A United States diplomatic representative to Romania has existed since 1880. The United States formally recognized Romania in 1878, following the Treaty of Berlin; diplomatic relations were opened in 1880, and American diplomats were sent to the country. Until the early 20th century, most ambassadors to Romania were also responsible for Greece, Serbia, and occasionally Bulgaria. No U.S. Embassy was established in Romania for some time; ambassadors typically operated out of Athens until about 1905, at which point an embassy was established in Bucharest.
The main U.S. embassy in Romania remains in Bucharest and is located at 4-6 Dr. Liviu Librescu Blvd. For several years during World War II, following the death of Ambassador Franklin Mott Gunther, there was no American ambassador to Romania. The latter country became an Axis country, and declared war on the Allies (see Romania during World War II). Preceded by American representation in the Allied Commission after 1945, the diplomatic mission was reopened in 1947. In 1994, the U.S. embassy was expanded, and a branch office was opened in Cluj-Napoca.
Ambassadors +Name TitleAppointedPresented credentialsTerminated mission NotesEugene SchuylerLater promoted to Chargé d'Affaires/Consul General, eventually as Minister Resident/Consul General at which point he was also accredited to Greece and Serbia and transferred residence to Athens.Diplomatic Agent/Consul GeneralJune 11, 1880December 14, 1880Credentials delivered in a private audience, December 14, 1880; not formally received although the Romanian Foreign Ministry had indicated on August 13, 1880 a willingness to enter provisionally into relations with the U.S. Legation.September 7, 1884Walker FearnMinister Resident/Consul GeneralApril 18, 1885Commissioned during a recess of the Senate; recommissioned after confirmation on January 13, 1886. Also accredited to Greece and Serbia; resident at Athens.October 20, 1885October 24, 1899A. Loudon SnowdenPromoted to Envoy Extraordinary and Minister PlenipotentiaryJuly 1, 1889Commissioned during a recess of the Senate; recommissioned after confirmation on December 19, 1889. Also accredited to Greece and Serbia; resident at Athens.November 25, 1889August 18–25, 1892Truxtun BealePromoted to Minister Resident/Consul General and later Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary/Consul GeneralJuly 22, 1892Did not present credentials in Romania 1893Eben AlexanderEnvoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary/Consul GeneralApril 7, 1893Also accredited to Greece and Serbia; resident at Athens.June 15, 1894Athens, August 1, 1897William Woodville RockhillLater recommissioned as Envoy Extraordinary and Minister PlenipotentiaryJuly 8, 1897May 18, 1898April 27, 1899Arthur S. HardyEnvoy Extraordinary/Minister PlenipotentiaryApril 18, 1899Commissioned during a recess of the Senate; recommissioned after confirmation on December 14, 1899. Also accredited to Greece and Serbia; resident at Athens.July 14, 1900March 13, 1901Charles Spencer FrancisDecember 20, 1900October 16, 1901December 24, 1902John Brinkerhoff JacksonOctober 13, 1902Commissioned during a recess of the Senate; recommissioned after confirmation on December 8, 1902. Also accredited to Greece and Serbia; resident at Athens. Later recommissioned as Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Greece, Romania, and Serbia and Diplomatic Agent to Bulgaria; resident at Athens. Recommissioned during a recess of the Senate; recommissioned after confirmation on November 16, 1903.April 7, 1903July 25, 1905John W. RiddleMarch 8, 1905Commissioned to Romania and Serbia; resident at BucharestOctober 3, 1905January 23, 1907Horace G. KnowlesJanuary 16, 1907Commissioned to Romania and Serbia; resident at Bucharest. Later Recommissioned as Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Romania and Serbia and Diplomatic Agent in Bulgaria during a recess of the Senate; recommissioned after confirmation on December 12, 1907.May 7, 1907February 4, 1909Spencer F. EddyJanuary 11, 1909Commissioned as Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Romania and Serbia and Diplomatic Agent in Bulgaria; resident at Bucharest.July 9, 1909September 29, 1909John R. CarterSeptember 25, 1909Commissioned during a recess of the Senate as Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Romania and Serbia and Diplomatic Agent in Bulgaria; resident at Bucharest; recommissioned on December 13, 1909, after confirmation. Later recommissioned as Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Romania, Serbia, and BulgariaNovember 14, 1909October 24, 1911.John Brinkerhoff JacksonAugust 12, 1911Commissioned as Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Romania, Serbia, and