Ambassador of the United States of America to Ireland | |
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Ambasadóir Stáit Aontaithe Mheiriceá go hÉireann | |
![]() Seal of the United States Department of State | |
Residence | Deerfield Residence |
Nominator | The President of the United States |
Appointer | The President with Senate advice and consent |
Inaugural holder | Frederick A. Sterling (envoy) George A. Garrett (amb.) |
Formation | 1927 (envoy) 1950 (ambassador) |
Website | U.S. Embassy - Dublin |
The United States ambassador to Ireland is the ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary from the United States of America to Ireland. It is considered a highly prestigious position within the United States Foreign Service. The current ambassador is Claire Cronin.
The chief of mission for the United States in Ireland held the title of envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary from 1927 through 1950, and six people served in the role. [1] Since 1950, the title has been ambassador, and 23 people have served in the role. [1] Only the first envoy, Frederick A. Sterling, was a career Foreign Service Officer – other envoys, and all ambassadors to date, have been non-career appointees. [1] The first four envoys were commissioned to the Irish Free State, [1] prior to the formation of the State.
The ambassador and embassy staff at large work at the Ballsbridge Chancery of the Embassy of the United States, Dublin. [2] Deerfield Residence is the official residence of the ambassador, located in the Phoenix Park, Dublin. [3]
The position was vacant from January 2017 through the end of June 2019, with Reece Smyth serving as the chargé d'affaires of the U.S. Embassy in Ireland. [4] The prior ambassador, Kevin O'Malley, was nominated by President Barack Obama and served from October 2014 until the presidential inauguration of Donald Trump. In December 2016, it was reported that then president-elect Trump intended to name Brian P. Burns as the next ambassador to Ireland. [5] However, in June 2017, Burns withdrew his name from consideration, due to ill health. [6]
Edward F. Crawford, a businessman and entrepreneur from Ohio whose parents were from Cork, was approved to be the next ambassador by the Senate's foreign relations committee in May 2019, [7] confirmed by a vote of the United States Senate on June 13, 2019, [8] and sworn into office on June 26, 2019. [9] He officially began his term as ambassador upon presentation of his credentials to President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins on July 1, 2019. [10] [11]
Until 1950, the official title was Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary. [1]
No. | Name | Appointed | Presentation of credentials | Termination of mission | Days in office | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Frederick A. Sterling | February 19, 1927 | July 27, 1927 | March 7, 1934 | 2415 | E1 |
2 | W. W. McDowell | January 15, 1934 | March 27, 1934 | April 9, 1934 | 13 | E1 E2 |
3 | Alvin Mansfield Owsley | May 15, 1935 | June 27, 1935 | July 7, 1937 | 741 | E1 |
4 | John Cudahy | May 28, 1937 | August 23, 1937 | January 15, 1940 | 875 | E1 |
5 | David Gray | February 16, 1940 | April 15, 1940 | June 28, 1947 | 2630 | |
6 | George A. Garrett | April 10, 1947 | July 28, 1947 | April 18, 1950 | 995 | E3 |
Since 1950, the official title has been Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary. [1]
No. | Name | Appointed | Presentation of credentials | Termination of mission | Days in office | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | George A. Garrett | March 17, 1950 | April 18, 1950 | May 27, 1951 | 404 | |
2 | Francis P. Matthews | July 6, 1951 | October 22, 1951 | September 7, 1952 | 321 | A1 |
3 | William Howard Taft III | April 2, 1953 | May 13, 1953 | June 25, 1957 | 1504 | |
4 | R. W. Scott McLeod | May 9, 1957 | July 17, 1957 | March 15, 1961 | 1337 | |
5 | Grant Stockdale | March 29, 1961 | May 17, 1961 | July 7, 1962 | 416 | |
6 | Matthew McCloskey | July 12, 1962 | July 19, 1962 | June 7, 1964 | 689 | |
7 | Raymond R. Guest | March 11, 1965 | April 28, 1965 | June 7, 1968 | 1136 | |
8 | Leo J. Sheridan | September 26, 1968 | November 1, 1968 | June 1, 1969 | 212 | |
9 | John D. J. Moore | April 19, 1969 | June 23, 1969 | June 30, 1975 | 2198 | A2 |
10 | Walter Curley | July 23, 1975 | September 18, 1975 | May 2, 1977 | 592 | |
11 | William V. Shannon | June 22, 1977 | July 20, 1977 | June 7, 1981 | 1418 | |
12 | Peter H. Dailey | March 15, 1982 | April 30, 1982 | January 15, 1984 | 625 | |
13 | Robert F. Kane | February 28, 1984 | March 6, 1984 | May 29, 1985 | 449 | |
14 | Margaret Heckler | December 17, 1985 | January 30, 1986 | August 20, 1989 | 1298 | |
15 | Richard A. Moore | August 7, 1989 | September 19, 1989 | June 15, 1992 | 1000 | |
16 | William H. G. FitzGerald | June 15, 1992 | June 26, 1992 | June 5, 1993 | 344 | |
17 | Jean Kennedy Smith | June 17, 1993 | June 24, 1993 | September 17, 1998 | 1911 | |
18 | Mike Sullivan | October 22, 1998 | January 21, 1999 | June 20, 2001 | 881 | A3 |
19 | Richard Egan | August 29, 2001 | September 10, 2001 | January 31, 2003 | 508 | |
20 | James C. Kenny | October 6, 2003 | October 31, 2003 | August 13, 2006 | 1017 | A3 |
21 | Thomas C. Foley | August 28, 2006 | October 18, 2006 | January 22, 2009 | 827 | A3 |
22 | Dan Rooney | July 1, 2009 | July 3, 2009 | December 14, 2012 | 1260 | |
23 | Kevin O'Malley | September 18, 2014 | October 8, 2014 | January 20, 2017 | 835 | A3 |
24 | Edward F. Crawford | June 13, 2019 | July 1, 2019 | January 19, 2021 | 568 | A3 |
25 | Claire D. Cronin | December 18, 2021 | February 10, 2022 | Incumbent |
Appointed or nominated, but did not serve. [1]
Interim chiefs of mission. [1]
The Deerfield Residence is the official residence of the United States Ambassador to Ireland in the Phoenix Park in Dublin.
The Embassy of the United States of America in Dublin is the diplomatic mission of the United States of America to Ireland.
Kevin Francis O'Malley is an American lawyer and diplomat who was the United States Ambassador to Ireland from 2014 to 2017.
Edward Francis Crawford is an American businessman and entrepreneur who served as the U.S. Ambassador to Ireland from 2019 to 2021. He previously served as chairman and CEO of Park-Ohio Holdings, "an industrial supply chain logistics and diversified manufacturing business."
Dorothy C. Shea is an American career diplomat who has been confirmed to serve as the United States Deputy Representative to the United Nations. She previously had served as the United States Ambassador to Lebanon from 2020 to 2023. On December 7, 2022, she received the Distinguished Presidential Rank Award for sustained extraordinary accomplishment. On January 3, 2023, President Biden announced his intention to nominate her as Deputy Representative of the United States of America to the United Nations, with the rank and status of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, and Deputy Representative of the United States of America in the Security Council of the United Nations as well as Representative of the United States of America to the Sessions of the General Assembly of the United Nations.