The Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Bahamas, usually simply called U.S. Ambassador to the Bahamas, is an official position and title appointed by the president of the United States and confirmed by the United States Senate by majority vote. The ambassador oversees diplomatic relations and foreign policy between the United States and the Bahamas. The ambassador lives in Nassau, the nation's capital.
Due to political disputes, the United States Senate has not confirmed an ambassador to the Bahamas since November 2011, with the post either remaining vacant or held by interim appointees who are not ambassadors. Cassandra Butts, nominated for the post by President Barack Obama in 2013, died of leukemia in 2016, having spent more than two years awaiting a vote on her appointment. President Donald Trump nominated Doug Manchester in 2017 but the nomination stalled and he eventually withdrew. In May 2020, President Trump nominated William A. Douglass for the position; his nomination was eventually withdrawn by President Joe Biden in February 2021. In May 2022, President Biden nominated Calvin Smyre for the position. As of December 2024, Smyre's nomination remained pending before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. On December 18, 2024, President-elect Donald Trump announced that he had nominated Herschel Walker to serve in the role.
List of U.S. ambassadors to the Bahamas
The following is a list of United States ambassadors, or other chiefs of mission, to The Bahamas. The title given by the United States State Department to this position is currently Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary.
See also
- Bahamas – United States relations
- Foreign relations of the Bahamas
- Ambassadors of the United States
References
General references
- "U.S. Diplomatic chiefs of mission to Bahamas". The Political Graveyard. March 10, 2005. Retrieved September 6, 2007.
- United States Department of State: Background notes on the Bahamas
- This article incorporates public domain material from U.S. Bilateral Relations Fact Sheets. United States Department of State.
Inline citations
External links
- United States Department of State: Chiefs of Mission for Bahamas
- United States Department of State: the Bahamas
- United States Embassy in Nassau
