Ambassador is the personal representative of a country’s head of state at the capital of another country. An ambassador is the nation’s highest-ranking diplomat in the other country. The person’s full title is ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary.
In the United States, the president appoints all ambassadors, with the approval of the Senate. The rank of ambassador is also given to American chiefs of mission to international organizations if the person is appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate. For example, an ambassador heads the United States delegation to the United Nations.
An ambassador heads a country’s embassy in the foreign capital. The staff may number several hundred people, including minister-counselors, counselors, diplomatic secretaries, consular officers, attaches, and clerks. The ambassador carries on negotiations with the foreign government that deal with the political, economic, and cultural relations between the two nations. The ambassador provides the official channel of communications by maintaining contacts with the head of state, the foreign minister, and other officials.
The ancient Greeks were among the first people to exchange diplomatic representatives. The Congress of Vienna in 1814 and 1815 and the Congress of Aix-la-Chapelle in 1818 placed diplomacy on a systematic basis by creating four classes of representatives. These classes consisted of ambassadors (the highest rank), ministers, ministers resident, and charges d’affaires. During its early history, the United States appointed representatives of the three lower ranks. In 1893, the United States appointed its first ambassadors—to the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Italy. Today, the United States assigns ambassadors to all countries with which it has diplomatic relations.
