List of ambassadors of the United States to Hungary

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

Ambassador of the United States to Hungary
Seal of the United States Department of State
Incumbent
Marc Dillard
Chargé d'Affaires
since October 30, 2020
NominatorThe President of the United States
AppointerThe President
with Senate advice and consent
Inaugural holderUlysses Grant-Smith
as Chargé d'Affaires pro tem
FormationDecember 26, 1921
Final holderDavid B. Cornstein
WebsiteU.S. Embassy - Budapest

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 United States Ambassador to Austria.

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

Ambassadors
  • Ulysses Grant-Smith[1] – Career FSO
    • Title: Chargé d'Affaires pro tem
    • Appointed: Not commissioned
    • Presented credentials: January 24, 1922
    • Terminated mission: Left post, April 28, 1922
  • Theodore Brentano – Political appointee
    • Title: Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary
    • Appointed: February 10, 1922
    • Presented credentials: May 16, 1922
    • Terminated mission: Presented recall, May 6, 1927
  • J. Butler Wright – Career FSO
    • Title: Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary
    • Appointed: February 26, 1927
    • Presented credentials: June 18, 1927
    • Terminated mission: Presented recall, October 24, 1930
  • Nicholas Roosevelt[2] – Political appointee
    • Title: Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary
    • Appointed: September 29, 1930
    • Presented credentials: November 12, 1930
    • Terminated mission: Left post, May 9, 1933
  • John Flournoy Montgomery – Political appointee
    • Title: Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary
    • Appointed: June 13, 1933
    • Presented credentials: August 1, 1933
    • Terminated mission: Left post, March 17, 1941
  • Herbert Claiborne Pell – Political appointee
    • Title: Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary
    • Appointed: February 11, 1941
    • Presented credentials: May 20, 1941
    • Terminated mission: Left post, January 16, 1942
  • Note: Hungary severed diplomatic relations with the United States on December 11, 1941, the same day on which the United States declared war on Germany. Hungary declared war on the United States two days later, December 13. Ambassador Pell closed the legation and departed Hungary on January 16, 1942. The United States and Hungary again established normal diplomatic relations after the war in 1945.
  • H.F. Arthur Schoenfeld – Career FSO
    • Title: Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary
    • Appointed: December 15, 1945
    • Presented credentials: January 26, 1946
    • Terminated mission: Left post, June 1, 1947
  • Selden Chapin[3][4] – Career FSO
    • Title: Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary
    • Appointed: April 10, 1947
    • Presented credentials: July 9, 1947
    • Terminated mission: Left post February 17, 1949
  • Nathaniel P. Davis – Career FSO
    • Title: Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary
    • Appointed: September 1, 1949
    • Presented credentials: October 21, 1949
    • Terminated mission: Left post, May 18, 1951
  • Christian M. Ravndal – Career FSO
    • Title: Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary
    • Appointed: October 3, 1951
    • Presented credentials: January 11, 1952
    • Terminated mission: Left post, August 5, 1956
  • Edward T. Wailes – Career FSO
    • Title: Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary
    • Appointed: July 26, 1956
    • Presented credentials: Did not present credentials
    • Terminated mission: left post, February 27, 1957
  • Note: Ambassador Wailes had been commissioned as ambassador during the Imre Nagy regime in Hungary, prior to the Hungarian Revolution of 1956. The ambassador arrived in Hungary on November 2, 1956, shortly after the new János Kádár government had been installed. Upon Wailes’ arrival in Hungary, he 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 left Hungary on February 27, 1957.[5]
  • Note: From 1957 until 1967, no ambassador was commissioned to Hungary. The following persons served as Chargé d'Affaires ad interim.
    • Garret G. Ackerson, Jr. (July 1957–February 1961)
    • Horace G. Torbert, Jr. (February 1961–December 1962)
    • Owen T. Jones (December 1962–July 1964)
    • Elim O'Shaughnessy (November 1964–September 1966)
    • Richard W. Tims (September 1966–October 1967)
  • Note: Legation Budapest was raised to embassy status on November 28, 1966. As a result the U.S. representative would bear the rank of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary.
