This is a list of ambassadors of the United States to Burma. In 1989 the military government of Burma changed the name of the nation to Myanmar, but the United States government—and all other Western governments—do not accept the name and still refer to the country as Burma in official usage.
Burma became a province of India in 1886 under the British Raj. The country was occupied by Japan during World War II but after the war, again came under control of Britain. In 1946 Britain began negotiations with the Burmese to establish independence for the nation, and reached a final agreement on January 27, 1947. A transitional government was established and Burma became fully independent on January 4, 1948.
The United States recognized Burma and established the Embassy of the United States, Rangoon on September 19, 1947, with Earl L. Packer as Chargé d'Affaires ad interim.
After 1990 the United States appointed no ambassador to Burma in protest against the policies of the military regime. A chargé d'affaires became the head of mission until 2012.
Ambassadors
+Name TitleAppointedPresented credentialsTerminated mission NotesJ. Klahr HuddleHuddle was appointed during a recess of the Senate and recommissioned after confirmation on December 9, 1947. – Career FSOAmbassador Extraordinary and PlenipotentiaryOctober 17, 1947March 3, 1948November 28, 1949David McK. Key – Career FSOMarch 17, 1950April 26, 1950October 28, 1951William J. Sebald – Career FSOApril 25, 1952July 18, 1952July 15, 1954Joseph C. Satterthwaite – Career FSOApril 4, 1955May 10, 1955April 1, 1957Walter P. McConaughy – Career FSOMay 20, 1957August 20, 1957November 2, 1959William P. SnowSnow was commissioned during a recess of the Senate and recommissioned after confirmation on January 21, 1960. – Career FSONovember 9, 1959December 1, 1959May 4, 1961John Scott EvertonEverton was commissioned to the Socialist Republic of Burma. – Career FSOMay 4, 1961June 10, 1961May 21, 1963Henry A. Byroade – Career FSOSeptember 10, 1963October 7, 1963June 11, 1968Arthur W. Hummel, Jr. – Career FSOSeptember 26, 1968October 1968July 22, 1971Edwin W. Martin – Career FSOAugust 10, 1971October 1, 1971November 20, 1973David L. Osborn – Career FSOFebruary 28, 1974March 22, 1974July 25, 1977Osborn and subsequent ambassadors were commissioned to the Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma.Maurice Darrow Bean – Career FSOSeptember 19, 1977November 8, 1977August 10, 1979Patricia M. Byrne – Career FSONovember 27, 1979January 14, 1980September 14, 1983Daniel Anthony O'Donohue – Career FSONovember 14, 1983December 26, 1983December 16, 1986Burton Levin – Career FSOApril 7, 1987May 26, 1987September 30, 1990No ambassador was appointed to replace Levin. The U.S. was represented by a succession of chargés d'affaires.Derek Mitchell – Career FSOJuly 5, 2012July 11, 2012March 14, 2016Scot Marciel – Career FSOMarch 2, 2016April 27, 2016May 15, 2020Thomas Vajda – Career FSONovember 18, 2020January 19, 2021December 17, 2022
Chargés d'Affaires Franklin P. Huddle, Jr. (September 1990–September 1994) Marilyn Meyers (September 1994–October 1996) Kent M. Wiedemann (October 1996–May 1999) Priscilla A. Clapp (July 1999–August 2002) Carmen Maria Martinez (August 2002–August 2005) Shari Villarosa (August 2005–September 2008) Larry M. Dinger (September 9, 2008–August 2011) Michael Thurston (August 2011–July 11, 2012) Deb Lynn (December 17, 2022 – July 10, 2023) Susan N. Stevenson (July 10, 2023 – January 14, 2026) Douglas Sonnek (January 15, 2026 – Present)
Uncompleted appointments Frederick Vreeland was nominated to the ambassadorial post by President George H. W. Bush in 1990, but the Senate declined to act on the nomination. Parker W. Borg was nominated by President George H. W. Bush on July 22, 1991, but the Senate declined to act on the nomination. Michael J. Green was nominated by President George W. Bush in 2008 to fulfill a special envoy position delegated by the Tom Lantos Block Burmese JADE Act of 2008, but the nomination was not voted on by the end of the Bush Administration.
Notes
See also Burma – United States relations Foreign relations of Burma Ambassadors of the United States
References United States Department of State: Background notes on Burma
External links United States Department of State: Chiefs of Mission for Burma United States Department of State: Burma United States Embassy in Rangoon