Bulgaria; resident at Bucharest.December 24, 1911October 28, 1913Charles J. Vopicka – Political AppointeeSeptember 11, 1913November 27, 1913July 10, 1920Peter Augustus Jay – Career FSOApril 18, 1921June 30, 1921May 9, 1925William S. Culbertson – Political AppointeeApril 28, 1925Commissioned during a recess of the Senate; recommissioned after confirmation on December 17, 1925.December 12, 1925April 15, 1928Charles S. Wilson – Career FSOJune 23, 1928Commissioned during a recess of the Senate; recommissioned after confirmation on January 23, 1929.October 13, 1928August 2, 1933Alvin Mansfield Owlsey – Political AppointeeJune 13, 1933September 15, 1933June 16, 1935Leland Harrison – Career FSOMay 15, 1935July 24, 1935September 3, 1937Franklin Mott Gunther – Career FSOJuly 31, 1937October 23, 1937December 22, 1941Romania declared war on U.S., December 12, 1941
Gunther died at Bucharest, December 22, 1941Rudolf E. Schoenfeld – Career FSOJuly 28, 1947September 25, 1947May 24, 1950James W. Gantenbein – Career FSOChargé d'Affaires ad interimSeptember 1950November 1952Harold Shantz – Career FSOEnvoy Extraordinary/Minister PlenipotentiarySeptember 27, 1952Commissioned during a recess of the Senate; recommissioned after confirmation on June 4, 1953.November 20, 1952August 30, 1955Robert H. Thayer – Political AppointeeAugust 17, 1955Commissioned during a recess of the Senate; recommissioned after confirmation on January 25, 1956.November 10, 1955December 12, 1957Clifton R. Wharton – Career FSOFebruary 5, 1958March 7, 1958October 21, 1960William A. Crawford – Career FSONovember 28, 1961Commissioned during a recess of the Senate; recommissioned after confirmation on January 30, 1962. Later promoted to Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Commissioned during a recess of the Senate; recommissioned after confirmation on January 18, 1965. John P. Shaw was serving as Chargé d'Affaires ad interim when the Legation in Bucharest was raised to Embassy status on June 1, 1964.February 10, 1962December 24, 1964Promoted to Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary William A. Crawford – Career FSOAmbassador Extraordinary and PlenipotentiaryDecember 4, 1964December 24, 1964October 10, 1965Richard H. Davis – Career FSOSeptember 24, 1965Commissioned to the Socialist Republic of Romania.December 16, 1965August 6, 1969Leonard C. Meeker – Political AppointeeJuly 22, 1969September 16, 1969May 10, 1973Harry G. Barnes, Jr. – Career FSODecember 19, 1973March 14, 1974November 10, 1977O. Rudolph Aggrey – Career FSOOctober 21, 1977November 22, 1977July 11, 1981David B. Funderburk – Political AppointeeOctober 2, 1981October 13, 1981May 13, 1985Roger Kirk – Career FSONovember 15, 1985November 29, 1985July 5, 1989Alan Green, Jr. – Political AppointeeOctober 10, 1989December 7, 1989January 11, 1992John R. Davis Jr. – Career FSODecember 2, 1991March 11, 1992August 9, 1994Alfred H. Moses – Political AppointeeSeptember 29, 1994December 14, 1994August 11, 1997James Carew Rosapepe – Political AppointeeNovember 10, 1997February 4, 1998March 1, 2001Michael E. Guest – Career FSOAugust 3, 2001September 24, 2001July 8, 2004Jack Dyer Crouch II – Political AppointeeMay 25, 2004July 16, 2004February 28, 2005Nicholas F. Taubman – Political AppointeeNovember 29, 2005December 5, 2005December 3, 2008Mark Gitenstein – Political AppointeeJuly 29, 2009August 28, 2009December 14, 2012Duane C. Butcher – Career FSOChargé d'affaires ad interimDecember 14, 2012July 2014Dean R. Thompson – Career FSOJuly 2014Chargé d'affaires a.i.September 20, 2015Hans G. Klemm – Career FSOAmbassador Extraordinary and PlenipotentiaryAugust 7, 2015September 21, 2015December 14, 2019Adrian Zuckerman - Political appointeeNovember 21, 2019December 17, 2019January 20, 2021David MunizChargé d'affaires ad interimJanuary 20, 2021February 14, 2023Kathleen Kavalec – Career FSOAmbassador Extraordinary and PlenipotentiaryDecember 15, 2022February 14, 2023May 20, 2025Michael Dickerson - Career FSOChargé d'affaires ad interimMay 20, 2025March 3, 2026Darryl Nirenberg - Political appointeeAmbassador Extraordinary and PlenipotentiaryDecember 18, 2025March 3, 2026Present
Notes
See also Embassy of Romania, Washington, D.C. Embassy of the United States, Bucharest Romania–United States relations Foreign relations of Romania Ambassadors of the United States
References United States Department of State: Background notes on Romania Flaviu Vasile, Rus, ed., The cultural and diplomatic relations between Romania and the United States of America. 1880-1920, Cluj-Napoca, Mega Publishing, 2018.
External links United States Department of State: Chiefs of Mission for Romania United States Department of State: Romania United States Embassy in Bucharest