List of ambassadors of the United States to the Bahamas


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 had 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 In May 2020, President Trump nominated William A. Douglass for the position; his nomination was eventually withdrawn by President Joe Biden in February 2021.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. He was confirmed in the senate on October 7, 2025, becoming the first confirmed ambassador to the Bahamas since 2011.

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.
RepresentativeTitlePresentation
of credentials		Termination
of mission		President
Moncrieff J. SpearChargé d'Affaires ad interimRichard Nixon
Ronald I. SpiersAmbassador Extraordinary and PlenipotentiaryRichard Nixon
Seymour WeissAmbassador Extraordinary and PlenipotentiaryGerald Ford
Jack B. OlsonAmbassador Extraordinary and PlenipotentiaryGerald Ford
William Bernstein Schwartz Jr.Ambassador Extraordinary and PlenipotentiaryJimmy Carter
Lev E. DobrianskyAmbassador Extraordinary and PlenipotentiaryRonald Reagan
Carol Boyd HallettAmbassador Extraordinary and PlenipotentiaryRonald Reagan
Mayer Jacob HechtAmbassador Extraordinary and PlenipotentiaryGeorge H. W. Bush
Lino GutierrezChargé d'Affairs ad interimBill Clinton
John S. FordChargé d'Affairs ad interimBill Clinton
Sidney WilliamsAmbassador Extraordinary and PlenipotentiaryBill Clinton
Arthur Louis SchechterAmbassador Extraordinary and PlenipotentiaryBill Clinton
Arthur Louis SchechterAmbassador Extraordinary and PlenipotentiaryGeorge W. Bush
Daniel A. CluneCharge d'Affaires ad interimGeorge W. Bush
J. Richard BlankenshipAmbassador Extraordinary and PlenipotentiaryGeorge W. Bush
Robert M. WitajewskiChargé d'Affairs ad interimGeorge W. Bush
John D. RoodAmbassador Extraordinary and PlenipotentiaryGeorge W. Bush
D. Brent HardtChargé d'Affaires ad interimGeorge W. Bush
Ned SiegelAmbassador Extraordinary and PlenipotentiaryGeorge W. Bush
Timothy Zúñiga-BrownChargé d'Affaires ad interimBarack Obama
Nicole AvantAmbassador Extraordinary and PlenipotentiaryBarack Obama
John W. DinkelmanChargé d'Affaires ad interimBarack Obama
Lisa A. JohnsonChargé d'Affaires ad interimBarack Obama
Lisa A. JohnsonChargé d'Affaires ad interimDonald Trump
James HerrenChargé d'Affaires ad interimDonald Trump
Stephanie BowersChargé d'Affaires ad interimDonald Trump
Usha E. PittsChargé d'Affaires ad interimJoe Biden
Jason CrosbyChargé d'Affaires ad interimJoe Biden
Michael P. TaylorChargé d'Affaires ad interimJoe Biden
Kimberly FurnishChargé d'Affaires ad interim December 4, 2025Joe Biden
Kimberly FurnishChargé d'Affaires ad interim December 4, 2025Donald Trump
Herschel WalkerAmbassador Extraordinary and PlenipotentiaryDecember 9, 2025 presentDonald Trump

General references

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