Ambassador of the United States to Brunei
Seal of the United States Department of State
Flag of the United States Ambassador
Incumbent
Caryn McClelland
since May 24, 2022
StyleHis or Her Excellency (formal)
Mr. or Madam Ambassador (informal)
Reports toUnited States Secretary of State
ResidenceBandar Seri Begawan
AppointerPresident of the United States
with the advice and consent of the Senate
Term lengthAt the pleasure of the President
Inaugural holderBarrington King
as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
FormationApril 12, 1984
WebsiteU.S. Embassy - Bandar Seri Begawan

The United States ambassador to Brunei is the official representative of the president of the United States and the American government to the monarch and government of Brunei.[1] The position is held by Caryn McClelland, who presented her credentials to Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah on May 24, 2022.[2]

History

Until 1984, Brunei was a self-governing protectorate of the United Kingdom. In 1979 Brunei and the United Kingdom signed a new treaty of friendship and cooperation, and on January 1, 1984, Brunei became a fully independent state.

The United States recognized Brunei immediately. On January 1, 1984, the same day Brunei became independent, the former U.S. Consulate in Bandar Seri Begawan was upgraded to embassy status with Douglas Ellice as Principal Officer and Chargé d’Affaires ad interim. The first ranking U.S. ambassador to Brunei was commissioned on April 12 of the same year.

The United States Embassy in Brunei is located in Bandar Seri Begawan.

List of ambassadors

U.S. diplomatic terms

Career FSO
After 1915, The United States Department of State began classifying ambassadors as career Foreign Service Officers (FSOs) for those who have served in the Foreign Service for a specified amount of time.

Political appointee
A person who is not a career foreign service officer, but is appointed by the president (often as a reward to political friends).

Appointed
The date that the ambassador took the oath of office; also known as "commissioning". It follows confirmation of a presidential appointment by the Senate, or a Congressional recess appointment by the president. In the case of a recess appointment, the ambassador requires subsequent confirmation by the Senate to remain in office.

Presented credentials
The date that the ambassador presented his letter of credence to the head of state or appropriate authority of the receiving nation. At this time the ambassador officially becomes the representative of his country. This would normally occur a short time after the ambassador's arrival on station. The host nation may reject the ambassador by not receiving the ambassador's letter, but this occurs only rarely.

Terminated mission
Usually the date that the ambassador left the country. In some cases a letter of recall is presented, ending the ambassador's commission, either as a means of diplomatic protest or because the diplomat is being reassigned elsewhere and replaced by another envoy.

Chargé d'affaires
The person in charge of the business of the embassy when there is no ambassador commissioned to the host country.

Ad interim
Latin phrase meaning "for the time being", "in the meantime".
Name Portrait Appointment Presentation Termination Appointer Notes
Barrington King April 12, 1984 May 28, 1984 April 30, 1987 Ronald Reagan
Thomas Crooks Ferguson July 15, 1987 July 2, 1987 April 9, 1989
Christopher Hallowell Phillips October 10, 1989 November 28, 1989 October 31, 1991 George H. W. Bush
Donald Burnham Ensenat August 11, 1992 September 26, 1992 June 13, 1993
Theresa Anne Tull October 8, 1993 January 5, 1994 April 30, 1996 Bill Clinton
Glen Robert Rase July 2, 1996 September 16, 1996 June 6, 1999
Sylvia Gaye Stanfield August 9, 1999 November 3, 1999 August 28, 2002
Gene Burl Christy November 15, 2002 January 24, 2003 July 18, 2005 George W. Bush
Emil Mark Skodon June 27, 2005 November 1, 2005 August 1, 2008
William Edward Todd July 14, 2008 September 15, 2008 June 6, 2010
John William McIntyre June 6, 2010 March 28, 2011 Barack Obama Chargé d'Affaires
Daniel Luke Shields March 28, 2011 April 5, 2011 November 22, 2014[3]
Craig Boyd Allen December 19, 2014 March 9, 2015 July 20, 2018
Matthew John Matthews January 7, 2019 April 15, 2019 May 20, 2020 Donald Trump †
Scott E. Woodard 20 May, 2020[4] - August 2020 Chargé d'Affaires
Emily M. Fleckner August 2020[5] - May 24, 2022
Caryn McClelland December 18, 2021 May 24, 2022 Incumbent Joe Biden

See also

References

  1. ^ "Recent Ambassadors to the United Kingdom". uk.usembassy.gov. Retrieved 2021-04-10.
  2. ^ U.S. Embassy Bandar Seri Begawan [@USEmbassyBSB] (May 24, 2022). "Ambassador Caryn McClelland and Commander Samuel Kim were excited to be at Istana Nurul Iman today to present the Ambassador's credentials to His Majesty the Sultan!" (Tweet). Retrieved May 26, 2022 – via Twitter.
  3. ^ "Daniel L. Shields 3rd - People - Department History - Office of the Historian".
  4. ^ "East Asia/Southeast Asia :: Brunei — The World Factbook". Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Retrieved 24 July 2020.
  5. ^ "Chargé d'Affaires Emily M. Fleckner". US Embassy in Brunei Darussalam. Archived from the original on 1 October 2020. Retrieved 1 October 2020.

External links

Ambassadors of the United States
Categories