The position of United States Ambassador to Australia has existed since 1940. U.S.–Australian relations have been close throughout the history of Australia. Before World War II, Australia was closely aligned with the United Kingdom, but it has strengthened its relationship with the United States since 1942, as Britain's influence in Asia has declined and the United States' influence has increased. At the governmental level, United States–Australia relationships are formalized by the ANZUS treaty and Australia-United States Free Trade Agreement.
| Ambassador of the United States to Australia | |
|---|---|
Seal of the United States Department of State | |
Flag of a United States ambassador | |
Incumbent since November 28, 2024Erika Olson Chargé d'affaires ad interim | |
| Inaugural holder | Clarence E. Gauss (as U.S. Minister to Australia) |
| Formation | 1940 |
| Website | Official website |
The embassy in Canberra has long been regarded as a desirable posting and hence has become a patronage position. U.S. Ambassadors to Australia have traditionally been friends, political allies, or former business associates of the current president. Some have been major donors to the president's election campaign or political party. Few have been career diplomats (Marshall Green was a conspicuous exception). The two ambassadors during the Bush Administration, for example, were Tom Schieffer, a former business associate of President Bush, and Robert McCallum Jr., a Bush college friend. In 1942, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's close associate and nominee to be U.S. Minister in Canberra, Edward J. Flynn, was forced to withdraw his nomination for the position following difficulties in the senate confirmation process. The actor Fess Parker was offered the post in 1985 by Ronald Reagan, after representing Reagan at an event in Australia. Parker considered it, but turned it down.
This arrangement has suited Australian governments, which welcome the ability of such ambassadors to gain direct access to the president, bypassing the State Department. However, this has often had the result of long periods without an appointed ambassador and additional delays in the Senate confirmation process, with the career diplomat deputy head of mission serving as chargé d’affaires ad interim, such as between February 2005 and August 2006, from September 2016 to February 2019, from January 2021 to July 2022 and since November 2024.
United States ambassadors to Australia
The following individuals have served as the U.S. ambassadors to Australia, or any precedent titles:
| Ordinal | Officeholder | Image | Term began | Term ended | Time in office | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Ministers to Australia | ||||||
| 1 | Clarence E. Gauss | July 17, 1940 | March 5, 1941 | |||
| 2 | Nelson T. Johnson | September 12, 1941 | April 20, 1945 | |||
| U.S. Ambassadors to Australia | ||||||
| 3 | Robert Butler | 1946 | 1948 | |||
| 4 | Myron M. Cowen | 1948 | 1949 | |||
| 5 | Pete Jarman | June 8, 1949 | July 31, 1953 | 4 years, 53 days | ||
| 6 | Amos J. Peaslee | August 12, 1953 | February 16, 1956 | |||
| 7 | Douglas M. Moffat | 1956 | 1956 | |||
| 8 | William J. Sebald | March 14, 1957 | October 31, 1961 | 4 years, 231 days | ||
| 9 | William C. Battle | July 13, 1962 | August 31, 1964 | 2 years, 49 days | ||
| 10 | Ed Clark | 1965 | 1967 | |||
| 11 | William H. Crook | 1968 | 1969 | |||
| 12 | Walter L. Rice | 1969 | 1973 | |||
| 13 | Marshall Green | June 8, 1973 | July 31, 1975 | |||
| 14 | James Ward Hargrove | 1976 | 1977 | |||
| 15 | Philip H. Alston | 1977 | 1981 | |||
| 16 | Robert D. Nesen | November 20, 1981 | May 2, 1985 | 3 years, 163 days | ||
| 17 | Laurence W. Lane | December 6, 1985 | April 29, 1989 | 3 years, 144 days | ||
| 18 | Melvin F. Sembler | October 10, 1989 | February 28, 1993 | 3 years, 141 days | ||
| 19 | Edward J. Perkins | November 24, 1993 | July 19, 1996 | 2 years, 238 days | ||
| 20 | Genta H. Holmes | April 11, 1997 | July 23, 2000 | 3 years, 103 days | ||
| 21 | Edward (Skip) Gnehm | August 30, 2000 | June 22, 2001 | 296 days | ||
| − | Michael P. Owens | June 22, 2001 | August 22, 2001 | 61 days | Chargé d’affaires | |
| 22 | Thomas Schieffer | August 23, 2001 | February 18, 2005 | 3 years, 179 days | ||
| − | William Stanton | February 19, 2005 | July 5, 2006 | 1 year, 136 days | Chargé d’affaires | |
| − | Michael P. Owens | July 5, 2006 | August 23, 2006 | 49 days | Chargé d’affaires | |
| 23 | Robert McCallum, Jr. | August 24, 2006 | January 20, 2009 | 2 years, 149 days | ||
| − | Daniel A. Clune | January 20, 2009 | November 26, 2009 | 310 days | Chargé d’affaires | |
| 24 | Jeff Bleich | November 26, 2009 | September 12, 2013 | 3 years, 290 days | ||
| − | J. Thomas Dougherty | September 12, 2013 | September 24, 2013 | 12 days | Chargé d’affaires | |
| 25 | John Berry | September 25, 2013 | September 20, 2016 | 2 years, 361 days | ||
| − | James Carouso | September 21, 2016 | March 12, 2019 | 2 years, 173 days | Chargé d’affaires | |
| 26 | Arthur B. Culvahouse Jr. | March 13, 2019 | January 19, 2021 | 1 year, 312 days | ||
| − | Michael B. Goldman | January 20, 2021 | July 25, 2022 | 1 year, 141 days | Chargé d’affaires | |
| 27 | Caroline Kennedy | July 25, 2022 | November 28, 2024 | 2 years, 129 days | ||
| − | Erika Olson | November 28, 2024 | 1 year, 20 days | Chargé d’affaires | ||
See also
- Australia–United States relations
- Ambassadors of the United States
- Embassy of the United States, Canberra
- Embassy of Australia, Washington, D.C.
- Ambassadors of Australia to the United States
- Consuls-General of Australia in New York
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