List of ambassadors of the United States to Finland

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Ambassador of the United States to Finland
US Department of State official seal.svg
Seal of the United States Department of State
Flag of a United States ambassador.svg
Flag of a United States ambassador
Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Podgorica, Montenegro J. Chris Karber.jpg
Incumbent
J. Chris Karber
chargé d'affaires a.i.
since July 25, 2025
NominatorThe president of the United States
AppointerThe president
with Senate advice and consent
Inaugural holderAlexander R. Magruder
as Chargé d'Affaires
FormationMarch 19, 1920;105 years ago (1920-03-19)
Website fi.usembassy.gov

The ambassador of the United States to Finland is the highest-ranking diplomatic position of the United States in Finland. The U.S. ambassadors are nominated by the president to serve as the country's diplomatic representatives to Ukraine. Under Article II, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution, their appointment must be confirmed by the United States Senate; [1] while an ambassador may be appointed during a recess, they can serve only until the end of the next session of Congress, unless subsequently confirmed. [2] Ambassadors are under the jurisdiction of the Department of State and answer directly to the secretary of state; however, ambassadors serve "at the pleasure of the President", meaning they can be dismissed at any time. Appointments change regularly for various reasons, such as reassignment or retirement. An ambassador may be a career Foreign Service Officer (career diplomat –CD) or a political appointee (PA). In most cases, career foreign service officers serve a tour of approximately three years per ambassadorship, whereas political appointees customarily tender their resignations upon the inauguration of a new American president. The U.S. ambassador to Finland resides in Helsinki, the country's capital and location of the U.S. Embassy.

Contents

Finland declared its independence on December 6, 1917 after being a part of the Russian Empire since 1809. The first country to recognize Finland was the Russian SFSR on January 4th, 1918.

The United States recognized Finland as an independent state on May 7, 1919. [3] [4] A U.S. legation was established in Helsinki and the first envoy, Alexander R. Magruder, presented his credentials as Chargé d'Affaires to the government of Finland on March 19, 1920. United States–Finland relations have been continuous since that time except for a brief period in 1944–45 when the U.S. severed relations during World War II.

The U.S. Embassy in Finland is located in Helsinki in the Kaivopuisto neighborhood.

