List of ambassadors of the United States to Denmark

Ambassador of the United States of America to the Kingdom of Denmark
Ambassador of the United States of America to the Kingdom of Denmark
	United States ambassador flag
	Incumbent; Alan Leventhal; since July 1, 2022
	U.S. Department of State; Embassy of the United States, Copenhagen
Style	The Honorable (formal); Mr. Ambassador (informal)
Reports to	U.S. Secretary of State
Residence	Rydhave
Seat	Copenhagen, Denmark
Nominator	The President
Appointer	The President; with the advice and consent of the Senate
Term length	At the pleasure of the President; No fixed term
Inaugural holder	Henry Wheaton; as Chargé d’Affaires
Formation	March 3, 1827
Website	dk.usembassy.gov

The first representative from the United States to Denmark was appointed in 1827 as a chargé d'affaires. There followed a series of chargés and ministers until 1890 when the first full ambassador (envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary) was appointed. The title was changed to Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary in 1946. The ambassador's offices are housed within the Embassy of the United States, Copenhagen.

List of ambassadors

Rydhave, the residence of the U.S. ambassador in Copenhagen

Chargé d'Affaires (1827–1854)

Name	Appointed	Presented credentials	Terminated mission
Henry Wheaton	March 3, 1827	September 20, 1827	Presented recall on or shortly before May 29, 1835
Jonathan F. Woodside	March 3, 1835	September 1, 1835	Paid farewell calls on June 29, 1841
Isaac Rand Jackson	May 20, 1841^[1]	October 12, 1841	July 27, 1842 †
William W. Irwin	March 3, 1843	June 19, 1847	Presented recall on June 12, 1847
Robert P. Flenniken	January 11, 1847	June 12, 1847	Presented recall on September 15, 1849
Walter Forward	October 8, 1850^[2]	June 15, 1850	Recalled on September 10, 1851^[3]
Andrew J. Ogle	January 22, 1852^[4]
Miller Grieve	August 30, 1852	December 15, 1852	Left post on or after June 23, 1853
Henry Bedinger	May 24, 1853^[5]	October 13, 1853	Promoted to Minister Resident on September 23, 1854

Minister Resident (1854–1876)

Name	Appointed	Presented credentials	Terminated mission
Henry Bedinger	May 29, 1854^[6]	September 23, 1854	Presented recall on August 10, 1858
James M.Buchanan	May 11, 1858	August 10, 1858	Presented recall on May 10, 1861
Bradford R. Wood	March 22, 1861	August 18, 1861	Presented recall on November 15, 1865
Samuel J. Kirkwood	March 11, 1863^[7]
George H. Yeaman	August 25, 1865^[8]	November 20, 1865	Presented recall on November 7, 1870
Christopher Columbus Andrews	April 16, 1869^[9]
Michael J. Cramer	September 9, 1870^[10]	November 7, 1870	Presented recall on October 2, 1876

Chargé d'Affaires (1876–1882)

Name	Appointed	Presented credentials	Terminated mission
Michael J. Cramer	August 15, 1876	October 2, 1876	Presented recall on August 12, 1881
Adam Badeau	N/A^[11]
Charles Payson	July 30, 1881^[12]	August 12, 1881	Left post on January 23, 1882
J. P. Wickersham	May 1, 1882	June 13, 1882	Promoted to Minister Resident/Consul General August 21, 1882

Minister Resident/Consul General (1882–1890)

Name	Appointed	Presented credentials	Terminated mission
J. P. Wickersham	July 13, 1882	August 21, 1882	Notified the Government of Denmark from in Paris September 8, 1882
Wickham Hoffman	February 27, 1883	May 4, 1883	Presented recall on June 1, 1885
Rasmus B. Anderson	April 2, 1885	May 1, 1885	Presented recall on August 28, 1889
John A. Enander	March 13, 1889^[13]
Clark E. Carr	May 16, 1889^[14]	August 28, 1889	Promoted to Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary on July 30, 1890

Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary (1890–1947)

