| Ambassador of the United States to Nigeria | |
|---|---|
 Seal of the United States Department of State | |
Incumbent David Greene Chargé d'Affaires ad interim since March 31, 2023 | |
| Nominator | The President of the United States |
| Appointer | The President with Senate advice and consent |
| Inaugural holder | Joseph Palmer II as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary |
| Formation | September 23, 1960 |
| Website | U.S. Embassy - Abuja |
The following is a list of United States ambassadors to Nigeria.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joseph Palmer II [1] - Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | September 23, 1960 | October 4, 1960 | January 16, 1964 | The Embassy in Lagos was established October 1, 1960. Reaccredited when Nigeria became a republic; presented new credentials December 12, 1963. |
| Elbert G. Mathews - Career FSO | March 10, 1964 | April 11, 1964 | July 26, 1969 | ||
| William Trueheart - Career FSO | September 19, 1969 | November 6, 1969 | September 1, 1971 | ||
| John Reinhardt - Career FSO | September 30, 1971 | December 3, 1971 | February 23, 1975 | ||
| Donald B. Easum - Career FSO | March 26, 1975 | May 22, 1975 | October 15, 1979 | ||
| Stephen Low - Career FSO | September 20, 1979 | November 29, 1979 | July 4, 1981 | ||
| Thomas R. Pickering - Career FSO | October 26, 1981 | November 30, 1981 | July 9, 1983 | ||
| Thomas W. M. Smith - Career FSO | February 10, 1984 | March 15, 1984 | May 5, 1986 | ||
| Princeton Lyman - Career FSO | September 12, 1986 | October 10, 1986 | July 24, 1989 | ||
| Lannon Walker - Career FSO | October 10, 1989 | November 17, 1989 | July 10, 1992 | ||
| William L. Swing - Career FSO | June 15, 1992 | September 24, 1992 | September 22, 1993 | ||
| Walter Carrington - Political appointee | August 10, 1993 | November 9, 1993 | October 7, 1997 | ||
| William H. Twaddell - Career FSO | November 10, 1997 | December 19, 1997 | August 3, 2000 | The U.S. Embassy was transferred from Lagos to Abuja September 15, 2000. | |
| Howard Franklin Jeter - Career FSO | December 28, 2000 | March 3, 2001 | July 30, 2003 | ||
| John Campbell - Career FSO | May 12, 2004 | June 25, 2004 | July 19, 2007 | ||
| Robin R. Sanders - Career FSO | October 29, 2007 | December 3, 2007 | August 27, 2010 [2] | ||
| Terence P. McCulley - Career FSO | August 9, 2010 | November 2, 2010 | August 29, 2013 [3] | ||
| James F. Entwistle - Career FSO | August 22, 2013 | November 26, 2013 | July 21, 2016 [4] | Sworn in October 28, 2013 | |
| W. Stuart Symington - Career FSO | October 3, 2016 | December 1, 2016 | August 30, 2019 | Sworn in October 31, 2016 | |
| Mary Beth Leonard - Career FSO | September 11, 2019 | December 24, 2019 | March 31, 2023 [5] | Sworn in October 4, 2019 | |
| David Greene - Career FSO | Chargé d'Affaires ad interim | March 31, 2023 | Incumbent |
Ambassadors of the United States are persons nominated by the president to serve as the country's diplomatic representatives to foreign nations, international organizations, and as ambassadors-at-large. Under Article II, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution, their appointment must be confirmed by the United States Senate; 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.
John Campbell was the acting director of the Office of the Historian within the Department of State. He was appointed to the position in June 2009 and was succeeded as acting director by Edward P. Brynn the same year.
The United States has formal diplomatic relations with most nations. This includes all United Nations members and observer states other than Bhutan, Iran, North Korea and Syria, and the UN observer State of Palestine, the last of which the U.S. does not recognize. Additionally, the U.S. has diplomatic relations with Kosovo and the European Union.
Richard Merrill Mills Jr. is an American diplomat who serves as the United States deputy ambassador to the United Nations. He served as the U.S. Chargé d'Affaires and Acting Permanent Representative to the United Nations between January 20, 2021, and February 24, 2021, when Linda Thomas-Greenfield became ambassador. In July 2022, he was announced as the nominee to serve as the United States ambassador to Nigeria.
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