–September 1971.
U.S. diplomatic terms |
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Career FSO After 1915, The United States Department of State began classifying ambassadors as career Foreign Service Officers (FSOs) for those who have served in the Foreign Service for a specified amount of time. Political appointee A person who is not a career foreign service officer, but is appointed by the president (often as a reward to political friends). Appointed The date that the ambassador took the oath of office; also known as "commissioning". It follows confirmation of a presidential appointment by the Senate, or a Congressional recess appointment by the president. In the case of a recess appointment, the ambassador requires subsequent confirmation by the Senate to remain in office. Presented credentials The date that the ambassador presented his letter of credence to the head of state or appropriate authority of the receiving nation. At this time the ambassador officially becomes the representative of his country. This would normally occur a short time after the ambassador's arrival on station. The host nation may reject the ambassador by not receiving the ambassador's letter, but this occurs only rarely. Terminated mission Usually the date that the ambassador left the country. In some cases a letter of recall is presented, ending the ambassador's commission, either as a means of diplomatic protest or because the diplomat is being reassigned elsewhere and replaced by another envoy. Chargé d'affaires The person in charge of the business of the embassy when there is no ambassador commissioned to the host country. Ad interim Latin phrase meaning "for the time being", "in the meantime". |
Name | Title | Appointed | Presented credentials | Terminated mission | Notes |
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Charles J. Nelson – Political appointee [lower-alpha 1] | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | June 9, 1971 | November 3, 1971 | Left Gaborone, March 2, 1974 | |
David B. Bolen – Career FSO [lower-alpha 1] | February 28, 1974 | April 22, 1974 | Left Gaborone, August 11, 1976 | ||
Donald R. Norland – Career FSO [lower-alpha 2] | November 17, 1976 | February 23, 1978 | Left Gaborone, September 8, 1979 | In 1979 the first ambassador was appointed solely for Botswana. | |
Horace Dawson – Career FSO | October 12, 1979 | November 27, 1979 | August 27, 1982 | ||
Theodore C. Maino – Political appointee | September 30, 1982 | December 2, 1982 | September 6, 1985 | ||
Natale H. Bellocchi – Career FSO | October 28, 1985 | November 19, 1985 | September 16, 1988 | ||
John Florian Kordek – Career FSO | August 11, 1988 | September 29, 1988 | November 1, 1989 | ||
David Passage – Career FSO | June 27, 1990 | August 7, 1990 | April 29, 1993 | ||
Howard Franklin Jeter – Career FSO | July 16, 1993 | September 9, 1993 | June 21, 1996 | ||
Robert Krueger – Political appointee | June 6, 1996 | July 23, 1996 | December 6, 1999 | ||
John E. Lange – Career FSO | November 16, 1999 | December 15, 1999 | August 8, 2002 | ||
Joseph Huggins – Career FSO | November 15, 2002 | January 28, 2003 | July 26, 2005 | ||
Katherine H. P. Canavan – Career FSO | August 2, 2005 | September 27, 2005 | June 27, 2008 [2] | ||
Stephen J. Nolan – Career FSO | June 23, 2008 [3] | October 6, 2008 | June 13, 2011 [4] | ||
Michelle D. Gavin – Political appointee | April 18, 2011 | June 20, 2011 | February 22, 2014 | ||
Earl Robert Miller – Foreign Service Specialist | December 2014 | December 18, 2014 | September 24, 2018 | ||
Craig L. Cloud - Career FSO | January 7, 2019 | April 2, 2019 [5] | May 24, 2022 | ||
Howard Van Vranken - Career FSO | December 21, 2022 | May 24, 2023 | Incumbent |
Botswana has put a premium on economic and political integration in southern Africa. It has sought to make the Southern African Development Community (SADC) a working vehicle for economic development, and it has promoted efforts to make the region self-policing in terms of preventive diplomacy, conflict resolution, and good governance. The SADC headquarters are located in Gaborone, the capital of Botswana. It has welcomed post-apartheid South Africa as a partner in these efforts. Botswana joins the African consensus on most major international matters and is a member of international organizations, such as the United Nations and the African Union. Botswana is also a member of the International Criminal Court with a Bilateral Immunity Agreement of protection for the US-military.
Larry C. Napper served as the United States Ambassador to Latvia from 1995 to 1998 and as the U.S. Ambassador to Kazakhstan from 2001 to 2004.
According to the 2012 U.S. Global Leadership Report, 79% of Botswana people approve of U.S. leadership, with 8% disapproving and 13% uncertain.
Lesotho–United States relations are bilateral relations between the Kingdom of Lesotho and the United States of America.
The history of Gaborone began with archaeological evidence in the area around Gaborone dating back to 400 BCE, and the first written accounts of Gaborone are from the earliest European settlers in the 19th century. Since the 1960s, when Botswana gained its independence from Britain and Gaborone became the capital, the city has grown from a small village in the Botswana scrubland to a major center in southern Africa.
This is a summary history of diplomatic relations of the United States listed by country. The history of diplomatic relations of the United States began with the appointment of Benjamin Franklin as U.S. Minister to France in 1778, even before the U.S. had won its independence from Great Britain in 1783.
Donald Richard Norland was an American diplomat. He was the United States Ambassador to Botswana, Swaziland, Lesotho, and Chad.
The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Gaborone, Botswana.
India recognized Botswana shortly after the latter's independence in 1966, and opened an embassy in Gaborone in 1987. Botswana opened its embassy in New Delhi in 2006.