Name	Appointed	Presented credentials	Terminated mission
Clark E. Carr	July 30, 1890	September 22, 1890	Presented recall on July 14, 1893
John E. Risley	March 27, 1893	July 14, 1890	Presented recall on December 11, 1897
Laurits S. Swenson	October 4, 1897^[15]	December 11, 1897	Presented recall on May 27, 1905
Thomas J. O'Brien	March 6, 1905	May 27, 1905	Left post on June 5, 1907
Maurice Francis Egan Political appointee	June 10, 1907^[16]	September 6, 1907	Left post on December 16, 1917
Norman Hapgood Political appointee	April 16, 1919^[17]	June 17, 1919	Left post on December 9, 1919
Joseph C. Grew Career FSO	April 7, 1920	June 9, 1920	Left post on October 14, 1921
John Dyneley Prince Political appointee	August 24, 1921	November 23, 1921	Presented recall on March 30, 1926
Henry Percival Dodge Career FSO	February 23, 1926	August 24, 1926	Left post on March 1, 1930
Ralph H. Booth Political appointee	January 22, 1930	June 13, 1930	Relinquished charge on May 11, 1931
Frederick W. B. Coleman Political appointee	September 23, 1931^[18]	February 10, 1932	Appointment terminated on May 1, 1933
Ruth Bryan Owen Political appointee	April 13, 1933^[19]	May 29, 1933	Left post on June 27, 1936
Alvin Mansfield Owsley Political appointee	May 28, 1937	June 16, 1937	Left post on May 15, 1939
Ray Atherton Career FSO	August 7, 1939	September 8, 1939	Left post on June 5, 1940^[20]^[21]
Monnett B. Davis Career FSO	June 8, 1945	June 21, 1945^[22]	Left post on January 10, 1946
Josiah Marvel Jr. Political appointee	March 13, 1946	April 23, 1946	Promoted to Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary on February 27, 1947

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary (1947–)

Name	Appointed	Presented credentials	Terminated mission
Josiah Marvel Jr. Political appointee	February 27, 1947	March 18, 1947	Left post on March 4, 1949
Eugenie Anderson Political appointee	October 20, 1949	December 22, 1949	Left post on January 19, 1953
Robert D. Coe Career FSO	July 29, 1953	September 25, 1953	Relinquished charge on June 1, 1957
Val Peterson Political appointee	June 26, 1957	August 22, 1957	Left post on February 21, 1961
William McCormick Blair, Jr. Political appointee	March 29, 1961	May 9, 1961	Left post on May 17, 1964
Katharine Elkus White Political appointee	April 8, 1964	June 2, 1964	Left post on September 9, 1968
Angier Biddle Duke Political appointee	September 26, 1968	October 3, 1968	Left post on May 1, 1969
Guilford Dudley Jr. Political appointee	May 13, 1969	June 18, 1969	Left post on November 2, 1971
Fred J. Russell Political appointee	November 5, 1971	December 9, 1971	Left post on November 4, 1972
Philip K. Crowe Political appointee	July 16, 1973	September 13, 1973	Left post on September 27, 1975
John Gunther Dean Career FSO	October 23, 1975	November 6, 1975	Left post on July 18, 1978
Warren Demian Manshel Political appointee	June 22, 1978	July 31, 1978	Left post on March 6, 1981
John Langeloth Loeb, Jr. Political appointee	July 30, 1981	October 13, 1981	Left post on September 13, 1983
Terence A. Todman Career FSO	October 3, 1983	November 17, 1983	Left post on January 8, 1989
Keith Lapham Brown Political appointee	November 2, 1988^[23]	January 8, 1989	Left post on January 16, 1992
Richard B. Stone Political appointee	November 21, 1991	February 10, 1992	Left post on October 14, 1993
Edward Elliot Elson Political appointee	November 22, 1993	January 18, 1994	Left post on June 25, 1998
Richard Swett Political appointee	June 29, 1998	September 8, 1998	Left post on July 6, 2001
Stuart A. Bernstein Political appointee	August 3, 2001	September 3, 2001	Left post on January 16, 2005
James Cain Political appointee	August 2, 2005	September 9, 2005	Left post on January 23, 2009
Laurie S. Fulton Political appointee	July 15, 2009	August 3, 2009	Left post on February 15, 2013
Rufus Gifford Political appointee	July 15, 2013	August 13, 2013	Left post on January 20, 2017
Carla Sands Political appointee	November 2, 2017	December 15, 2017	Left post on January 20, 2021
Alan Leventhal Political appointee	June 15, 2022	July 1, 2022	Incumbent

