The Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom is the ambassador-at-large who heads the Office of International Religious Freedom in the United States Department of State.
The position was created by the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998. The first ambassador-at-large was Bob Seiple who served from 1999 to 2001. He was succeeded by John Hanford who served from May 2002 until January 2009.
On June 15, 2010 President Barack Obama nominated Doctor Suzan Johnson Cook as his Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom. However, her nomination was put on hold in the Senate and therefore expired without a vote at the end of the 111th session of Congress on January 3, 2011.
She was renominated and confirmed on April 14, 2011. She was sworn in and began work on May 16, 2011.
Famous quotes containing the words united states, united, states, religious and/or freedom:
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—Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882–1945)
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confronted tanks, while others fled.
He stood for freedom for us all,
but few care now if he’s jailed or dead.”
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