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June C. Perry, U.S. Ambassador to Lesotho
In the 19th century, the area of Southern Africa that is now Lesotho was populated by the Basotho people. Their lands
became a single polity (state) under paramount chief Moshoeshoe I in 1822.
The state was recognized by Britain in
1843 as Basutoland (or Basotholand).
In order to protect his people from usurpations of his land by Voertrekkers of the Orange Free
State, Moshoeshoe appealed to Queen Victoria for
assistance, and in 1868 Basutoland was placed under British protection. Thus
Basutoland became a member of the British Empire.
In 1955 the Basutoland Council requested the British government
to legislate its own internal affairs, and in 1959 a new
constitution gave Basutoland its first elected legislature. This
was followed in April 1965 with general legislative elections with
universal adult suffrage.
Along with most of the Empire’s other colonies and
protectorates, Basutoland gained full independence from Britain in
the 1960s. The nation was granted full autonomy on April 30, 1965.
On October 4, 1966, Basutoland was granted independence, governed
by a constitutional monarchy with a bicameral parliament. At the
same time the name of the country was changed to Lesotho.
The United States immediately recognized Lesotho after the
nation gained its independence. An embassy in Maseru was established on October 4, 1966,
Lesotho’s independence day. Richard St. F. Post was appointed as chargé
d'affaires ad
interim pending the arrival of an ambassador. The first
ambassador, Charles J. Nelson was appointed on June 9, 1971.
Ambassadors
U.S. diplomatic terms
Career FSO
After 1915, The
United States Department
of State began classifying ambassadors as career
Foreign Service Officers
(FSOs) for those who have served in the Foreign Service for a
specified amount of time.
Political appointee
A person who is not a career foreign service officer, but is
appointed by the president (often as a reward to political
friends).
Appointed
The date that the ambassador took the oath of office; also known as
“commissioning”. It follows confirmation of a presidential
appointment by the
Senate, or a
Congressional-recess appointment by
the president. In the case of a recess appointment, the ambassador
requires subsequent confirmation by the Senate.
Presented credentials
The date that the ambassador presented his
letter of credence to the head of state or
appropriate authority of the receiving nation. At this time the
ambassador officially becomes the representative of his country.
This would normally occur a short time after the ambassador’s
arrival on station. The host nation may reject the ambassador by
not receiving the ambassador’s letter, but this occurs only
rarely.
Terminated mission
Usually the date that the ambassador left the country. In some
cases a letter of recall is presented, ending the ambassador’s
commission, either as a means of diplomatic protest or because the
diplomat is being reassigned elsewhere and replaced by another
envoy.
Chargé d’affaires
The person in charge of the business of the embassy when there is
no ambassador commissioned to the host country. See
chargé
d’affaires.
ad interim
Latin phrase meaning "for the
time being", "in the meantime". See
ad interim.
- Note: Pending appointment of the first
ambassador, the following officers served as chargé d'affaires
ad interim: Richard St. F. Post (October 1966–July 1968),
Norman E. Barth (July 1968–August 1969), and Stephen G. Gebelt
(October 1969–December 1970).
- Note: Until 1979 one ambassador was accredited
to Lesotho, Swaziland,
and Botswana. The
ambassador was resident in Gaborone, Botswana.
- Charles J. Nelson – Career FSO[1]
- Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
- Appointed: June 9, 1971
- Presented credentials: September 23, 1971
- Terminated mission: Left Gaborone, March 2, 1974
- David B. Bolen – Career FSO[1]
- Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
- Appointed: February 28, 1974
- Presented credentials: April 25, 1974
- Terminated mission: Left Gaborone, August 11, 1976
- Donald R. Norland – Career FSO[1][2]
- Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
- Appointed: November 17, 1976
- Presented credentials: January 6, 1977
- Terminated mission: Left Gaborone, October 6, 1979
- Note: Beginning in 1979, the ambassador was
accredited solely to Lesotho and resident in Maseru.
- John R. Clingerman – Career FSO
- Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
- Appointed: September 28, 1979
- Presented credentials: November 1, 1979
- Terminated mission: Left post, November 15, 1981
- Keith Lapham Brown – Political appointee
- Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
- Appointed: March 9, 1982
- Presented credentials: March 25, 1982
- Terminated mission: Left post, December 1, 1983
- S.L. Abbott – Political appointee
- Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
- Appointed: May 11, 1984
- Presented credentials: July 3, 1984
- Terminated mission: Left post, July 7, 1989
- Robert M. Smalley – Political appointee
- Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
- Appointed: June 15, 1987
- Presented credentials: July 2, 1987
- Terminated mission: Left post, July 7, 1989
- Jerry Alexander Moore, Jr. – Political appointee[3]
- Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
- Appointed:
- Presented credentials:
- Terminated mission:
- Note: Howard F. Jeter served as chargé
d'affaires ad interim July 1989–January 1991.
- Leonard H. O. Spearman – Political appointee
- Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
- Appointed: October 22, 1990
- Presented credentials: January 24, 1991
- Terminated mission: Left post, April 25, 1993
- Note: Karl Hoffmann served as chargé
d'affaires ad interim, April 1993–April 1995.
- Bismarck
Myrick – Career FSO
- Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
- Appointed: March 4, 1995
- Presented credentials: April 27, 1995
- Terminated mission: Left post June 10, 1998
- Katherine Hubay Peterson – Career FSO
- Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
- Appointed: June 29, 1998
- Presented credentials: September 18, 1998
- Terminated mission: Left post June 1, 2001
- Robert Geers Loftis – Career FSO
- Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
- Appointed: August 6, 2001
- Presented credentials: October 11, 2001
- Terminated mission: Left post June 18, 2004
- June Carter Perry – Career FSO
- Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
- Appointed: July 2, 2004
- Presented credentials: September 23, 2004
- Terminated mission: Incumbent
Notes
- ^ a
b
c
Accredited to Lesotho, Swaziland, and Botswana; resident at
Gaborone.
- ^ Norland was
commissioned during a recess of the Senate and recommissioned after
confirmation on June 24, 1977.
- ^ President Bush’s
nomination of July 11, 1989 not acted upon by the Senate.
See also
References
External
links
This article incorporates public
domain material from websites or documents of
the United States Department
of State (Background Notes).
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