United States Ambassador to Togo

Togoland was a German protectorate in West Africa from 1884 to 1914. The protectorate was established in 1884 when the German commissioner signed a treaty with the local chief, in which Germany declared a protectorate over a stretch of territory along the coast of the Bight of Benin.

In 1914 at the outbreak of The Great War, French and British forces invaded the colony and occupied the capital Lomé. In 1916 Togoland was divided into French and British administrative zones. Following the war, Togoland formally became a League of Nations mandate, divided for administrative purposes into French Togoland and British Togoland.

After World War II, the mandate became a United Nations trust territory administered by the United Kingdom and France. During the mandate and trusteeship periods, western Togo was administered as part of the British Gold Coast (now Ghana). In 1957, the residents of British Togoland voted to join the Gold Coast as part of the new independent nation of Ghana.

In 1955, French Togo became the autonomous Republic of Togo within the French union, although it retained its UN trusteeship status. In 1960 Togo severed its constitutional ties with France, shed its UN trusteeship status, and became fully independent.

The United States immediately recognized Togo and moved to establish diplomatic relations. The State Department established an embassy in Yaoundé in nearby Cameroon on January 1, 1960, with Bolard More as Chargé d’Affaires "ad interim". The Yaoundé embassy was simultaneously accredited to Togo. The embassy in Lomé was established on April 27, 1960, with Jesse M. MacKnight as Chargé d’Affaires "ad interim". On June 23, 1960, Leland Barrows was appointed as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Cameroon with separate accreditation to Togo while remaining resident in Yaoundé. He presented his credentials to the government of Togo on August 22, 1960. In 1961 a separate ambassador was appointed solely for Togo and resident at Lomé. The United States has maintained diplomatic relations with Togo since that date.

Note: The United States Department of State classifies ambassadors as career Foreign Service Officers (FSO) for those who have served in the Foreign Service for a specified amount of time. In the list below, ambassadors are listed as a “career FSO” or “political appointee” for those appointed by the President who were not career FSOs.

Ambassadors

*Leland BarrowsBarrows was accredited to Cameroon and Togo, while resident in Yaoundé.] Barrows’ commission to Togo was superseded by appointment of an ambassador to Togo.] – Career FSO
**Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
**Appointed: June 23, 1960
**Presented credentials: August 22, 1960
**Terminated mission: Superseded by ambassador to Togo June 27, 1961
*Leon B. Poullada – Career FSO
**Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
**Appointed: April 18, 1961
**Presented credentials: July 27, 1961
**Terminated mission: Left post February 24, 1964
*William Witman II – Career FSO
**Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
**Appointed: June 8, 1964
**Presented credentials: July 10, 1964
**Terminated mission: Left post May 8, 1967
*Albert W. Sherer, Jr.Sherer was commissioned during a recess of the Senate. He was renominated January 31, confirmed February 7, 1969, and recommissioned after confirmation. A nomination of Jan 9, 1969, was withdrawn before the Senate acted upon it.] Sherer was also accredited to Equatorial Guinea] During Sherer’s tenure as non-resident Ambassador to Equatorial Guinea, the Embassy in Santa Isabel (now Malabo) was opened August 1, 1969, with Albert N. Williams as Chargé d’Affaires "ad interim".] – Career FSO
**Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
**Appointed: September 13, 1967
**Presented credentials: October 13, 1967
**Terminated mission: Left post March 5, 1970
*Dwight Dickinson – Career FSO
**Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
**Appointed: September 8, 1970
**Presented credentials: October 8, 1970
**Terminated mission: Left post April 3, 1974
*Nancy V. Rawls – Career FSO
**Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
**Appointed: February 11, 1974
**Presented credentials: June 7, 1974
**Terminated mission: Left post August 8, 1976
*Ronald D. Palmer – Career FSO
**Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
**Appointed: September 16, 1976
**Presented credentials: October 28, 1976
**Terminated mission: Left post July 15, 1978
*Marilyn P. Johnson – Career FSO
**Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
**Appointed: September 23, 1978
**Presented credentials: November 3, 1978
**Terminated mission: Left post July 29, 1981
*Howard Kent Walker – Career FSO
**Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
**Appointed: March 9, 1982
**Presented credentials: April 19, 1982
**Terminated mission: Left post June 9, 1984
*Owen W. Roberts – Career FSO
**Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
**Appointed: June 28, 1984
**Presented credentials: July 31, 1984
**Terminated mission: Left post July 5, 1986
*David A. Korn – Career FSO
**Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
**Appointed: October 16, 1986
**Presented credentials: November 4, 1986
**Terminated mission: Left post April 4, 1988
*Rush Walker Taylor, Jr. – Career FSO
**Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
**Appointed: April 28, 1988
**Presented credentials: June 20, 1988
**Terminated mission: Left post September 4, 1990
*Harmon Elwood Kirby – Career FSO
**Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
**Appointed: October 22, 1990
**Presented credentials: December 3, 1990
**Terminated mission: Left post July 16, 1994
*Johnny Young – Career FSO
**Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
**Appointed: May 9, 1994
**Presented credentials: October 7, 1994
**Terminated mission: Left post November 21, 1997
*Brenda Schoonover – Career FSO
**Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
**Appointed: November 11, 1997
**Presented credentials: January 7, 1998
**Terminated mission: Left post July 30, 2000
*Karl William Hofmann – Career FSO
**Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
**Appointed: September 15, 2000
**Presented credentials: October 17, 2000
**Terminated mission: Left post December 14, 2002
*Gregory W. Engle – Career FSO
**Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
**Appointed: April 16, 2003
**Presented credentials: May 22, 2003
**Terminated mission: Left post April 1, 2005
*David B. Dunn – Career FSO
**Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
**Appointed: November 2, 2005
**Presented credentials: "Unknown"
**Terminated mission: "Incumbent"

Notes

ources

* [http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ho/po/com/11320.htm United States Department of State: Ambassadors to Togo]
* [http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ho/po/com/10446.htm United States Department of State: Ambassadors to Cameroon]
* [http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/5430.htm United States Department of State: Background notes on Togo]
* [http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/26431.htm United States Department of State: Background notes on Cameroon]
*StateDept 2006