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List of ambassadors of the United States to Norway

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Ambassador of the United States to the Kingdom of Norway
Seal of the United States Department of State
United States ambassador flag
Incumbent
Eric Meyer
Chargé d'Affairs ad interim
since August 10, 2024[1]
U.S. Department of State
Embassy of the United States, Oslo
Reports toU.S. Secretary of State
ResidenceVilla Otium
SeatOslo, Norway
NominatorThe President of the United States
Appointer
with the advice and consent of the Senate
Term lengthAt the pleasure of the President
No fixed term
Inaugural holderCharles H. Graves
as Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary
FormationMarch 8, 1905
WebsiteU.S. Embassy - Oslo

The United States ambassador to Norway (formally the ambassador of the United States to the Kingdom of Norway) is the official representative of the president and the government of the United States of America to the king and government of Norway.

Since the United States was recognized as an independent country in 1783, it first established diplomatic relations with Norway in 1818 when Jonathan Russell was accepted as the Minister Plenipotentiary to Sweden and Norway. From 1814 to 1905, Sweden and Norway were in a personal union. Although each country was fully sovereign, they had a common foreign policy and diplomatic service. The United States ambassador to Sweden thus was the U.S. representative to Norway as well as Sweden. In 1905 Sweden and Norway peacefully separated and Norway continued to be an independent constitutional monarchy. On November 14, 1905, the U.S. State Department instructed Ambassador Charles H. Graves to handle affairs for Sweden and Norway separately and the Ambassador was thus commissioned to Norway equally with Sweden, though he remained in Stockholm.

On June 22, 1906, Herbert H. D. Peirce was appointed to be the first ambassador of the U.S. appointed specifically solely for Norway. On August 6, 1906, the embassy in Stockholm ceased all functions related to Norway. Peirce presented his credentials to the foreign minister of Norway on August 13, 1906.

List of ambassadors

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"Villa Otium", the residence of the U.S. Ambassador in Oslo, Norway (Nobels gate 28)[2]
The current U.S. Embassy in Oslo (Morgedalsveien 36)
Name Portrait Appointment Presentation Termination Appointer Notes
Charles H. Graves March 8, 1905 May 31, 1905 August 6, 1906   Theodore Roosevelt Left post
Herbert H. D. Peirce June 22, 1906 August 13, 1906 May 30, 1911 Left post
Laurits S. Swenson April 27, 1911 June 10, 1911 October 4, 1913 William H. Taft Left post
Albert G. Schmedeman July 21, 1913 October 4, 1913 July 29, 1921   Woodrow Wilson Left post
Laurits S. Swenson October 8, 1921 November 28, 1921 November 9, 1930   Warren G. Harding Left post
Hoffman Philip July 22, 1930 November 15, 1930 August 3, 1935 Herbert Hoover Left post
Anthony J. Drexel Biddle, Jr. July 22, 1935 September 7, 1935 May 21, 1937   Franklin D. Roosevelt Left post
Florence Jaffray Harriman May 4, 1937 July 1, 1937 April 22, 1940 Left Norway because of WWII, first female ambassador to Norway
Anthony J. Drexel Biddle, Jr. February 11, 1941 March 20, 1941 December 1, 1943 Left London, where the government of Norway went into exile
Lithgow Osborne September 21, 1944 December 20, 1944 April 20, 1946 Left post
Charles Ulrick Bay June 6, 1946 July 26, 1946 July 31, 1953 Harry S. Truman Left post
Lester Corrin Strong June 24, 1953 August 10, 1953 February 16, 1957   Dwight D. Eisenhower Left post
Frances E. Willis May 20, 1957 June 19, 1957 May 15, 1961 Left post
Clifton R. Wharton, Sr. March 2, 1961 April 18, 1961 September 4, 1964   John F. Kennedy Left post
Margaret Joy Tibbetts July 31, 1964 October 6, 1964 May 23, 1969 Lyndon B. Johnson Left post
Philip K. Crowe May 1, 1969 June 23, 1969 August 31, 1973   Richard Nixon Left post
Thomas Ryan Byrne August 3, 1973 October 4, 1973 April 10, 1976 Left post
William A. Anders April 13, 1976 May 11, 1976 June 18, 1977 Gerald R. Ford Left post
Louis A. Lerner July 15, 1977 August 23, 1977 January 28, 1980   Jimmy Carter Left post
Sidney Anders Rand December 20, 1979 March 4, 1980 February 14, 1981 Left post
Mark Evans Austad December 11, 1981 January 5, 1982 September 15, 1984   Ronald Reagan Left post
R. Douglas Stuart Jr. September 18, 1984 October 16, 1984 July 17, 1989 Left post
Loret Miller Ruppe August 7, 1989 August 29, 1989 February 28, 1993 George H. W. Bush Left post
Thomas A. Loftus November 4, 1993 November 18, 1993 December 22, 1997   Bill Clinton Left post
David Hermelin November 10, 1997 January 8, 1998 January 7, 2000 Left post
Robin Chandler Duke August 3, 2000 September 12, 2000 March 1, 2001 Left post
John D. Ong January 30, 2002 February 27, 2002 November 21, 2005   George W. Bush Left post
Benson K. Whitney November 2, 2005 January 12, 2006 June 20, 2009 Left post
Barry B. White September 23, 2009 November 5, 2009 September 28, 2013   Barack Obama Left post
Samuel D. Heins February 16, 2016 March 10, 2016 January 12, 2017 Left post
Kenneth Braithwaite December 21, 2017 February 8, 2018 May 29, 2020   Donald Trump Left post
Marc Nathanson May 5, 2022 June 16, 2022 February 14, 2024   Joe Biden Left post

Notes

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  1. ^ "Chargé d'Affaires ad interim Eric Meyer".
  2. ^ Ambassadors residence (Website of the embassy)

See also

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References

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