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Senators Who Served as Ambassadors or Held Diplomatic Posts

Since 1789, 74 senators have served as ambassadors, and a total of 88 have served as ambassadors or held other diplomatic posts.  Some diplomatic titles have been abbreviated, a key to abbreviations is below.

Name & Senate Service Dates

Title

Country

Dates as Diplomat

John Quincy Adams (1803-1808)

Minister Resident

Minister Resident

Minister Plenipotentiary

EE/MP

Netherlands

Prussia

Russia

United Kingdom

1794-1797

1797-1801

1809-1814

1815-1817

John Armstrong (1802-1804)

Warren R. Austin (1931-1804)

Arthur P. Bagby (1841-1848)

Howard Baker (1967-1984)

James Barbour (1813-1826)

Richard H. Bayard (1836-1839;

1841-1845)

Minister Plenipotentiary

Representative

EE/MP

Ambassador

EE/MP

Charge d'Affaires

France

United Nations

Russia

Japan

United Kingdom

Belgium

1804-1810

1947-1953

1848-1849

2001-2005

1828-1829

1850-1853

Thomas F. Bayard (1869-1886)

Solon Borland (1847-1853)

Wiilam E. Brock III (1971-1977)

AE/P

EE/MP

U.S. Trade Rep.

Great Britian

Central America

1893-1897

1853-1854

1981-1985

Ethan Allen Brown (1822-1825)

James Buchanan (1834-1845)

Charge d'Affaires

EE/MP

EE/MP

Brazil

Russia

United Kingdom

1830-1834

1832-1833

1853-1856

Simon Cameron (1845-1849;

1857-1861; 1867-1877)

EE/MP

Russia

1862

George W. Campbell (1811-1814;

1815-1818)

EE/MP

Russia

1818-1820

Lewis Cass (1845-1857)

Person C. Cheney (1886-1887)

Isaac P. Christiancy (1875-1879)

Richard C. Clark (1973-1979)

EE/MP

EE/MP

EE/MP

Amb. at Large

France

Switzerland

Peru

1836-1842

1892-1893

1879-1881

1979

Powell Clayton (1871-1877)

Daniel Coats (1989-1999)

John Sherman Cooper (1946-

1949; 1952-1955; 1956-1973)

EEMP, AE/P

Amb.

AE/P

AE/P

Mexico

Germany

India & Nepal

German Dem.

Republic

1897-1905

2001-2005

1995-1956

1974-1976

Thomas Corwin (1845-1850)

William H. Crawford (1807-1813)

George M. Dallas (1831-1833)

 EE/MP

MP

EE/MP

EE/MP

  Mexico

France

Russia

United Kingdom

1861-1864

1813-1815

1837-1839

1856-1861

John Danforth ( 1976-1995)

William L. Dayton (1842-1851)

John A. Dix (1845-1849)

Augustus C. Dodge (1848-1855)

Peter H. Dominick (1963-1975)

John H. Eaton (1818-1829)

Walter E. Edge (1919-1929)

Powhatan Ellis (1825-1832)

AE/P

EE/MP

EE/MP

EE/MP

AE/P

EE/MP

AE/P

Charge d’Affaires

EE/MP

United Nations

France

France

Spain

Switzerland

Spain

France

Mexico

Mexico

2004-2005

1861-1864

1866-1869

1855-1859

1975

1836-1840

1929-1933

1836

1839-1842

James B. Eustis (1876-1879;

1885-1891)

AE/P

France

1893-1897

Edward Everett (1853-1854)

Homer Ferguson (1943-1955)

George G. Fogg (1866-1867)

John Forsyth (1818-1819;

1829-1834)

EE/MP

AE/P

Minister Resident

Minister Plenipotentiary

United Kingdom

Philippines

Switzerland

Spain

1841-1845

1955-1956

1861-1865

1819-1823

Wyche Fowler, Jr. (1987-1993)

James S. Green (1857-1861)

John P. Hale (1847-1853;

1855-1865)

Ambassador

Charge d’Affaires

EE/MP

Saudi Arabia

New Granada*

Spain

1997-2001

1853-1854

1865-1869

Hannibal Hamlin ( 1848-1849;

1869-1881)

EE/MP

Spain

1881-1882

Edward A. Hannegan (1843-1849)

Chic Hecht (1983-1989)

Robert Hendrickson (1949-1955)

William Hunter (1811-1821)

Thomas J. Jarvis (1894-1895)

Reverdy Johnson (1845-1849;

1863-1868)

