| Ambassador of the United States to Switzerland and Liechtenstein | |
|---|---|
 Seal of the United States Department of State | |
| Nominator | The President of the United States |
| Appointer | The President with Senate advice and consent |
| Inaugural holder | Theodore Sedgwick Fay as Minister Resident |
| Formation | March 16, 1853 |
| Website | U.S. Embassy - Bern |
This is a list of United States ambassadors to the Swiss Confederation and the Principality of Liechtenstein. [1]
Since 1997, the U.S. ambassador to Switzerland has also been accredited to the Principality of Liechtenstein. Appointed on February 10, 1997, Ambassador Madeleine M. Kunin served as the first United States Ambassador to Liechtenstein. [2] She presented her credentials to Liechtenstein on March 14, 1997, which marked the beginning of the United States' diplomatic relations with the country. [3]
Although the United States executed its first treaty with Liechtenstein in 1926, at the time, and until 1997, Liechtenstein was represented diplomatically by Switzerland. [4]
Before 1997 it was understood that the rights of a U.S.–Swiss agreement also extended to citizens of Liechtenstein because it had yielded control of its foreign affairs to Switzerland. At the end of the 20th century, however, it "began pursuing independent membership in international organizations". [4]
U.S. ambassadors are nominated by the President and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. [5] The position of ambassador to Switzerland is generally held by a political appointee rather than a career Foreign Service Officer (FSO). According to the American Foreign Service Association, only two career FSOs since 1960 have been appointed to the Swiss and Liechtenstein ambassadorship (both times were in the 1970s), whereas the remaining twenty ambassadors were political appointees, typically those known as "campaign bundlers" who raise large sums of money for presidential campaigns. [6]
| Name | Background | Title | Appointment | Presentation of credentials | Termination of mission |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Theodore Sedgwick Fay | Foreign Service officer | Minister Resident | March 16, 1853 | June 29, 1853 | Presented recall, July 1, 1861 |
| George G. Fogg | Non-career appointee | Minister Resident | March 28, 1861 | July 1, 1861 | Presented recall, October 16, 1865 |
| George Harrington | Non-career appointee | Minister Resident | July 7, 1865 | October 16, 1865 | Presented recall, July 20, 1869 |
| Horace Rublee | Non-career appointee | Minister Resident | April 20, 1869 | July 20, 1869 | Presented recall, September 7, 1876 |
| Horace Rublee | Non-career appointee | Chargé d'affaires | August 15, 1876 | September 7, 1876 | Left post October 1, 1876 |
| George Schneider | Non-career appointee | Chargé d'affaires | May 1, 1877 | ||
| Nicholas Fish II | Foreign Service officer | Chargé d'affaires | Jun 20, 1877 | August 7, 1877 | Presented recall, August 24, 1881 |
| Michael J. Cramer | Non-career appointee | Chargé d'affaires | May 11, 1881 | Aug 25, 1881 | Promoted to Minister Resident/Consul General |
| Michael J. Cramer | Non-career appointee | Minister Resident/Consul General | Jul 13, 1882 | Aug 14, 1882 | Presented recall, Jul 9, 1885 |
| Boyd Winchester | Non-career appointee | Minister Resident/Consul General | May 7, 1885 | Jul 9, 1885 | Presented recall, May 24, 1889 |
| John D. Washburn | Non-career appointee | Minister Resident/Consul General | Mar 12, 1889 | May 24, 1889 | Promoted to Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary |
| John D. Washburn | Non-career appointee | Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary | Jul 30, 1890 | Dec 13, 1890 | Left post Aug 10, 1892 |
| Person Colby Cheney | Non-career appointee | Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary | Dec 13, 1892 | Jan 26, 1893 | Presented recall, Jan 29, 1893 |
| James Broadhead | Non-career appointee | Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary | Apr 7, 1893 | Jul 5, 1893 | Appointment terminated, Nov 1, 1895 |
| John L. Peak | Non-career appointee | Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary | Nov 18, 1895 | Feb 15, 1896 | Presented recall, Aug 9, 1897 |
| John George Alexander Leishman | Non-career appointee | Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary | Jun 9, 1897 | Aug 9, 1897 | Presented recall, Feb 20, 1901 |
