US AMBASSADORS TO CHINA
1. LEONARD FREEL WOODCOCK, 1979-1981
Leonard Freel Woodcock (Feb 27, 1979 to Feb 13, 1981) was the United States’ first ambassador to China after World War II and helped open the US embassy in Beijing in 1979. As the head of the US liaison mission in China, Woodcock married and held a wedding party in Beijing in 1978.
2. ARTHUR W. HUMMEL, JR., 1981-1985
Arthur W. Hummel, Jr. (July 30, 1981 to Sept 24, 1985) was the first US ambassador to China to have been born in the country. His parents were Christian missionaries in Shanxi and he later studied in Beijing. Hummel remained engaged in work related to China after his retirement.
3. WINSTON LORD,
1985-1989
Winston Lord (Nov 6, 1985 to April 23, 1989) was the youngest diplomat in the delegation when Henry Kissinger visited China secretly in 1971. The visit paved the way for a groundbreaking 1972 summit in Beijing that opened the door for exchanges between China and the US.
4. JAMES RODERICK LILLEY, 1989-1991
James Roderick Lilley (April 20, 1989 to May 10, 1991) was born in Qingdao, a coastal city in eastern China, in 1928 and lived in the country until 1940. He was the only American to have served as head of US missions on both the Chinese mainland and Taiwan.
5. J. STAPLETON ROY,
1991-1995
J. Stapleton Roy (July 2, 1991 to June 17, 1995) was born in Nanjing in 1935 and became fluent in Chinese. He was the first ambassador with the experience of working in Hong Kong, Taipei and Beijing.
6. JAMES RALPH SASSER, 1995-1999
James Ralph Sasser (Dec 19, 1995 to July 1, 1999) was ambassador when President Jiang Zemin paid an official visit to the US, the first such visit since 1989. He is believed to have invented the idea of the China-US strategic cooperative partnership.
7. JOSEPH W. PRUEHER,
1999-2001
Joseph W. Prueher (Nov 16, 1999 to May 1, 2001) was the commander-in-chief of the US Pacific Command and paid seven visits to China before his retirement from the US Navy.
8. CLARK T. RANDT, JR.,
2001-2009
Clark T. Randt, Jr. (July 12, 2001 to January, 2009) was fluent in Chinese and was a classmate of former president George W. Bush at Yale University. He was the longest serving US ambassador to China.
9. JON M. HUNTSMAN, JR., 2009-2011
Jon M. Huntsman, Jr. (Aug 11, 2009 to April 30, 2011) was appointed as the US ambassador to Singapore when he was 32 years old, thus becoming the youngest US ambassador in a century.
10. GARY FAYE LOCKE
2011-2014
Gary F. Locke (Aug 13, 2011 to present) was the first ChineseAmerican to be appointed as the US ambassador to China. He was also the first incumbent White House Cabinet member to take up the post since the two countries established diplomatic ties.