Post: | Ambassador |
Body: | the United States to Bahrain |
Native Name: | سفير الولايات المتحدة في مملكة البحرين |
Insignia: | US Department of State official seal.svg |
Insigniasize: | 120 |
Insigniacaption: | Seal of the United States Department of State |
Incumbent: | Steven C. Bondy |
Incumbentsince: | February 9, 2022 |
Nominator: | The President of the United States |
Appointer: | The President |
Appointer Qualified: | with Senate advice and consent |
Inaugural: | John N. Gatch Jr. |
Formation: | 1971 |
The United States ambassador to Bahrain is the official representative of the president of the United States to the head of state of Bahrain. The current Ambassador to Bahrain is Steven C. Bondy who has been serving since February 9, 2022.
Until 1971, Bahrain had been part of a British protectorate along with the other sheikhdoms in the Persian Gulf. In 1971 the protectorate ended and seven of the other sheikhdoms joined in a federation to become the United Arab Emirates. Bahrain, however, did not join the federation but declared its independence on August 15, 1971. The United States recognized the State of Bahrain on the same day and moved to establish diplomatic relations.
The U.S. Embassy in Manama was opened on September 21, 1971, with John N. Gatch, Jr. as Chargé d'Affaires ad interim. Ambassador William A. Stoltzfus, Jr. presented his credentials to the government of Bahrain on February 17, 1972. Stoltzfus was concurrently the ambassador to Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates, while resident in Kuwait. The first ambassador commissioned solely to Bahrain was Joseph W. Twinam in 1974.[1]
John N. Gatch, Jr. – Career FSO | Chargé d'Affaires ad interim | September 21, 1971 | February 17, 1972 | |||
William Stoltzfus – Career FSO[2] | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | December 9, 1971 | February 17, 1972 | June 9, 1974 | ||
Joseph W. Twinam – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | May 24, 1974 | June 10, 1974 | August 10, 1976 | ||
Wat T. Cluverius IV – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | October 4, 1976 | October 23, 1976 | August 2, 1978 | ||
Robert Pelletreau – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | February 9, 1979 | March 10, 1979 | April 3, 1980 | ||
Peter Adams Sutherland – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | June 30, 1980 | July 12, 1980 | September 1, 1983 | ||
Donald C. Leidel – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | October 7, 1983 | November 12, 1983 | October 1, 1986 | ||
Sam H. Zakhem – Political appointee | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | September 12, 1986 | October 6, 1986 | August 1, 1989 | ||
Charles Warren Hostler – Political appointee | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | October 10, 1989 | October 28, 1989 | March 1, 1993 | ||
David S. Robins – Career FSO | Chargé d'Affaires ad interim | March 1, 1993 | July 18, 1994 | |||
David M. Ransom – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | July 5, 1994 | July 18, 1994 | July 28, 1997 | ||
Johnny Young – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | November 7, 1997 | December 11, 1997 | September 29, 2001 | ||
Ronald E. Neumann – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | September 17, 2001 | October 9, 2001 | June 7, 2004 | ||
William T. Monroe – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | July 2, 2004 | August 31, 2004 | August 5, 2007 | ||
J. Adam Ereli – Political appointee | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | July 2, 2007 | September 12, 2007 | January 14, 2011 | ||
Thomas C. Krajeski - Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | October 26, 2011 | November 22, 2011 | December 15, 2014 | ||
William V. Roebuck - Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | November 18, 2014 | January 20, 2015 | October 31, 2017 | ||
Justin Siberell - Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | July 27, 2017 | November 12, 2017 | July 13, 2020 | ||
Maggie Nardi | Chargé d'Affaires ad interim | July 13, 2020 | February 9, 2022 | |||
Steven C. Bondy | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | December 18, 2021 | February 9, 2022 | Incumbent |