| Arthur Sherburne Hardy | Non-career appointee | Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary | Dec 20, 1900 | Apr 3, 1901 | Presented recall, Jan 29, 1903 |
| Charles Page Bryan | Foreign Service officer | Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary | Sep 26, 1902 | ||
| Charles Page Bryan | Foreign Service officer | Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary | Dec 8, 1902 | ||
| David Jayne Hill | Foreign Service officer | Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary | Jan 7, 1903 | Feb 24, 1903 | Presented recall, Jul 1, 1905 |
| Brutus J. Clay II | Foreign Service officer | Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary | Mar 8, 1905 | Jul 1, 1905 | Superseded, Mar 1, 1910 |
| Laurits S. Swenson | Foreign Service officer | Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary | Dec 21, 1909 | Mar 1, 1910 | Presented recall, May 15, 1911 |
| Henry Sherman Boutell | Non-career appointee | Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary | Apr 24, 1911 | May 23, 1911 | Presented recall, Jul 31, 1913 |
| Pleasant A. Stovall | Non-career appointee | Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary | Jun 21, 1913 | Aug 23, 1913 | Left post Dec 14, 1919 |
| Hampson Gary | Non-career appointee | Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary | Apr 7, 1920 | Jun 3, 1920 | Left post about Mar 4, 1921 |
| Joseph Grew | Foreign Service Officer | Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary | Sep 24, 1921 | Nov 1, 1921 | Left post Mar 22, 1924 |
| Hugh S. Gibson | Foreign Service officer | Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary | Mar 18, 1924 | May 19, 1924 | Presented recall, Apr 29, 1927 |
| Hugh R. Wilson | Foreign Service officer | Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary | Feb 26, 1927 | Jun 11, 1927 | Left post Jul 8, 1937 |
| Leland B. Harrison | Foreign Service officer | Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary | Jul 13, 1937 | Sep 10, 1937 | Left post Oct 14, 1947 |
| John Carter Vincent | Foreign Service officer | Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary | Jul 24, 1947 | Oct 21, 1947 | Left post Jun 9, 1951 |
| Richard Cunningham Patterson Jr. | Non-career appointee | Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary | Mar 22, 1951 | Jun 27, 1951 | Left post Apr 14, 1953 |
| Frances E. Willis | Foreign Service officer | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | Jul 20, 1953 | Oct 9, 1953 | Left post May 5, 1957 |
| Henry J. Taylor | Non-career appointee | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | May 9, 1957 | May 31, 1957 | Left post Feb 28, 1961 |
| Robert M. McKinney | Non-career appointee | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | Jun 22, 1961 | Jul 25, 1961 | Left post Sep 8, 1963 |
| W. True Davis Jr. | Non-career appointee | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | Oct 2, 1963 | Nov 29, 1963 | Left post Sep 3, 1965 |
| John S. Hayes | Non-career appointee | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | Sep 19, 1966 | Nov 18, 1966 | Left post May 20, 1969 |
| Shelby Cullom Davis | Non-career appointee | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | May 13, 1969 | Jul 17, 1969 | Left post Apr 10, 1975 |
| Peter H. Dominick | Non-career appointee | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | Feb 20, 1975 | Apr 25, 1975 | Left post Jul 10, 1975 |
| Nathaniel Davis | Foreign Service officer | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | Nov 20, 1975 | Jan 9, 1976 | Left post Jul 31, 1977 |
| Marvin L. Warner | Non-career appointee | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | Jul 11, 1977 | Sep 13, 1977 | Left post Jul 10, 1979 |
| Richard David Vine | Foreign Service officer | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | Sep 20, 1979 | Oct 19, 1979 | Left post Sep 1, 1981 |
| Faith Whittlesey | Non-career appointee | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | Sep 28, 1981 | Oct 23, 1981 | Left post Feb 28, 1983 |
| John Davis Lodge | Non-career appointee | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | Mar 18, 1983 | May 19, 1983 | Left post Apr 30, 1985 |
| Faith Whittlesey | Non-career appointee | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | Apr 4, 1985 | May 31, 1985 | Left post Jun 14, 1988 |
