List of ambassadors of the United States to the Bahamas

The Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Bahamas, usually simply called U.S. Ambassador to the Bahamas, is an official position and title appointed by the president of the United States and confirmed by the United States Senate by majority vote. The ambassador oversees diplomatic relations and foreign policy between the United States and The Bahamas. The ambassador lives in Nassau, the capital of the Bahamas.

Ambassador of the United States to the Bahamas
Seal of the United States Department of State
Incumbent
Kimberly Furnish[1]
Chargé d'Affaires
since June 24, 2024
NominatorThe President of the United States
AppointerThe President
with Senate advice and consent
Inaugural holderMoncrieff J. Spear
as Chargé d'Affaires ad interim
FormationJuly 10, 1973
WebsiteU.S. Embassy - Nassau

Due to political disputes, the United States Senate has not confirmed an ambassador to the Bahamas since November 2011, with the post either remaining vacant or held by interim appointees who are not ambassadors. Cassandra Butts, nominated for the post by President Barack Obama in 2013, died of leukemia in 2016, having spent more than two years awaiting a vote on her appointment. President Donald Trump nominated Doug Manchester in 2017 but the nomination stalled and he eventually withdrew.[2] In May 2020, President Trump nominated William A. Douglass for the position;[3] his nomination was eventually withdrawn by President Joe Biden in February 2021.[4] In May 2022, President Biden nominated Calvin Smyre for the position.[5]

List of U.S. ambassadors to the Bahamas

The following is a list of United States ambassadors, or other chiefs of mission, to The Bahamas. The title given by the United States State Department to this position is currently Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary.

RepresentativeTitlePresentation
of credentials
Termination
of mission
Appointed by
Moncrieff J. SpearChargé d'Affaires ad interimJuly 10, 1973September 7, 1973Richard Nixon
Ronald I. SpiersAmbassador Extraordinary and PlenipotentiarySeptember 7, 1973September 2, 1974
Seymour WeissAmbassador Extraordinary and PlenipotentiarySeptember 11, 1974December 15, 1976Gerald Ford
Jack B. OlsonAmbassador Extraordinary and PlenipotentiaryDecember 22, 1976April 30, 1977
William Bernstein Schwartz Jr.Ambassador Extraordinary and PlenipotentiaryOctober 11, 1977January 31, 1981Jimmy Carter
Lev E. DobrianskyAmbassador Extraordinary and PlenipotentiaryMarch 15, 1983August 30, 1986Ronald Reagan
Carol Boyd HallettAmbassador Extraordinary and PlenipotentiaryNovember 17, 1986May 10, 1989
Mayer Jacob HechtAmbassador Extraordinary and PlenipotentiaryAugust 23, 1989March 1, 1993George H. W. Bush
Lino GutierrezChargé d'Affairs ad interimMarch 1, 1993July 1993Bill Clinton
John S. FordChargé d'Affairs ad interimJuly 1993March 27, 1994
Sidney WilliamsAmbassador Extraordinary and PlenipotentiaryMarch 27, 1994January 11, 1998
Arthur Louis SchechterAmbassador Extraordinary and PlenipotentiaryOctober 29, 1998March 1, 2001
Daniel A. CluneCharge d'Affaires ad interimMarch 1, 2001December 3, 2001
J. Richard BlankenshipAmbassador Extraordinary and PlenipotentiaryDecember 3, 2001July 18, 2003George W. Bush
Robert M. WitajewskiChargé d'Affairs ad interimJuly 18, 2003September 1, 2004
John D. RoodAmbassador Extraordinary and PlenipotentiarySeptember 1, 2004April 10, 2007
D. Brent HardtChargé d'Affaires ad interimApril 10, 2007October 25, 2007
Ned SiegelAmbassador Extraordinary and PlenipotentiaryOctober 26, 2007January 20, 2009
Timothy Zúñiga-BrownChargé d'Affaires ad interimJanuary 20, 2009September 9, 2009Barack Obama
Nicole AvantAmbassador Extraordinary and PlenipotentiaryOctober 22, 2009November 21, 2011
John W. DinkelmanChargé d'AffairesNovember 21, 2011July 9, 2014
Lisa A. JohnsonChargé d'AffairesJuly 9, 2014November 9, 2017
Donald Trump
James HerrenChargé d'AffairesNovember 9, 2017March 1, 2018
Stephanie BowersChargé d'AffairesMarch 1, 2018December 31, 2020
Usha E. PittsChargé d'AffairesJanuary 1, 2021April 19, 2024[6]Joe Biden
Jason CrosbyChargé d'Affaires ad interimApril 19, 2024[7]May 29, 2024
Michael P. TaylorChargé d'Affaires ad interimMay 30, 2024June 24, 2024
Kimberly FurnishChargé d'Affaires ad interimJune 24, 2024Incumbent

See also

References