Notes

^ Jackson was commissioned during a recess of the Senate and recommissioned after confirmation on June 29, 1841.
^ Forward was commissioned during a recess of the Senate and recommissioned after confirmation on February 19, 1850.
^ No record has been found of presentation of letter of recall or departure from post.
^ Ogle did not proceed to his post. (Presumably due to illness. He died later in the year.)
^ Bedinger was commissioned during a recess of the Senate and recommissioned after confirmation on February 8, 1854.
^ Bedinger was nominated on February 25, 1856, to be Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary but the nomination withdrawn before the Senate acted upon it.
^ Kirkwood declined the appointment.
^ Yeaman was commissioned during a recess of the Senate and recommissioned after confirmation on January 22, 1866.
^ Andrews took the oath of office, but did not proceed to his post.
^ Camer was commissioned during a recess of the Senateand recommissioned after confirmation on February 4, 1871.
^ Badeau's nomination was withdrawn before the Senate acted upon it.
^ Payson was commissioned during a recess of the Senate and recommissioned after Senate confirmation on October 29, 1881.
^ Enander took the oath of office but did not proceed to his post.
^ Carr was commissioned during a recess of the Senate and recommissioned after confirmation on January 9, 1890.
^ Swenson was commissioned during a recess of the Senate and recommissioned after confirmation by the Senate on December 18, 1897.
^ Egan was commissioned during a recess of the Senate and recommissioned after confirmation on December 12, 1907.
^ Hapgood was commissioned during a recess of the Senate.
^ Coleman was commissioned during a recess of the Senate and recommissioned after confirmation on December 17, 1931.
^ A commission of the same date as Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Denmark and Iceland was canceled.
^ German forces occupied Copenhagen, April 9, 1940
^ Atherton was still holding office as Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Denmark when he was recommissioned as such on July 8, 1943, in connection with additional appointments as Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Canada and Luxembourg, resident at Ottawa. R. Borden Reams was serving as Chargé d’Affaires ad interim when the legation in Copenhagen was closed, December 20, 1941.
^ The mission at Copenhagen was reopened as a legation June 16, 1945, with Minister Davis in charge pending presentation of his letter of credence.
^ Brown was commissioned during a recess of the Senate and recommissioned after confirmation on August 3, 1989.

References

United States Department of State: Background notes on Denmark
This article incorporates public domain material from U.S. Bilateral Relations Fact Sheets. United States Department of State.

External links

[Jackson-1] Jackson was commissioned during a recess of the Senate and recommissioned after confirmation on June 29, 1841.

[Forward1-2] Forward was commissioned during a recess of the Senate and recommissioned after confirmation on February 19, 1850.

[Forward2-3] No record has been found of presentation of letter of recall or departure from post.

[Ogle-4] Ogle did not proceed to his post. (Presumably due to illness. He died later in the year.)

[Bedinger1-5] Bedinger was commissioned during a recess of the Senate and recommissioned after confirmation on February 8, 1854.

[Bedinger2-6] Bedinger was nominated on February 25, 1856, to be Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary but the nomination withdrawn before the Senate acted upon it.

[Kirkwood-7] Kirkwood declined the appointment.

[Yeaman-8] Yeaman was commissioned during a recess of the Senate and recommissioned after confirmation on January 22, 1866.

[Andrews-9] Andrews took the oath of office, but did not proceed to his post.

[Cramer-10] Camer was commissioned during a recess of the Senateand recommissioned after confirmation on February 4, 1871.

[Badeau-11] Badeau's nomination was withdrawn before the Senate acted upon it.

[Payson-12] Payson was commissioned during a recess of the Senate and recommissioned after Senate confirmation on October 29, 1881.

[Enander-13] Enander took the oath of office but did not proceed to his post.

[Carr-14] Carr was commissioned during a recess of the Senate and recommissioned after confirmation on January 9, 1890.

[Swenson-15] Swenson was commissioned during a recess of the Senate and recommissioned after confirmation by the Senate on December 18, 1897.

[Egan-16] Egan was commissioned during a recess of the Senate and recommissioned after confirmation on December 12, 1907.

[Hapgood-17] Hapgood was commissioned during a recess of the Senate.

[Coleman-18] Coleman was commissioned during a recess of the Senate and recommissioned after confirmation on December 17, 1931.

[Owen-19] A commission of the same date as Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Denmark and Iceland was canceled.

[Atherton1-20] German forces occupied Copenhagen, April 9, 1940

[Atherton2-21] Atherton was still holding office as Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Denmark when he was recommissioned as such on July 8, 1943, in connection with additional appointments as Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Canada and Luxembourg, resident at Ottawa. R. Borden Reams was serving as Chargé d’Affaires ad interim when the legation in Copenhagen was closed, December 20, 1941.

[Davis-22] The mission at Copenhagen was reopened as a legation June 16, 1945, with Minister Davis in charge pending presentation of his letter of credence.

[Brown-23] Brown was commissioned during a recess of the Senate and recommissioned after confirmation on August 3, 1989.

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