Who was the first appointed British Ambassador to the USA in 1791?

Bonzo the Magnificent

Aha - I spot a trick question. It's all to do with what makes an Ambassador........

There was NO British Ambassador to the US in 1791, and wasn't one until 1893.

The correct answer is Sir Julian Pauncefort, not George Hammond - read on for the explanation.....

The first British envoy to the United States, George Hammond, was appointed on July 5, 1791. He held the title of Minister in Washington or Minister to the United States of America.

By the 1850s, the envoy's title was Her Majesty's Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to the United States of America, and the United Kingdom had consulates in several American cities. Under the direction of Sir John Crampton in 1854 and 1855, British consuls attempted to enlist American volunteers to fight in the Crimean War. The American government strenuously objected, and President Franklin Pierce asked for Crampton to be recalled. The United Kingdom refused and, in May 1856, the American government dismissed Crampton, along with the United Kingdom's consuls in New York, Philadelphia and Cincinnati.

After much negotiation, the United Kingdom was allowed to re-establish its Legation in Washington the following year, and Lord Napier became the new minister.

In 1893, the British diplomatic mission in Washington was raised from a Legation to an Embassy, and Sir Julian Pauncefote, Minister since 1889, was appointed as the United Kingdom's first ambassador to the United States, with the title Her Britannic Majesty's Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the United States.

So there you have it. The first 'Ambassador' to the US wasn't in place until 1893, when the first Embassy (hence Ambassador) was created. Up to then, there had only been envoys and plenipotentiaries, not ambassadors.

Curlylox

George Hammond 1791-95

Cathrine K

George Hammond--July 5 1791

jet-set

George Hammond, was appointed on July 5, 1791

wolfman

George Hammond

Leo

HAMMOND, George. In the U.S., 1791-1795.

Hammond, first British Minister to America, was born in 1763, the son of William Hammond, of Kirk Ella, Kingston-upon-Hull, in the East Riding of Yorkshire. He was educated at Merton College, Oxford. In 1783 he went to Paris as secretary to David Hartley, the younger, who was conducting the peace negotiations with France and America. He established the legation at Philadelphia, which was then the capital, and in 1793 married Margaret Allen, of Philadelphia. The Hammonds were obliged to leave America because of the unpopularity of the Jay Treaty, which had been signed in 1794. He served in the Foreign Office in several capacities throughout the remainder of a long life. He settled at Donnigton, Berkshire in 1809, but died at his London house, 22 Portland Place, in 1853. He was the father of the distinguished diplomat, Edmond Hammond, first Baron Hammond of Kirk Ella. A few, at least, of George Hammond, first Baron Hammond of Kirk Ella. A few, at least, of George Hammond's personal papers survive in private hands. Inquiries about them should be addressed to th

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