United States Ambassador To Libya - Ambassadors and Chiefs of Mission

Ambassadors and Chiefs of Mission

• Andrew Green Lynch – Career FSO
  • Title: Chargé d’Affaires a.i.
  • Appointed: December 24, 1951
  • Presented credentials: —
  • Terminated mission: Superseded by Ambassador Villard, March 6, 1952

• Henry Serrano Villard – Career FSO
  • Title: Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary
  • Appointed: February 7, 1952
  • Presented credentials: March 6, 1952
  • Terminated mission: Left post June 24, 1954

• Note: John Newton Gatch was serving as Chargé d’Affaires a.i. when the U.S. legation in Libya was raised to Embassy status on September 25, 1954.

• John L. Tappin – Political appointee
  • Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
  • Appointed: September 25, 1954
  • Presented credentials: November 16, 1954
  • Terminated mission: Superseded by Ambassador Jones March 17, 1958

• John Wesley Jones – Career FSO
  • Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
  • Appointed: February 5, 1958
  • Presented credentials: March 17, 1958
  • Terminated mission: Left Libya December 20, 1962

• Edwin Allan Lightner – Career FSO
  • Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
  • Appointed: May 3, 1963
  • Presented credentials: May 27, 1963
  • Terminated mission: Left post June 30, 1965

• David D. Newsom – Career FSO
  • Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
  • Appointed: July 22, 1965
  • Presented credentials: October 16, 1965
  • Terminated mission: Left post June 21, 1969

• Joseph Palmer II – Career FSO
  • Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
  • Appointed: July 8, 1969
  • Presented credentials: October 9, 1969
  • Terminated mission: Left post November 7, 1972

• No ambassador was appointed following Palmer. The following persons served as Chargé d’Affaires ad interim until closure of the embassy in 1980:
  • Harold G. Josif – November 1972 – December 1973
  • Robert A. Stein – December 1973 – December 1974
  • Robert Carle – January 1975 – August 1978
  • William L. Eagleton – August 1978 – February 1980

Note: U.S. Chargé d’Affaires William Eagleton was recalled February 8, 1980, and the U.S. Embassy at Tripoli closed May 2, 1980. However, diplomatic relations were not formally severed.

Note: The United States established an Interests Section at the Belgian Embassy in Tripoli, February 8, 2004. It became the U.S. Liaison Office on June 28, with Gregory L. Berry as the Principal Officer. On May 31, 2006, the U.S. resumed full diplomatic relations with Libya, and the Interests Section in Tripoli became an embassy, with Gregory L. Berry as Charge d'Affaires ad interim.

• Gregory L. Berry – Career FSO
  • Title: Chargé d’Affaires ad interim
  • Appointed: May 31, 2006
  • Presented credentials: –
  • Terminated mission: October 10, 2006

• Charles O. Cecil – Career FSO
  • Title: Chargé d’Affaires ad interim
  • Appointed: November 15, 2006
  • Presented credentials: —
  • Terminated mission: July 11, 2007

• Gene A. Cretz – Career FSO
  • Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
  • Appointed: December 17, 2008
  • Presented credentials: January 11, 2009
  • Terminated mission: December 28, 2010

• J. Christopher Stevens- Career FSO
  • Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
  • Appointed: May 22, 2012
  • Presented credentials: June 7, 2012
  • Terminated mission: September 11, 2012. Stevens was killed in a terrorist attack on the U.S consulate in Benghazi.

• Laurence Pope – Career FSO
  • Title: Chargé d'Affaires ad interim
  • Appointed: October, 2012
  • Presented credentials: —
  • Terminated mission: January 4, 2013

• William Roebuck - Career FSO
  • Title: Chargé d'Affaires ad interim
  • Appointed: —
  • Presented credentials: —
  • Terminated mission: Incumbent