Mozambique was an overseas possession of Portugal until 1975. On June 25, 1975, Portugal granted independence to Mozambique, much later than other European nations had freed their own African possessions.
The United States immediately recognized the new nation and moved to establish diplomatic relations. An embassy in the capital Maputo (then named Lourenço Marques) was opened November 8, 1975, with Johnnie Carson as chargé d’affaires ad interim. On February 4, 1976, Ambassador Willard Ames De Pree was appointed as the first Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Mozambique.
Ambassadors +NameTitleAppointedPresented credentialsTerminated missionNotesWillard Ames De Pree – Career FSOAmbassador Extraordinary and PlenipotentiaryFebruary 4, 1976April 16, 1976July 7, 1980 William H. TwaddellChargé d’Affaires ad interimJuly 7, 1980 -September 23, 1983Peter Jon de Vos – Career FSOAmbassador Extraordinary and PlenipotentiarySeptember 23, 1983November 4, 1983February 12, 1987Melissa Foelsch Wells – Career FSOAn earlier nomination of October 7, 1986, was not acted upon by the Senate.Ambassador Extraordinary and PlenipotentiarySeptember 11, 1987September 26, 1987October 12, 1990Townsend B. Friedman, Jr. – Career FSOAmbassador Extraordinary and PlenipotentiaryAugust 6, 1990November 10, 1990September 15, 1993Dennis C. Jett – Career FSOAmbassador Extraordinary and PlenipotentiaryJuly 16, 1993November 17, 1993July 20, 1996P. Michael McKinleyChargé d’Affaires ad interimJuly 20, 1996 -December 3, 1997Brian D. Curran – Career FSOAmbassador Extraordinary and PlenipotentiaryOctober 24, 1997December 3, 1997June 21, 2000Sharon P. Wilkinson – Career FSOAmbassador Extraordinary and PlenipotentiarySeptember 15, 2000October 25, 2000July 21, 2003Helen R. Meagher La Lime – Career FSOAmbassador Extraordinary and PlenipotentiaryApril 16, 2003September 3, 2003June 21, 2006Todd C. ChapmanChargé d'Affaires ad interimJuly 2007 -January 2010Leslie V. Rowe - Career FSOAmbassador Extraordinary and PlenipotentiaryDecember 29, 2009February 10, 2010March 1, 2012Douglas M. Griffiths - Career FSOAmbassador Extraordinary and PlenipotentiaryJuly 5, 2012August 8, 2012December 28, 2015H. Dean Pittman - Career FSOAmbassador Extraordinary and PlenipotentiaryNovember 23, 2015February 18, 2016December 21, 2018Dennis Walter Hearne - Career FSOAmbassador Extraordinary and PlenipotentiaryJanuary 31, 2019April 3, 2019January 19, 2022Peter H. Vrooman - Career FSOAmbassador Extraordinary and PlenipotentiaryDecember 18, 2021March 3, 2022May 29, 2025Jeremy Neitzke - Career FSOChargé d’Affaires ad interimMay 30, 2025August 11, 2025Abigail L. Dressel - Career FSOChargé d’Affaires ad interimAugust 11, 2025Incumbent
See also Mozambique – United States relations Foreign relations of Mozambique Ambassadors of the United States
Notes
Sources United States Department of State: Background notes on Mozambique
External links United States Department of State: Chiefs of Mission for Mozambique United States Department of State: Mozambique United States Embassy in Maputo