  • Martin J. Hillenbrand – Career FSO
    • Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
    • Appointed: September 13, 1967
    • Presented credentials: October 30, 1967
    • Terminated mission: Left post, February 15, 1969
  • Alfred Puhan – Career FSO
    • Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
    • Appointed: May 1, 1969
    • Presented credentials: June 16, 1969
    • Terminated mission: Left post, July 9, 1973
  • Richard F. Pedersen – Career FSO
    • Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
    • Appointed: July 24, 1973
    • Presented credentials: September 10, 1973
    • Terminated mission: Left post, March 26, 1975
  • Eugene V. McAuliffe – Career FSO
    • Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
    • Appointed: March 25, 1975
    • Presented credentials: April 28, 1975
    • Terminated mission: Left post, April 15, 1976
  • Philip M. Kaiser – Political appointee
    • Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
    • Appointed: July 7, 1977
    • Presented credentials: August 4, 1977
    • Terminated mission: Left post, March 9, 1980
  • Harry E. Bergold, Jr. – Political appointee
    • Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
    • Appointed: March 3, 1980
    • Presented credentials: March 31, 1980
    • Terminated mission: Left post, November 9, 1983
  • Nicolas M. Salgo – Political appointee
    • Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
    • Appointed: October 7, 1983
    • Presented credentials: November 23, 1983
    • Terminated mission: Left post, August 1, 1986
  • Robie Marcus Hooker Palmer – Career FSO
    • Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
    • Appointed: July 24, 1986
    • Presented credentials: December 8, 1986
    • Terminated mission: Left post, January 31, 1990
  • Charles H. Thomas – Career FSO
    • Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
    • Appointed: June 27, 1990
    • Presented credentials: July 2, 1990
    • Terminated mission: Left post, January 11, 1994
  • Donald M. Blinken – Political appointee
    • Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
    • Appointed: March 28, 1994
    • Presented credentials: April 1, 1994
    • Terminated mission: Left post, November 20, 1997
  • Peter Francis Tufo – Political appointee
    • Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
    • Appointed: November 10, 1997
    • Presented credentials: December 3, 1997
    • Terminated mission: Left post March 1, 2001
  • Nancy Goodman Brinker – Political appointee
    • Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
    • Appointed: August 7, 2001
    • Presented credentials: September 26, 2001
    • Terminated mission: Left post June 19, 2003
  • George H. Walker III – Political appointee
    • Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
    • Appointed: August 4, 2003
    • Presented credentials: October 6, 2003
    • Terminated mission: Left post August 6, 2006
  • April H. Foley – Political appointee
    • Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
    • Appointed: May 30, 2006
    • Presented credentials: August 18, 2006
    • Terminated mission: Left post April 2, 2009
  • Eleni Tsakopoulos Kounalakis – Political appointee
    • Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
    • Appointed: January 7, 2010
    • Presented credentials: January 11, 2010
    • Terminated mission: July 20, 2013
  • Colleen Bradley Bell – Political appointee
    • Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
    • Appointed: December 14, 2014
    • Presented credentials: January 21, 2015
    • Terminated mission: January 20, 2017
  • David B. Cornstein – Political appointee
    • Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
    • Appointed: February 13, 2018
    • Presented credentials: June 22, 2018

Notes
  1. Grant-Smith was not commissioned. His letter of credence was dated December 27, 1921. He had opened the legation on December 26 and had been granted provisional recognition as Chargé d’Affaires.
  2. Roosevelt was commissioned during a recess of the Senate and recommissioned after confirmation on December 16, 1930.
  3. Chapin was declared persona non grata by the government of Hungary on February 11, 1949 and departed Hungary on February 17.
  4. The government of Hungary had accused Chapin of conspiring with Cardinal Mindszenty. Source: Time magazine, June 6, 1955, Google Books: U.S. Department of State–A Reference History, by Elmer Plischke
  5. Time magazine, “Diplomats at Work”, March 25, 1957

See also

References
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