Reference list

British envoys and ambassadors to the United States of America (1791–2009)

The first minister sent from Great Britain to the United States was appointed in 1791 with the status of minister-plenipotentiary. Until 1893 the British diplomatic representative in the USA had the standing of envoy-extraordinary and minister-plenipotentiary; from then the rank of the British representative was raised from envoy to ambassador. From 1803 the British representatives were resident in Washington.

In addition to the envoys and ambassadors listed below, three British diplomatic representatives conducted special missions to the United States: in 1807, George Henry Rose (1770–1855); in 1842, Alexander Baring, first Baron Ashburton (1773–1848)

; and in 1854, James Bruce, eighth earl of Elgin and twelfth earl of Kincardine (1811–1863)


1791–1795	George Hammond (1763–1853)
1796–1800	Robert Liston (1742–1836)
1803–1806	Anthony Merry (1756–1835)
1806–1809	David Montagu Erskine (1776–1855)
1809–1811	Francis James Jackson (1770–1814)
1811–1812	Augustus John Foster (1780–1848)
1815–1820	Charles Bagot (1781–1843)
1820–1824	Stratford Canning (1786–1880)
1825–1835	Sir Charles Richard Vaughan (1774–1849)
1836–1844	Henry Stephen Fox (1791–1846)
1844–1847	Richard Pakenham (1797–1868)
1849–1852	(William) Henry Lytton Earle Bulwer (1801–1872)
1852–1856	John Fiennes Twisleton Crampton (1805–1886)
1857–1858	Francis Napier, tenth Lord Napier of Merchistoun (1819–1898)
1858–1865	Richard Bickerton Pemell Lyons, second Baron Lyons (1817–1887)
1865–1867	Sir Frederick William Adolphus Wright-Bruce (1814–1867)
1867–1881	Sir Edward Thornton (1817–1906)
1881–1888	Lionel Sackville Sackville-West (1827–1908)
1889–1902	Julian Pauncefote, Baron Pauncefote (1828–1902)
1902–1903	Sir Michael Henry Herbert (1857–1903)
1903–1906	Sir (Henry) Mortimer Durand (1850–1924)
1907–1913	James Bryce (1838–1922)
1913–1918	Sir Cecil Arthur Spring-Rice (1859–1918)
1918–1919	Rufus Daniel Isaacs, earl of Reading (1860–1935)
1920–1924	Sir Auckland Campbell Geddes (1879–1954)
1924–1930	Sir Esme William Howard (1863–1939)
1930–1939	Sir Ronald Charles Lindsay (1877–1945)
1939–1940	Philip Henry Kerr, eleventh marquess of Lothian (1882–1940)
1941–1946	Edward Frederick Lindley Wood, first earl of Halifax (1881–1959)
1946–1948	Archibald John Kerr Clark Kerr, Baron Inverchapel (1882–1951)
1948–1952	Sir Oliver Shewell Franks (1905–1992)
1952–1956	Sir Roger Mellor Makins (1904–1996)
1956–1961	Sir Harold Anthony Caccia (1905–1990)
1961–1965	(William) David Ormsby Gore, fifth Baron Harlech (1918–1985)
1965–1969	Sir Patrick Henry Dean (1909–1994)
1969–1971	John Freeman (b. 1915)
1971–1974	(George) Rowland Stanley Baring, third earl of Cromer (1918–1991)
1974–1977	Sir Peter Edward Ramsbotham (1919–2010)
1977–1979	Peter Jay (b. 1937)
1979–1982	Sir (John) Nicholas Henderson (1919–2009)
1982–1986	Sir (John) Oliver Wright (1921–2009)
1986–1991	Sir Antony Arthur Acland (b. 1930)
1991–1995	Sir Robin William Renwick (b. 1937)
1995–1997	Sir John Olav Kerr (b. 1942)
1997–2003	Sir Christopher John Rome Meyer (b. 1944)
2003–2007	Sir David Geoffrey Manning (b. 1949)
2007–[2012]	Sir Nigel Elton Sheinwald (b. 1953)

‘British envoys and ambassadors to the United States of America (1791–2009)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, Jan 2005; online edn, Jan 2013 [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/theme/93626, accessed ]

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