| Philip D. Winn | Non-career appointee | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | Jul 11, 1988 | Aug 19, 1988 | Left post Aug 5, 1989 |
| Joseph Bernard Gildenhorn | Non-career appointee | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | Aug 3, 1989 | Aug 23, 1989 | Left post Mar 1, 1993 |
| The following officers served as Chargés d'affaires ad interim (1993–94): John E. Hall (Mar–Aug 1993), Brian M. Flora (Aug–Dec 1993), Michael C. Polt (Dec 1993–Mar 1994), and Jeffrey R. Cellars (July 22, 2013 - June 2, 2014) | |||||
| M. Larry Lawrence | Non-career appointee | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | Feb 9, 1994 | Mar 21, 1994 | Died at post Jan 9, 1996 |
| Madeleine M. Kunin | Non-career appointee | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | Aug 8, 1996 | Aug 19, 1996 | Left post Aug 16, 1999 |
| J. Richard Fredericks | Non-career appointee | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | Oct 29, 1999 | Dec 2, 1999 | Left post Jul 6, 2001 |
| Mercer Reynolds | Non-career appointee | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | Aug 3, 2001 | Sep 11, 2001 | Left post Mar 29, 2003 |
| Pamela Willeford | Non-career appointee | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | Oct 7, 2003 | Nov 25, 2003 | Left post May 6, 2006 |
| Peter R. Coneway | Non-career appointee | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | Sept 6, 2006 | Oct 19, 2006 | Dec 7, 2008 |
| Donald S. Beyer Jr. | Non-career appointee | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | August 5, 2009 | August 15, 2009 | May 29, 2013 |
| Suzan G. LeVine | Non-career appointee | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | June 2, 2014 | July 1, 2014 | January 20, 2017 [7] |
| Ed McMullen | Non-career appointee | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | November 2, 2017 | November 21, 2017 | January 17, 2021 |
| Scott Miller | Non-career appointee | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | December 18, 2021 | January 11, 2022 | |
The following were commissioned during a Senate recess and thus were recommissioned after their post-recess confirmations.
Theodore Sedgwick Fay was nominated to be Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary on February 25, 1856, but his nomination was withdrawn before the Senate acted on it. George Schneider was commissioned during a Senate recess and he took the oath of office but did not proceed to post.
Liechtenstein's foreign economic policy has been dominated by its customs union with Switzerland. This union also led to its independent membership in the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) in 1991. Unlike Switzerland however, Liechtenstein is part of the European Economic Area.
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.
Madeleine Kunin is a Swiss-born American diplomat, author and politician. She served as the 77th governor of Vermont from 1985 until 1991, as a member of the Democratic Party. She also served as United States Ambassador to Switzerland from 1996 to 1999. She was Vermont's first and, to date, only female governor as well as the first Jewish governor of Vermont. She was also the first Jewish woman to be elected governor of a U.S. state. Kunin is currently a James Marsh Professor-at-Large at the University of Vermont.
The United States and Liechtenstein executed their first treaty in 1926. Diplomatic relations were established in 1997. Since then, the relations between the two nations have been stable. Representatives of both countries in 2002 signed a mutual legal assistance treaty focused largely on jointly combating money laundering and other illegal banking activities.
Diplomatic relations between Switzerland and the United States were established in 1853 by the U.S. and in 1868 by Switzerland. The first diplomatic representation of the U.S. was established in Basel in 1853.
Scott C. Miller is an American LGBT rights activist, philanthropist and former banker. He has served as the U.S. ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein since 2022.
| Minister Resident |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Chargé d'Affaires | ||
| Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary | ||
| Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | ||
