This is a list of ambassadors of the United States to Hungary.

Until 1867 Hungary had been part of the Austrian Empire, when the empire became Austria-Hungary. Hungary had no separate diplomatic relations with other nations. The United States had diplomatic relations with the empire and Austria-Hungary through the legation in Vienna.

The empire was dissolved following World War I, and the United States established separate diplomatic relations with Austria and Hungary in 1921, reopening the embassy in Vienna and establishing a legation in Budapest. Ulysses Grant-Smith opened the U.S. legation on December 26, 1921, and remained the chief of mission as chargé d'affaires until an ambassador was commissioned the following year.

For ambassadors to Austria-Hungary prior to the dissolution of the empire, see the list of ambassadors of the United States to Austria.

The United States Embassy in Hungary is located on Szabadság tér (Liberty Square) in the Pest part of Budapest.

Ambassadors +NameTitleAppointedPresented credentialsTerminated missionNotesUlysses Grant-Smith – Career FSOChargé d'Affaires pro temNot commissionedJanuary 24, 1922April 28, 1922Theodore Brentano – Political appointeeEnvoy Extraordinary and Minister PlenipotentiaryFebruary 10, 1922May 16, 1922Presented recall, May 6, 1927J. Butler Wright – Career FSOFebruary 26, 1927June 18, 1927Presented recall, October 24, 1930Nicholas Roosevelt – Political appointeeSeptember 29, 1930November 12, 1930May 9, 1933John Flournoy Montgomery – Political appointeeJune 13, 1933August 1, 1933March 17, 1941Herbert Claiborne Pell – Political appointeeFebruary 11, 1941May 20, 1941January 16, 1942Hungary severed diplomatic relations with the United States on December 11, 1941, the day the United States declared war on Germany. Hungary declared war on the United States two days later. Pell closed the legation and departed Hungary on January 16, 1942. The United States and Hungary established normal diplomatic relations again after the war ended in 1945.H.F. Arthur Schoenfeld – Career FSOEnvoy Extraordinary and Minister PlenipotentiaryDecember 15, 1945January 26, 1946June 1, 1947Selden Chapin – Career FSOApril 10, 1947July 9, 1947February 17, 1949Nathaniel P. Davis – Career FSOSeptember 1, 1949October 21, 1949May 18, 1951Christian M. Ravndal – Career FSOOctober 3, 1951January 11, 1952August 5, 1956Edward T. Wailes – Career FSOJuly 26, 1956Did not present credentialsleft post, February 27, 1957 Ambassador Wailes had been commissioned as ambassador during the Imre Nagy regime in Hungary, prior to the Hungarian Revolution of 1956. He arrived in Hungary on November 2, 1956, shortly after the new János Kádár government had been installed. Wailes refused to present his credentials to the new government, stating that the government "did not represent the people." Shortly thereafter he was "recalled for consultations" and he left Hungary on February 27, 1957.Garret G. Ackerson Jr.Chargé d'Affaires ad interimJuly 1957UnknownFebruary 1961Horace G. Torbert Jr.February 1961December 1962Owen T. JonesDecember 1962July 1964Elim O'ShaughnessyNovember 1964September 1966Richard W. TimsSeptember 1966October 1967Martin J. Hillenbrand – Career FSOAmbassador Extraordinary and PlenipotentiarySeptember 13, 1967October 30, 1967February 15, 1969Legation upgraded to embassy; title upgraded to "Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary".Alfred Puhan – Career FSOAmbassador Extraordinary and PlenipotentiaryMay 1, 1969June 16, 1969July 9, 1973Richard F. Pedersen – Career FSOAmbassador Extraordinary and PlenipotentiaryJuly 24, 1973September 10, 1973March 26, 1975Eugene V. McAuliffe – Career FSOAmbassador Extraordinary and PlenipotentiaryMarch 25, 1975April 28, 1975April 15, 1976Philip M. Kaiser – Political appointeeAmbassador Extraordinary and PlenipotentiaryJuly 7, 1977August 4, 1977March 9, 1980Harry E. Bergold Jr. – Political appointeeAmbassador Extraordinary and PlenipotentiaryMarch 3, 1980March 31, 1980November 9, 1983Nicolas M. Salgo – Political appointeeAmbassador Extraordinary and PlenipotentiaryOctober 7, 1983November 23, 1983August 1, 1986Robie Marcus Hooker Palmer – Career FSOAmbassador Extraordinary and PlenipotentiaryJuly 24, 1986December 8, 1986January 31, 1990Charles H. Thomas – Career FSOAmbassador Extraordinary and PlenipotentiaryJune 27, 1990July 2, 1990January 11, 1994Donald M. Blinken – Political appointeeAmbassador Extraordinary and PlenipotentiaryMarch 28, 1994April 1, 1994November 20, 1997Peter Francis Tufo – Political appointeeAmbassador Extraordinary and PlenipotentiaryNovember 10, 1997December 3, 1997March 1, 2001Nancy Goodman Brinker – Political appointeeAmbassador Extraordinary and PlenipotentiaryAugust 7, 2001September 26, 2001June 19, 2003George H. Walker III – Political appointeeAmbassador Extraordinary and PlenipotentiaryAugust 4, 2003October 6, 2003August 6, 2006April H. Foley – Political appointeeAmbassador Extraordinary and PlenipotentiaryMay 30, 2006August 18, 2006April 2, 2009Eleni Tsakopoulos Kounalakis – Political appointeeAmbassador Extraordinary and PlenipotentiaryJanuary 7, 2010January 11, 2010July 20, 2013M. André GoodfriendChargé d’Affaires ad interimAugust 18, 2013n/aJanuary 20, 2015Colleen Bradley Bell – Political appointeeAmbassador Extraordinary and PlenipotentiaryDecember 14, 2014January 21, 2015January 20, 2017David KostelancikChargé d’Affaires ad interimJanuary 20, 2017n/aJune 22, 2018David B. Cornstein – Political appointeeAmbassador Extraordinary and PlenipotentiaryFebruary 13, 2018June 22, 2018October 30, 2020Marc DillardChargé d’Affaires ad interimOctober 30, 2020n/aAugust 10, 2022B. Bix AliuChargé d'Affaires ad interimAugust 10, 2022n/aSeptember 14, 2022Served as Chargé d'Affaires until the arrival of the appointed Ambassador, David Pressman.David Pressman – Political appointeeAmbassador Extraordinary and PlenipotentiaryAugust 8, 2022Ambassador US EmbassySeptember 14, 2022January 13, 2025David HolmesChargé d'Affaires ad interimJanuary 13, 2025n/aMarch 7, 2025Robert PalladinoChargé d'Affaires ad interimMarch 7, 2025n/aNovember 20, 2025Caroline SavageChargé d'Affaires ad interimNovember 21, 2025n/aIncumbent

Notes

References

See also Ambassadors to Hungary — Photographs of U.S. Ambassadors to Hungary 1941–2001 (PDF) Hungary – United States relations Foreign relations of Hungary Ambassadors of the United States

References United States Department of State: Background notes on Hungary

External links United States Department of State: Chiefs of Mission for Hungary United States Department of State: Hungary United States Embassy in Budapest