The United States ambassador to Libya is the official representative of the president of the United States to the head of state of Libya.

History Until its independence in 1951, Libya had been a colony of Italy (1912–1947) and then under British and French occupation until 1951. In 1949 The UN General Assembly had passed a resolution stating that Libya should become independent before January 1, 1952 (Resolution 289). On December 24, 1951, Libya declared its independence under King Idris.

The United States recognized the Kingdom of Libya on December 24, 1951, in a congratulatory message sent by President Harry Truman to King Idris I. Diplomatic relations were established on the same day and the U.S. Consulate-General was elevated to a legation with Andrew Lynch designated as Charge d'Affaires ad interim. The first official envoy to Libya was Henry Serrano Villard, who presented his credentials on March 6, 1952.

On December 2, 1979, a mob attacked and burned the U.S. Embassy in Tripoli. On December 29, the U.S. Department of State designated Libya as a state sponsor of terrorism. The Chargé d’Affaires was recalled on February 8, 1980 and the embassy was closed May 2, 1980. However, diplomatic relations were not formally severed. Diplomatic relations were not resumed until 2006.

The U.S. Embassy in Tripoli was closed and all diplomatic personnel were evacuated on February 25, 2011, due to the Libyan civil war. The embassy of Hungary in Tripoli acted as the protecting power for U.S. interests from the closure of the embassy until its reopening on September 22, 2011.

On July 15, U.S. Secretary of State Clinton announced that the U.S. Government recognizes the Libyan rebel National Transitional Council as the "legitimate governing authority" of Libya—which de facto withdraws recognition from the Gaddafi government. On September 12, 2012 the US ambassador to Libya was killed in an attack on the Benghazi consulate, along with three other embassy employees.

The U.S Embassy was again evacuated and closed on July 26, 2014. Embassy staff totaling approximately 150 personnel, including about 80 U.S Marines, were evacuated overland to Tunisia during a military assisted departure. USAF F-16's provided armed overwatch for the embassy convoy as they drove through Libya. The evacuation was due to major fighting around the embassy related to the 2014 Libyan Civil War.

However, the United States did not sever diplomatic relations with Libya. Working from the U.S. Embassies in Valletta, Malta and, after August 2015, Tunis, Tunisia under the authority of the U.S. Ambassador to Libya, U.S. diplomats in the Libya External Affairs Office maintained regular dialogue with the provisional Libyan Government.Chiefs of Mission for Libya

Ambassadors and chiefs of mission +NameTitleAppointedPresented credentialsTerminated missionNotesAndrew Green Lynch – Career FSOPrior to establishment of the embassy, Lynch had been the Consul-General in Libya.Chargé d'Affaires a.i.December 24, 1951— Chargés d’affaires do not have official status as ambassadors and do not necessarily present credentials.Superseded by Ambassador Villard, March 6, 1952Henry Serrano Villard – Career FSOEnvoy Extraordinary and Minister PlenipotentiaryFebruary 7, 1952March 6, 1952June 24, 1954 John Newton Gatch was serving as Chargé d’Affaires a.i. when the U.S. legation in Libya was raised to Embassy status on September 25, 1954.John L. Tappin – Political appointeeTappin was commissioned during a recess of the Senate and recommissioned after confirmation on January 24, 1955.Ambassador Extraordinary and PlenipotentiarySeptember 25, 1954November 16, 1954Superseded by Ambassador Jones March 17, 1958John Wesley Jones – Career FSOFebruary 5, 1958March 17, 1958Left Libya December 20, 1962Edwin Allan Lightner – Career FSOMay 3, 1963May 27, 1963June 30, 1965David D. Newsom – Career FSOJuly 22, 1965October 16, 1965June 21, 1969Joseph Palmer II – Career FSOJuly 8, 1969October 9, 1969November 7, 1972Harold G. JosifChargé d'Affaires ad interimNovember 1972December 1973Robert A. SteinDecember 1973December 1974Robert CarleJanuary 1975August 1978William L. EagletonAugust 1978February 8, 1980Recalled February 8, 1980 following breakdown of diplomatic relations.The U.S. Embassy at Tripoli closed May 2, 1980. However, diplomatic relations were not formally severed. The United States established an Interests Section at the Belgian Embassy in Tripoli, February 8, 2004. It became the U.S. Liaison Office on June 28, with Gregory L. Berry as the Principal Officer. On May 31, 2006, the U.S. resumed full diplomatic relations with Libya, and the Interests Section in Tripoli became an embassy, with Gregory L. Berry as Charge d'Affaires ad interim.Gregory L. Berry – Career FSOChargé d'Affaires ad interimMay 31, 2006–October 10, 2006Charles O. Cecil – Career FSONovember 15, 2006—July 11, 2007Gene A. Cretz – Career FSOAmbassador Extraordinary and PlenipotentiaryDecember 17, 2008January 11, 2009May 15, 2012J. Christopher Stevens – Career FSOMay 22, 2012June 7, 2012September 12, 2012. Stevens was killed in a terrorist attack on the U.S consulate in Benghazi.Laurence Pope – Career FSOChargé d'Affaires ad interimOctober 11, 2012 Ethan A. Goldrich, Chargé d'Affaires a.i. – biography—January 4, 2013William Roebuck – Career FSOJanuary 4, 2013—May 2013Deborah K. Jones – Career FSOAmbassador Extraordinary and PlenipotentiaryMay 2013June 20, 2013September 12, 2015Peter W. Bodde – Career FSONovember 19, 2015January 21, 2016June 20, 2018Richard B. Norland – Career FSOAugust 1, 2019August 8, 2019September 8, 2022Leslie Ordeman - Career FSOChargé d'Affaires ad interim September 8, 2022August 23, 2023Richard B. Norland – Career FSOSpecial Envoy and Chargé d'Affaires ad interimAugust 24, 2023October 9, 2023Jeremy Berndt - Career FSOChargé d'Affaires ad interimOctober 9, 2023August 2026Inga Heemink - Career FSOChargé d'Affaires ad interimAugust 2026Present

Notes

See also Libya–United States relations Foreign relations of Libya Ambassadors of the United States

References United States Department of State: Background notes on Libya

External links

United States Department of State: Chiefs of Mission for Libya United States Department of State: Libya United States Embassy in Tripoli