The United States ambassador to Syria is the official representative of the president of the United States to the president of Syria.
From the partitioning of the Ottoman Empire in 1922 until 1944, Syria had been under the control of France as a part of the League of Nations Mandate for Syria and the Lebanon. The United States appointed George Wadsworth as agent and consul general to Syria and Lebanon on October 9, 1942, to provide a quasi-diplomatic presence in Damascus until the United States determined that Syria achieved effective independence in 1944. The United States recognized Syria as an independent state on September 8, 1944, when the Syrian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jamil Mardam Bey, informed the United States that Syria fully recognized and would protect existing rights of the United States and its nationals. This Syrian assurance was in response to a letter sent on September 7, 1944, by the U.S. diplomatic agent and consul general in Syria that offered "full and unconditional recognition" upon receipt of such written assurances. The United States established diplomatic relations with Syria when George Wadsworth presented his credentials as Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary on November 17, 1944. Wadsworth was concurrently the envoy to Syria and Lebanon while resident in Beirut.
Egypt and Syria united to form a new state, the United Arab Republic (UAR) on February 22, 1958 with its capital in Cairo. The U.S. recognized the UAR and the embassy in Damascus was reclassified as a consulate general. Syria seceded from the Union in 1961 and U.S.–Syria diplomatic relations were reestablished on October 10, 1961. The consulate general was once again elevated to embassy status.
Syria severed diplomatic relations with the U.S. on June 6, 1967 in the wake of the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. In the interim a U.S. Interests Section in Syria was established on February 8, 1974, in the Italian Embassy with Thomas J. Scotes as Principal Officer. Normal relations were resumed in 1974.
The U.S. recalled its ambassador to Syria in 2005 after the assassination of Rafic Hariri. A series of chargés d’affaires represented the U.S. until the appointment of Robert Stephen Ford in January 2011.
Ambassadors and chiefs of mission +NameTitleAppointedPresented credentialsTerminated missionNotesGeorge Wadsworth – Career FSOWadsworth was oncurrently commissioned to Syria and Lebanon while resident in Beirut.Envoy Extraordinary and Minister PlenipotentiarySeptember 21, 1944November 17, 1944February 8, 1947Served as Diplomatic Agent/Consul General from October 1942 to November 1944James Hugh Keeley, Jr. – Career FSOOctober 8, 1947August 2, 1948July 22, 1950Cavendish W. Cannon – Career FSOSeptember 20, 1950October 30, 1950May 8, 1952James S. Moose, Jr. – Career FSOMoose was commissioned during a recess of the Senate and recommissioned after confirmation on Jun 4, 1953.Ambassador Extraordinary and PlenipotentiaryJune 25, 1952August 14, 1952June 30, 1957On September 30, 1952, the U.S. delegation in Damascus was upgraded to embassy status. This required a promotion and new commission for the envoy.Charles Yost – Career FSOAmbassador Extraordinary and PlenipotentiaryDecember 24, 1957January 16, 1958Embassy downgraded to consulate status, February 22, 1958Syria joined Egypt to form the United Arab Republic on February 22, 1958. The U.S. embassy in Damascus was downgraded to consulate status. After Syria seceded from the UAR, the consulate was reestablished as an embassy on October 10, 1961.Ridgway B. Knight – Career FSOChargé d'Affaires ad interimOctober 10, 1961—Promoted to Ambassador January 11, 1962Ridgway B. Knight – Career FSOKnight was commissioned during a recess of the Senate and recommissioned after confirmation on January 30, 1962.Ambassador Extraordinary and PlenipotentiaryDecember 7, 1961January 11, 1962May 27, 1965Hugh H. Smythe – Political appointeeAmbassador Extraordinary and PlenipotentiaryJuly 22, 1965October 28, 1965Jun 8, 1967Syria severed diplomatic relations with the U.S. on June 6, 1967. Ambassador Smythe departed Syria two days later. The U.S. established an Interests Section on February 8, 1974 in the Italian embassy with Thomas J. Scotes as principal officer. The embassy in Damascus was reestablished on June 16, 1974, with Scotes as Chargé d'Affaires ad interim.Thomas J. Scotes – Career FSOChargé d'Affaires ad interimJune 16, 1974—Superseded by Ambassador Murphy, September 9, 1974Richard W. Murphy – Career FSOAmbassador Extraordinary and PlenipotentiaryAugust 9, 1974September 9, 1974April 23, 1978Talcott W. Seelye – Career FSOJuly 31, 1978September 17, 1978August 31, 1981Robert P. Paganelli – Career FSOSeptember 28, 1981November 12, 1981June 13, 1984William L. Eagleton, Jr. – Career FSOOctober 4, 1984December 6, 1984August 31, 1988Edward Peter Djerejian – Career FSOAugust 12, 1988October 2, 1988July 25, 1991Christopher W.S. Ross – Career FSOAugust 2, 1991September 25, 1991March 22, 1998Ryan Crocker – Career FSOJune 29, 1998June 6, 1999June 30, 2001Theodore H. Kattouf – Career FSOAugust 7, 2001January 12, 2002August 23, 2003Margaret Scobey – Career FSODecember 12, 2003January 10, 2004February 16, 2005Ambassador Scobey was recalled "for urgent consultations" on February 15, 2005, after the assassination of Rafic Hariri. Several chargés represented the U.S. until January 2011.Stephen A. SecheChargé d'Affaires a.i2005N/A2006Michael H. Corbin2006N/A2008Maura Connelly2008N/A2009Charles F. Hunter2009N/A2011Robert Stephen Ford – Career FSORecess appointment; expires at the end of 2011 unless confirmed by the Senate. Ambassador Extraordinary and PlenipotentiaryDecember 29, 2010January 27, 2011February 28, 2014 Syria severed diplomatic relations with United States in 2012 in response to its support of the Syrian rebels during the Syrian Civil War. The U.S. established an Interests Section on February 6, 2012 in the Polish Embassy in Damascus, until the Polish Embassy closed. Since March 1, 2013, a new Interests Section operates via the Government of the Czech Republic through its embassy in Damascus. Only emergency services for U.S. citizens are available. Neither U.S. passports nor visas to the United States can be issued in Damascus.Daniel RubinsteinSpecial Envoy March 7, 2014 N/AJuly 27, 2015Michael RatneyJuly 27, 2015 N/AJanuary 20, 2017Joel RayburnJuly 23, 2018N/AJanuary 19, 2021Tom BarrackMay 23, 2025N/AMay 29, 2026
See also Embassy of the United States, Damascus Embassy of Syria, Washington, D.C. Syria – United States relations Foreign relations of Syria Ambassadors of the United States
References
United States Department of State: Background notes on Syria
External links United States Department of State: Chiefs of Mission for Syria United States Department of State: Syria United States Embassy in Damascus