Until 1955 French Togoland was a United Nations Trust Territory mandated by the U.N. to France. In 1955, French Togoland became the administrative Republic of Togo within the French Community (Communauté française), although it retained its UN trusteeship status. In 1960 Togo severed its constitutional ties with France, shed its UN trusteeship status, and became fully independent as the Togolese Republic.
The United States immediately recognized Togo and moved to establish diplomatic relations. The State Department established an embassy in Yaoundé in nearby Cameroon on January 1, 1960, with Bolard More as Chargé d'affaires ad interim. The Yaoundé embassy was simultaneously accredited to Togo. The embassy in Lomé was established on April 27, 1960, with Jesse M. MacKnight as Chargé d’Affaires ad interim. On June 23, 1960, Leland Barrows was appointed as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Cameroon with separate accreditation to Togo while remaining resident in Yaoundé. In 1961 a separate ambassador was appointed solely for Togo and resident at Lomé. The United States has maintained diplomatic relations with Togo since that date.
The United States Embassy in Togo is located in Lomé. The current Togolese ambassador to the United States is Limbiye Edawe Kadangha Bariki.
Ambassadors +NameTitleAppointedPresented credentialsTerminated missionNotesLeland BarrowsBarrows was accredited to Cameroon and Togo, while resident in Yaoundé.Barrows’ commission to Togo was superseded by appointment of an ambassador to Togo. – Career FSOAmbassador Extraordinary and PlenipotentiaryJune 23, 1960August 22, 1960June 27, 1961Leon B. Poullada – Career FSOApril 18, 1961July 27, 1961February 24, 1964William Witman II – Career FSOJune 8, 1964July 10, 1964May 8, 1967Albert W. Sherer, Jr.Sherer was commissioned during a recess of the Senate. He was renominated January 31, confirmed February 7, 1969, and recommissioned after confirmation. A nomination of Jan 9, 1969, was withdrawn before the Senate acted upon it.Sherer was also accredited to Equatorial GuineaDuring Sherer’s tenure as non-resident Ambassador to Equatorial Guinea, the embassy in Santa Isabel (now Malabo) was opened August 1, 1969, with Albert N. Williams as Chargé d’Affaires ad interim. – Career FSOSeptember 13, 1967October 13, 1967March 5, 1970Dwight Dickinson – Career FSOSeptember 8, 1970October 8, 1970April 3, 1974Nancy V. Rawls – Career FSOFebruary 11, 1974June 7, 1974August 8, 1976Ronald D. Palmer – Career FSOSeptember 16, 1976October 28, 1976July 15, 1978Marilyn P. Johnson – Career FSOSeptember 23, 1978November 3, 1978July 29, 1981Howard Kent Walker – Career FSOMarch 9, 1982April 19, 1982June 9, 1984Owen W. Roberts – Career FSOJune 28, 1984July 31, 1984July 5, 1986David A. Korn – Career FSOOctober 16, 1986November 4, 1986April 4, 1988Rush Walker Taylor, Jr. – Career FSOApril 28, 1988June 20, 1988September 4, 1990Harmon Elwood Kirby – Career FSOOctober 22, 1990December 3, 1990July 16, 1994Johnny Young – Career FSOMay 9, 1994October 7, 1994November 21, 1997Brenda Schoonover – Career FSONovember 11, 1997January 7, 1998July 30, 2000Karl William Hofmann – Career FSOSeptember 15, 2000October 17, 2000December 14, 2002Gregory W. Engle – Career FSOApril 16, 2003May 22, 2003April 1, 2005David B. Dunn – Career FSONovember 2, 2005February 2, 2006June 6, 2008Patricia McMahon HawkinsSource: U.S. Embassy in Lomé - Career FSOJune 6, 2008September 12, 2008July 29, 2011Robert E. Whitehead - Career FSOApril 2, 2012 May 7, 2012September 26, 2015David R. Gilmour - Career FSOOctober 16, 2015November 7, 2015March 9, 2019Eric W. Stromayer - Career FSOJanuary 7, 2019April 11, 2019March 9, 2022Elizabeth Fitzsimmons - Career FSODecember 18, 2021April 26, 2022May 30, 2024Ronald E. Hawkins Jr - Career FSOChargé d'affaires ad interimMay 31, 2024June 17, 2025Richard C. Michaels - Career FSOJune 17, 2025March 2, 2026Kimberly McClure - Career FSOMarch 3, 2026Present
Notes
See also Togo – United States relations Foreign relations of Togo Ambassadors of the United States
References U.S. Embassy in Lomé: Ambassador’s biography United States Department of State: Background notes on Togo
External links United States Department of State: Chiefs of Mission for Togo United States Department of State: Togo United States Embassy in Lomé