Ambassadors

Ambassador John D. Hickerson with president Juho Kusti Paasikivi (left) and foreign minister Johannes Virolainen (right) in 1955 Paasikivi - Hickerson - Virolainen.jpg
Ambassador John D. Hickerson with president Juho Kusti Paasikivi (left) and foreign minister Johannes Virolainen (right) in 1955
Tyler Thompson arrives in Finland in August 1964 Tyler-Thompson.jpg
Tyler Thompson arrives in Finland in August 1964
Douglas Hickey, United States Ambassador to Finland visits Prime Minister of Finland Petteri Orpo in 2023 Douglas Hickey, United States Ambassador to Finland visits Prime Minister of Finland Petteri Orpo - Paaministerin tapaaminen USA-n suurlahettilaan Douglas Hickeyn kanssa 29.08.2023.jpg
Douglas Hickey, United States Ambassador to Finland visits Prime Minister of Finland Petteri Orpo in 2023
Embassy of the United States in Kaivopuisto, Helsinki in 2017 Yhdysvaltain Helsingin-suurlahetysto.jpg
Embassy of the United States in Kaivopuisto, Helsinki in 2017
ImageNameTitleAppointed Presented credentials Terminated missionNotes
Alexander R. Magruder – Career FSOChargé d'AffairesMarch 19, 1920 [5] February 17, 1922
Chas. L. Kagey LCCN2014717259.jpg Charles L. Kagey – Political appointeeEnvoy Extraordinary and Minister PlenipotentiaryOctober 8, 1921February 17, 1922March 24, 1925
Alfred Pearson.png Alfred J. Pearson [6] – Political appointeeJune 23, 1925September 5, 1925April 30, 1930
Edward E. Brodie.png Edward E. Brodie – Political appointeeJanuary 31, 1930May 16, 1930September 21, 1933
Edward Albright [7] – Political appointeeJuly 21, 1933October 5, 1933April 12, 1937
H. F. Arthur Schoenfeld – Career FSOApril 22, 1937July 2, 1937December 17, 1942
The United States severed diplomatic relations with Finland on June 30, 1944, as result of the Continuation War. Edmund A. Gullion was serving as Chargé d'Affaires ad interim when the relations were severed. The United States reestablished diplomatic relations with Finland after World War II. The legation in Helsinki was reestablished September 1, 1945, with Benjamin M. Hulley as Chargé d'Affaires ad interim.
Maxwell M. Hamilton – Career FSOEnvoy Extraordinary and Minister PlenipotentiarySeptember 25, 1945March 26, 1946August 25, 1947
Avra M. Warren – Career FSODecember 18, 1947February 10, 1948February 18, 1950
Cabot.png John M. Cabot – Career FSOFebruary 2, 1950February 27, 1950September 20, 1952
Jack K McFall.jpg Jack K. McFall [8] – Career FSOSeptember 10, 1952November 15, 1952September 19, 1955The legation in Helsinki was raised to embassy status on September 10, 1954. Concurrently the post of Minister became that of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary.
John-d-hickerson.jpg John D. Hickerson [9] – Career FSOAmbassador Extraordinary and PlenipotentiaryOctober 4, 1955November 23, 1955November 3, 1959
Edson O. Sessions [10] – Political appointeeOctober 20, 1959November 28, 1959November 20, 1960
Bernard Gufler – Career FSOFebruary 24, 1961April 14, 1961April 18, 1963
Carl Rowan 1997.jpg Carl T. Rowan – Political appointeeMarch 9, 1963May 21, 1963February 8, 1964
Tyler Thompson – Career FSOJuly 31, 1964August 25, 1964June 14, 1969
Val Peterson.jpg Val Peterson – Political appointeeMay 1, 1969July 14, 1969March 23, 1973
V. John Krehbiel – Political appointeeMarch 27, 1973June 1, 1973February 24, 1975
MarkEvansAustadUSEmbassyOslo.jpg Mark Evans Austad – Political appointeeFebruary 20, 1975March 20, 1975April 14, 1977
Bundesarchiv Bild 183-1985-0310-140, Leipzig, Fruhjahrsmesse, Honecker, Ridgway (cropped).jpg Rozanne L. Ridgway – Career FSOMay 26, 1977August 5, 1977February 20, 1980
James E. Goodby – Career FSOMarch 18, 1980April 11, 1980August 18, 1981
Keith Foote Nyborg – Political appointeeJuly 30, 1981September 18, 1981February 17, 1986
Rockwell A. Schnabel.png Rockwell A. Schnabel – Political appointeeDecember 17, 1985February 28, 1986February 24, 1989
John G. Weinmann - State 1991-12- Iss 350 (IA sim state-magazine 1991-12 350) (page 12 crop).jpg John Giffen Weinmann – Political appointeeOctober 10, 1989November 10, 1989August 29, 1991
John Hubert Kelly (cropped).jpg John Hubert Kelly – Career FSODecember 2, 1991December 20, 1991July 5, 1994
Derek Shearer - State 1994-04- Iss 376 (IA sim state-magazine 1994-04 376) (page 8 crop).jpg Derek Shearer – Political appointeeMay 29, 1994July 1, 1994October 31, 1997
Eric S. Edelman 050805-A-0607L-001.jpg Eric S. Edelman – Career FSOJune 29, 1998August 27, 1998January 29, 2001
Mary Bonneau "Bonnie" McElveen-Hunter.jpg Bonnie McElveen-Hunter – Political appointeeNovember 5, 2001December 5, 2001December 15, 2003
EarleIMack.jpg Earle I. Mack – Political appointeeMay 25, 2004June 10, 2004October 20, 2005
Official portrait of Marilyn Ware, U.S. Ambassador-designate to Finland.jpg Marilyn Ware – Political appointeeFebruary 7, 2006March 9, 2006March 28, 2008
Barbara Barrett (cropped).jpg Barbara Barrett – Political appointeeApril 20, 2008May 23, 2008January 16, 2009
Michael Butler [11] Chargé d'AffairesJanuary 16, 2009N/AAugust 12, 2009
Bruce J Oreck ambassador.jpg Bruce J. Oreck – Political appointee [12] Ambassador Extraordinary and PlenipotentiaryAugust 12, 2009September 10, 2009July 25, 2015
Charles Adams Jr.jpg Charles C. Adams Jr. – Political appointeeJune 24, 2015August 4, 2015January 20, 2017
Robert Frank Pence (cropped).jpg Robert Pence – Political appointeeMarch 22, 2018May 24, 2018January 14, 2021
Ian CampbellChargé d'AffairesJanuary 14, 2021N/AMay 11, 2022
Douglas Hickey, U.S. Ambassador.jpg Doug Hickey – Political appointeeAmbassador Extraordinary and PlenipotentiaryMarch 24, 2022May 11, 2022September 20, 2024
Charge d'Affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Helsinki, Finland Christopher Krafft.jpg Christopher KrafftChargé d'AffairesSeptember 20, 2024N/AJuly 24, 2025 [13]
Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Podgorica, Montenegro J. Chris Karber.jpg J. Chris KarberChargé d'AffairesJuly 25, 2025 [14] N/AIncumbent

Notes

  1. ↑ U.S. Senate –Powers & Procedure Archived October 10, 2017, at the Wayback Machine , Senate.gov; retrieved May 25, 2012.
  2. ↑ Henry B. Hogue. "Recess Appointments: Frequently Asked Questions" (PDF). Congressional Research Service, the Library of Congress. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 29, 2017. Retrieved May 25, 2012.
  3. ↑ "We Recognize Finland (clipping from The NY Times)" (PDF). The New York Times. May 8, 1919. Retrieved January 24, 2009.
  4. ↑ Country-Studies.com
  5. ↑ Magruder was the chargé d’affaires rather than the ambassador, and thus was not commissioned. His letter of credence was dated March 13, 1920.
  6. ↑ Pearson was commissioned during a recess of the Senate and recommissioned after confirmation on December 17, 1925.
  7. ↑ Albright was commissioned during a recess of the Senate and recommissioned after confirmation on January 15, 1934.
  8. ↑ McFall was commissioned during a recess of the Senate and recommissioned after confirmation on May 1, 1953.
  9. ↑ Hickerson was commissioned during a recess of the Senate and recommissioned after confirmation on January 25, 1956.
  10. ↑ Sessions was commissioned during a recess of the Senate and recommissioned after confirmation on January 21, 1960.
  11. ↑ "Ambassador". Archived from the original on June 8, 2008.
  12. ↑ "Ambassador". Archived from the original on September 3, 2009.
  13. ↑ "Please join us in bidding a fond... - U.S. Embassy Finland". www.facebook.com. Retrieved September 9, 2025.
  14. ↑ "Meet J. Chris Karber, our new... - U.S. Embassy Finland". www.facebook.com. Retrieved September 9, 2025.

See also

References

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