List of ambassadors of the United States to Sweden

The United States ambassador to the Kingdom of Sweden () serves as the official diplomatic representative of the United States to the King and the Government of the Kingdom of Sweden. Diplomatic relations between Sweden and the United States began with the signing of the Treaty of Amity and Commerce in 1783. Sweden received its first U.S. resident minister in 1814, but in 1818, the senior U.S. diplomat again became the chargé d'affaires. In 1854, the senior American diplomat in Sweden again became the minister resident. From 1814 to 1905 the United States Chief of Mission in Sweden also represented United States interests with respect to Norway, as Norway was aligned with Sweden during this period in the Union between Sweden and Norway.

The contemporary tendency of American presidents is to appoint fundraisers or prominent campaign supporters to the ambassador's post in Sweden, rather than promoting career members of the United States Foreign Service. The position is currently vacant.

Residence

Since the 1930s, the ambassador is resident in the ambassadorial residence, Villa Åkerlund, of the United States Embassy in Diplomatstaden, Stockholm.

List of American chiefs of mission to Sweden 18th century Portrait Representative Title Appointment Presentation ofcredentials Termination ofmissionBenjamin FranklinMinister PlenipotentiarySeptember 28, 1782Note: Was in Paris as U.S. ambassador to France;negotiated treaty with the Swedish Ambassador in Paris.Franklin was concurrently the ambassador to France. He did not proceed to Sweden and did not present credentials there. He did, however, negotiate a "Treaty of Amity and Commerce" with Count Gustaf Philip Creutz, Swedish Ambassador in Paris. April 3, 1783

1814–1854 (non-resident minister) Portrait Representative Title Appointment Presentation ofcredentials Termination ofmissionJonathan RussellAlthough Benjamin Franklin had been appointed as minister to Sweden, the U.S. and Sweden did not formally establish diplomatic relations until 1818 when Jonathan Russell presented his credentials to the King on April 29, 1818.John L. Lawrence was Chargé d'Affaires at Stockholm, representing the U.S. during the absence of Minister Jonathan Russell, from June 7, 1814, to May 19, 1815; see American State Papers (1859; pg. 554ff)Minister PlenipotentiaryJanuary 18, 1814April 29, 1818October 22, 1818Christopher HughesChargé d'AffairesJanuary 21, 1819July 5, 1825William C. SomervilleMarch 9, 1825Died en route to postJohn James AppletonMay 2, 1826October 28, 1826August 16, 1830Christopher HughesMarch 3, 1830August 16, 1830September 22, 1841George W. LayMay 12, 1842October 4, 1842October 11, 1845Henry W. EllsworthApril 19, 1845 October 11, 1845January 25, 1861Francis SchroederNovember 7, 1849 April 22, 1850June 29, 1854

1854–1885 (minister resident) Portrait Representative Title Appointment Presentation ofcredentials Termination ofmissionFrancis SchroederMinister ResidentJune 29, 1854August 19, 1854September 17, 1857Benjamin F. AngelJuly 17, 1857November 4, 1857June 25, 1861Jacob S. HaldemanMarch 16, 1861June 25, 1861September 24, 1864James H. CampbellMay 18, 1864Sep 24, 1864March 29, 1867John McGinnis, Jr.November 16, 1866 Did not proceed to post, his nomination having been rejected by the Senate while he was en route.Joseph J. BartlettMarch 19, 1867June 4, 1867July 24, 1869John S. CarlileNot commissionedChristopher Columbus AndrewsJune 3, 1869 July 24, 1869November 5, 1877John L. StevensAugust 28, 1877 November 5, 1877June 3, 1883William W. Thomas, Jr.June 6, 1883September 6, 1883June 30, 1885Rufus MageeApril 2, 1885July 3, 1885Promoted to Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary

1885–1947 (envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary) Portrait Representative Title Appointment Presentation ofcredentials Termination ofmissionRufus MageeEnvoy Extraordinary and Minister PlenipotentiaryAugust 10, 1888September 26, 1888May 25, 1889William W. Thomas, Jr.March 19, 1889May 27, 1889May 2, 1894Thomas B. FergusonFebruary 14, 1894May 2, 1894February 7, 1898William W. Thomas, Jr.December 18, 1898February 8, 1898May 31, 1905Charles H. GravesMarch 8, 1905May 31, 1905December 12, 1913Ira Nelson MorrisJuly 13, 1914August 28, 1914April 3, 1923Robert Woods BlissJanuary 30, 1923August 8, 1923March 15, 1927Leland HarrisonFebruary 26, 1927May 31, 1927November 11, 1929John Motley Morehead IIIJanuary 22, 1930March 31, 1930April 6, 1933Laurence A. SteinhardtMay 11, 1933August 28, 1933June 26, 1937Fred Morris DearingApril 22, 1937September 23, 1937June 17, 1938Frederick A. SterlingJune 16, 1938September 26, 1938July 14, 1941Herschel V. JohnsonOctober 21, 1941December 12, 1941April 28, 1946Louis G. Dreyfus, Jr.August 1, 1946January 3, 1947October 6, 1947H. Freeman MatthewsJuly 21, 1947

1947–present day (ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary) Portrait Representative Title Appointment Presentation ofcredentials Termination ofmissionH. Freeman MatthewsAmbassador Extraordinary and PlenipotentiarySeptember 20, 1947December 5, 1947May 24, 1950W. Walton ButterworthJuly 5, 1950September 18, 1950December 9, 1953John M. CabotMarch 1, 1954May 6, 1954May 14, 1957Francis WhiteJune 3, 1957September 17, 1957December 9, 1958James C.H. BonbrightOctober 29, 1958January 9, 1959March 20, 1961J. Graham ParsonsMarch 15, 1961May 16, 1961April 17, 1967William Womack HeathApril 5, 1967May 23, 1967January 23, 1969VacantNo ambassador appointedJanuary 24, 1969February 15, 1970Jerome H. HollandAmbassador Extraordinary and PlenipotentiaryFebruary 16, 1970April 14, 1970August 30, 1972Arthur J. Olsen Chargé d'Affaires ad interimDecember 1972May 1974Robert Strausz-HupéAmbassador Extraordinary and PlenipotentiaryApril 25, 1974May 29, 1974March 3, 1976David S. SmithApril 6, 1976May 7, 1976April 29, 1977Rodney O'Gliasain Kennedy-MinottAugust 3, 1977September 29, 1977September 26, 1980Franklin S. ForsbergDecember 11, 1981January 14, 1982December 12, 1985Gregory J. Newell December 9, 1985December 19, 1985June 12, 1989Charles Edgar RedmanMay 12, 1989June 13, 1989August 24, 1992Thomas L. SiebertFebruary 9, 1994March 24, 1994December 17, 1997Lyndon Lowell Olson, Jr.November 10, 1997January 22, 1998August 1, 2001Charles A. Heimbold, Jr.August 3, 2001September 26, 2001February 12, 2004Miles T. BivinsMay 25, 2004June 9, 2004January 31, 2006Michael M. WoodMay 30, 2006June 8, 2006January 20, 2009Matthew BarzunAugust 12, 2009August 21, 2009May 28, 2011Mark BrzezinskiOctober 18, 2011November 24, 2011July 1, 2015Robert S. GilchristChargé d'Affaires ad interimJuly 1, 2015 March 1, 2016Azita RajiAmbassador Extraordinary and PlenipotentiaryFebruary 1, 2016March 1, 2016January 20, 2017 David LindwallChargé d'Affaires ad interimJanuary 20, 2017 December 18, 2018Pamela TremontApril 2019 November 7, 2019Ken HoweryAmbassador Extraordinary and PlenipotentiarySeptember 17, 2019November 7, 2019January 20, 2021Pamela TremontChargé d'Affaires ad interimJanuary 20, 2021June 12, 2021Dillon BanerjeeJune 12, 2021July 22, 2021Pamela TremontJuly 23, 2021January 20, 2022Erik RamanathanAmbassador Extraordinary and PlenipotentiaryDecember 18, 2021January 20, 2022January 20, 2025Mark EvansChargé d'Affaires ad interimJanuary 20, 2025June 30, 2025Anna Radivilova June 30, 2025August 1, 2025Viraj LeBaillyAugust 1, 2025October 20, 2025Christine TorettiAmbassador Extraordinary and PlenipotentiarySeptember 18, 2025October 21, 2025Incumbent

Notes

See also List of ambassadors of Sweden to the United States Embassy of the United States, Stockholm Foreign relations of Sweden Foreign relations of the United States

References United States Department of State: Background notes on Sweden

External links United States Department of State: Chiefs of Mission for Sweden United States Department of State: Sweden United States Embassy in Stockholm