EE/MP

AE/P

AE/P

CdA, EE/MP

EE/MP

EE/MP

Prussia

The Bahamas

New Zealand

Brazil

Brazil

England

1849-1850

1989-1993

1955-1956

1834-1843

1885-1888

1868-1869

George W. Jones (1848-1859)

Kenneth B. Keating (1959-1965)

MR

AE/P

AE/P

New Granada*

India

Israel

1859-1861

1969-1972

1973-1975

Frank B. Kellogg (1917-1923)

Rufus King (1789-1796;

1813-1825)

AE/P

MP

EE/MP

Great Britain

Great Britain

United Kingdom

1923-1925

1796-1803

1825-1826

William R. King (1819-1844;

1848-1852)

EE/MP

France

1844-1846

Robert C. Krueger (1993)

Ambassador at Large

1979-1981

Ambassador

Ambassador

Burundi

Botswana

1994-1996

1996-1999

Edward Livingston (1829-1831)

Henry C. Lodge, Jr. (1937-1944;

1947-1953)

EE/MP

Representative

AE/P

Amb. at Large

France

United Nations

Vietnam

1833-1835

1953-1960

1965-1967

1967-1968

AE/P

Personal Rep.

Germany

Vatican

1968-1969

1970-1977

Michael Mansfield (1953-1977)

Mack Mattingly (1981-1987)

Gale W. McGee (1959-1977)

George McGovern (1963-1981)

AE/P

AE/P

Perm. Rep.

Ambassador

Japan

Seychelles

OAS

UN Food and

Agriculture

Agency

1977-1988

1992-1993

1977-1981

1998-2001

Louis McLane (1827-1829)

EE/MP

EE/MP

United Kingdom

United Kingdom

1829-1831

1845-1846

Walter F. Mondale (1964-1976)

James Monroe (1790-1794)  

AE/P

MP

MP

Japan

France

Great Britain

1993-1996

1794-1796

1803-1807

Dwight W. Morrow (1930-1931)

Carol Moseley-Braun (1993-1999)

Daniel Patrick Moynihan (1977-2001)

Ambassador

Ambassador

AE/P

Mexico

New Zealand

India

1927-1930

1999-2001

1973-1975

Thomas W. Palmer (1883-1889)

Frank C. Partridge (1930-1931)

George H. Pendleton (1879-1885)

Samuel H. Piles (1905-1911)

Charles Pinckney (1789-1801)

William Pinkney (1819-1822)

EE/MP

EE/MP

EE/MP

EE/MP

Minister Plenipotentiary

Minister Plenipotentiary

EE/MP

Spain

Venezuela

Germany

Colombia

Spain

Great Britain

Russia

1889-1890

1893-1894

1885-1889

1922-1928

1801-1804

1808-1811

1816-1818

Miles Poindexter (1911-1932)

Matt W. Ransom (1872-1895)

William C. Rives (1832-1834;

1836-1839; 1841-1845)

AE/P

EE/MP

EE/MP

Peru

Mexico

France

1923-1928

1895-1897

1829-1832

Frederic M. Sackett (1925-1930)

Aaron A. Sargent (1873-1879)

James R. Sasser (1977-1995)

William B. Saxbe (1969-1974)

Carl Schurz (1869-1875)

James Semple (1843-1847)

Pierre Soule (1847; 1849-1853)

AE/P

EE/MP

AE/P

AE/P

EE/MP

Charge D'Affaires

EE/MP

Germany

Germany

China

India

Spain

New Granada*

Spain

1930-1933

1882-1884

1995-1999

1975-1976

1861

1837-1842

1853-1855

John P. Stockton (1865-1866;

1869-1875)

Minister Resident

Papal States

1858-1861

Richard B. Stone (1975-1980)

Ambassador at Large

1983-1984

Martin Van Buren**(1821-1828)

John Weller (1852-1857)

William Wilkins (1831-1834)

John Williams (1815-1823)

Joseph Wright (1862-1863)

EE/MP

EE/MP

EE/MP

Charge D’Affaires

EE/MP

United Kingdom

Mexico

Russia

Central America

Prussia

1831-1832

1860-1861

1834-1835

1825-1826

1857-1861

1865-1867

AE/P = Ambassador Extrodinary and Plenipotentiary

EE/MP = Envoy Extrodinary and Minister Plenipotentiary

Perm. Rep. = Permanent Representative

CdA = Charge d'Affaires

OAS = Organization of American States

* Colombia

**Nomination rejected by the Senate in January 1832 after he had begun his service.

Source: U.S. Department of State, Principal Officers of the Department og State and United States Chiefs of Mission, 1778-1990, Dept. of State Publication 9825, January 1991; news accounts.