List of ambassadors of the United States to Laos

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Ambassador of the United States to Laos
US Department of State official seal.svg
Seal of the United States Department of State
Heather Variava, U.S. Deputy Chief of Mission.jpg
Incumbent
Heather Variava
since February 6, 2024
NominatorThe President of the United States
AppointerThe President
with Senate advice and consent
Inaugural holder Paul L. Guest
as Chargé d'Affaires ad interim
FormationAugust 1950
Website U.S. Embassy - Vientiane

This is a list of United States ambassadors to Laos . The United States established full diplomatic relations with Laos in 1955, following its full independence from France in 1954.[ citation needed ]

Contents

On December 29, 1961, during the Laotian Civil War, President John F. Kennedy made the Ambassador to Laos the de facto commander of U.S. military and paramilitary operations within the Kingdom of Laos for the length of the war. [1]

Accounting for American personnel missing in Laos and clearing unexploded ordnance (UXO) from the wars in Indochina were the initial focuses of the post-1975 bilateral relationship. Since that time the relationship has broadened to include cooperation on a range of issues including counter-narcotics, health, child nutrition, environmental sustainability, trade liberalization, and English language training. This expansion in cooperation has accelerated since 2009, with the launch of the Lower Mekong Initiative (LMI), which serves as a platform to address complex, transnational development and policy changes in the Lower Mekong sub-region. The United States and Laos share a commitment to ensuring a prosperous and sustainable future for the Mekong sub-region. In July 2012, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visited Laos, marking the first visit by a Secretary of State since 1955.[ citation needed ]

A large part of U.S. bilateral assistance to Laos is devoted to improving health and child nutrition. The United States also helps improve trade policy in Laos, promotes sustainable development and biodiversity conservation, and works to strengthen the criminal justice system and law enforcement. The United States has provided significant support for clearance of UXO from the war, particularly cluster munitions, as well as for risk education and victims’ assistance.[ citation needed ]

Ambassadors

ImageNamePresentation of credentialsTermination of missionComment
Paul L. Guest August 1950December 1950ad interim
Donald R. Heath (cropped).jpg Donald R. Heath December 29, 1950November 1, 1954Resident at Saigon
AmbassadorCWYost.jpg Charles Yost November 1, 1954April 27, 1956
J. Graham Parsons.jpg J. Graham Parsons October 12, 1956February 8, 1958
Horace H. Smith April 9, 1958June 21, 1960
W G Brown.jpg Winthrop G. Brown July 25, 1960June 28, 1962
Photograph of Leonard S. Unger 59-SO-335-VS-1078-62.jpg Leonard S. Unger July 25, 1962December 1, 1964
William H. Sullivan December 23, 1964March 18, 1969
G. McMurtrie Godley July 24, 1969April 23, 1973
Charles S. Whitehouse in 1978.jpg Charles S. Whitehouse September 20, 1973April 12, 1975
Thomas J. Corcoran [2] August 1975March 1978ad interim
George B. Roberts, Jr. March 1978September 1979ad interim
Leo J. Moser (page 4 crop).jpg Leo J. Moser September 1979October 1981ad interim
William W. Thomas, Jr. November 1981November 1983ad interim
Theresa Anne Tull (page 11 crop).jpg Theresa Anne Tull November 1983August 1986ad interim
Wwwjisom.jpg Harriet W. Isom August 1986August 1989ad interim
Charles B. Salmon Jr. (page 13 crop).jpg Charles B. Salmon, Jr. August 1989July 26, 1993ad interim August 1989-August 1992, Ambassador August 6, 1992 – July 26, 1993
Victor L. Tomseth, State 1981-02- Iss 231 (IA sim state-magazine 1981-02 231) (page 16 crop).jpg Victor L. Tomseth January 8, 1994August 20, 1996
Wendy Chamberlin, May 2003 cropped.jpg Wendy Chamberlin September 5, 1996June 14, 1999
Douglas Alan Hartwick.jpg Douglas A. Hartwick September 18, 2001April 21, 2004
Haslach patricia 200.jpg Patricia M. Haslach September 4, 2004March 26, 2007
Ravic R. Huso June 22, 2007August 22, 2010
Karen B Stewart ambassador.jpg Karen B. Stewart November 16, 2010August 8, 2013
Ambassador Daniel Clune.jpg Daniel A. Clune September 16, 2013September 21, 2016
Rena E. Bitter.jpg Rena Bitter November 2, 2016January 26, 2020
Peter M. Haymond.jpg Peter Haymond February 7, 2020September 1, 2023
Michelle Y. OutlawSeptember 1, 2023February 6, 2024ad interim
Heather Variava, U.S. Deputy Chief of Mission.jpg Heather Variava February 6, 2024Incumbent

See also

Notes

  1. Castle, pp. 12.
  2. "The Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training Foreign Affairs Oral History Project AMBASSADOR THOMAS J. CORCORAN" (PDF). Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training. June 21, 1988. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 12, 2024. Retrieved July 12, 2024.

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References