United States Ambassador to Ireland

There have been a total of 27 American ambassadors to Ireland, the outgoing ambassador as of 2006 is James C. Kenny who left office in October 2006. He was replaced by Thomas C. Foley. All except one, Frederick A. Sterling, have been non-career appointees, while there have been three under President George W. Bush.

List of Ambassadors

*Frederick A. Sterling
**Title: Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary
**Appointed: Feb 19, 1927
**Presentation of Credentials: Feb 27, 1927
**Termination of Mission: Left post, Mar 7, 1934
**Note: Commissioned to the Irish Free State.

*W.W. McDowell
**Title: Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary
**Appointment: Sep 13, 1933
**Note: Commissioned during a recess of the Senate; did not serve under this appointment.

*W.W. McDowell
**Title: Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary
**Appointment: Jan 15, 1934
**Presentation of Credentials: Mar 27, 1934
**Termination of Mission: Died at post, Apr 9, 1934
**Note: Commissioned to the Irish Free State.

*Alvin Mansfield Owsley
**Title: Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary
**Appointment: May 15, 1935
**Presentation of Credentials: Jun 27, 1935
**Termination of Mission: Left post, Jul 7, 1937

*John Cudahy
**Title: Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary
**Appointment: May 28, 1937
**Presentation of Credentials: Aug 23, 1937
**Termination of Mission: Left post, Jan 15, 1940

*David Gray
**Title: Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary
**Appointment: Feb 16, 1940
**Presentation of Credentials: Apr 15, 1940
**Termination of Mission: Left post, Jun 28, 1947
**Notes: Nephew of President Franklin D. Roosevelt

*George A. Garrett
**Title: Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary
**Appointment: Apr 10, 1947
**Presentation of Credentials: Jul 28, 1947
**Termination of Mission: Promoted to Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary

*George A. Garrett
**Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
**Appointment: Mar 17, 1950
**Presentation of Credentials: Apr 18, 1950
**Termination of Mission: Left post, May 27, 1951

*Francis P. Matthews
**Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
**Appointment: Jul 6, 1951
**Presentation of Credentials: Oct 22, 1951
**Termination of Mission: Left post, Sep 7, 1952

*William Howard Taft III
**Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
**Appointment: Apr 2, 1953
**Presentation of Credentials: May 13, 1953
**Termination of Mission: Left post, Jun 25, 1957

*Scott McLeod
**Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
**Appointment: May 9, 1957
**Presentation of Credentials: Jul 17, 1957
**Termination of Mission: Left Ireland, Mar 15, 1961

*Edward G. Stockdale
**Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
**Appointment: Mar 29, 1961
**Presentation of Credentials: May 17, 1961
**Termination of Mission: Left post, Jul 7, 1962

*Matthew H. McCloskey
**Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
**Appointment: Jul 12, 1962
**Presentation of Credentials: Jul 19, 1962
**Termination of Mission: Left post, Jun 7, 1964

*Raymond R. Guest
**Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
**Appointment: Mar 11, 1965
**Presentation of Credentials: Apr 28, 1965
**Termination of Mission: Left post, Jun 7, 1968

*Leo J. Sheridan
**Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
**Appointment: Sep 26, 1968
**Presentation of Credentials: Nov 1, 1968
**Termination of Mission: Left post, Jun 1, 1969

**John D.J. Moore
**Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
**Appointment: Apr 19, 1969
**Presentation of Credentials: Jun 23, 1969
**Termination of Mission: Left post, Jun 30, 1975

*Walter J.P. Curley Jr.
**Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
**Appointment: Jul 23, 1975
**Presentation of Credentials: Sep 18, 1975
**Termination of Mission: Left post, May 2, 1977

*William V. Shannon
**Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
**Appointment: Jun 22, 1977
**Presentation of Credentials: Jul 20, 1977
**Termination of Mission: Left post, Jun 7, 1981

*William E. McCann
**Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
**Note: Not commissioned; nomination of Mar 17, 1981 not acted upon by the Senate.

*Peter H. Dailey
**Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
**Appointment: Mar 15, 1982
**Presentation of Credentials: Apr 30, 1982
**Termination of Mission: Left post, Jan 15, 1984

*Robert F. Kane
**Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
**Appointment: Feb 28, 1984
**Presentation of Credentials: Mar 6, 1984
**Termination of Mission: May 29, 1985

*Margaret M. O'Shaughnessy Heckler
**Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
**Appointment: Dec 17, 1985
**Presentation of Credentials: Jan 30, 1986
**Termination of Mission: Left post, Aug 20, 1989

*Richard Anthony Moore
**Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
**Appointment: Aug 7, 1989
**Presentation of Credentials: Sep 19, 1989
**Termination of Mission: Left post, Jun 15, 1992

*William Henry Gerald FitzGerald
**Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
**Appointment: Jun 15, 1992
**Presentation of Credentials: Jun 26, 1992
**Termination of Mission: Left post, Jun 5, 1993

*Jean Kennedy Smith
**Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
**Appointment: Jun 17, 1993
**Presentation of Credentials: Jun 24, 1993
**Termination of Mission: Left post Sep 17, 1998

*Michael J. Sullivan
**Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
**Appointment: Oct 22, 1998
**Presentation of Credentials: Jan 21, 1999
**Termination of Mission: Left post Jun 20, 2001

*Richard J. Egan
**Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
**Appointment: Aug 29, 2001
**Presentation of Credentials: Sep 10, 2001
**Termination of Mission: Jan 31, 2003

*James C. Kenny
**Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
**Presentation of Credentials: 31 October, 2003
**Termination of Mission: 18 October 2006

*Thomas C. Foley
**Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
**Presentation of Credentials: 18 October, 2006