List of ambassadors of the United States to Belgium facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Ambassador of the United States to Belgium |
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Seal of the United States Department of State
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 Michael M. Adler since March 15, 2022 |
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| Nominator | The President of the United States |
| Appointer | The President
with Senate advice and consent
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| Inaugural holder | Hugh S. Legaré as Chargé d'Affaires |
| Formation | 1832 |
| Website | U.S. Embassy - Brussels |
An ambassador is a special representative sent by one country to another. Their main job is to help keep good relationships between the two nations. They also look after their country's citizens living abroad.
The United States has had an ambassador in Belgium since 1832. This was soon after Belgium became its own country. Many important people have served as the U.S. Ambassador to Belgium. Some even went on to become very high-ranking officials in the U.S. government. These roles included Secretary of State (like Hugh S. Legaré), Secretary of Commerce (like Charles W. Sawyer), and head of the Federal Trade Commission (Joseph E. Davies).
Contents
Building Strong Ties: U.S. and Belgium
The friendship between Belgium and the U.S. became very strong during World War I. Brand Whitlock was the U.S. representative then. The U.S. was neutral, meaning it didn't pick sides in the war. Whitlock worked hard to bring food and help to millions of Belgians. They were in danger because of a British blockade and German occupation.
Post-War Cooperation
After World War II, U.S. ambassadors helped with big projects. One was the Marshall Plan, which helped rebuild Europe. They also worked on setting up the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). NATO is an alliance that helps keep peace and safety. Ambassadors also worked with the European Union, which is a group of European countries working together.
In 1944, President Franklin D. Roosevelt chose Charles W. Sawyer to be the ambassador. Roosevelt called Belgium "the crossroads of Europe" at the end of the war. Later, in the 1960s, John S.D. Eisenhower served as ambassador. He was the son of President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
United States Ambassadors to Belgium
This is a list of some of the people who have served as the top U.S. Ambassador to Belgium.
- Brand Whitlock 1919–1921
- Henry P. Fletcher 1922–1924
- William Phillips 1924–1927
- Hugh S. Gibson 1927–1933
- Dave Hennen Morris 1933–1937
- Hugh S. Gibson 1937–1938
- Joseph E. Davies 1938–1939
- John Cudahy 1940
- Anthony Joseph Drexel Biddle Jr. 1941–1943
- Charles W. Sawyer 1944–1945
- Alan Goodrich Kirk 1946–1949
- Robert Daniel Murphy 1949–1952
- Myron Melvin Cowen 1952–1953
- Frederick M. Alger Jr. 1953–1957
- John Clifford Folger 1957–1959
- William A. M. Burden 1959–1961
- Douglas MacArthur II 1961–1965
- Ridgway B. Knight 1965–1969
- John S. D. Eisenhower 1969–1971
- Robert Strausz-Hupé 1972–1974
- Leonard Firestone 1974–1977
- Anne Cox Chambers 1977–1981
- Charles H. Price II 1981–1983
- Geoffrey Swaebe 1983–1988
- Maynard W. Glitman 1988–1991
- Bruce Gelb 1991–1993
- Alan Blinken 1993–1997
- Paul L. Cejas 1997–2001
- Stephen Brauer 2001–2003
- Tom C. Korologos 2004–2007
- Sam Fox 2007–2009
- Wayne Bush 2009 (Acting)
- Howard W. Gutman 2009–2013
- Denise Campbell Bauer 2013–2017
- Ronald Gidwitz 2018–2021
- Nicholas Berliner 2021–2022 (Acting)
- Michael M. Adler 2022–present
See also
- Belgium – United States relations
- Foreign relations of Belgium
- Ambassadors of the United States
- List of Belgian ambassadors to the United States
- United States Ambassador to the European Union - also based in Brussels
