The United States Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom is the ambassador-at-large who heads the Office of International Religious Freedom in the U.S. Department of State.
| Ambassador at Large of the United States for International Religious Freedom | |
|---|---|
 Seal of the United States Department of State | |
| Appointer | The President with the advice and consent of the Senate |
| Inaugural holder | Robert A. Seiple |
| Formation | 1999 |
| Website | Office of International Religious Freedom |
The position was created by the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998. The first ambassador at large was Bob Seiple[1] who served from 1999 to 2001. He was succeeded by John Hanford[2] who served from May 2002 until January 2009. Suzan Johnson Cook served in the role from May 2011 to October 2013.[3] On July 28, 2014, President Barack Obama nominated Rabbi David Saperstein for the position. On December 15, 2014, the Senate confirmed him to the office, making him the first non-Christian to hold this post.[4][5][6]
On July 26, 2017, the White House announced the nomination of Sam Brownback, then-Governor of Kansas to fill the vacancy in the office.[7] Five months later, the Senate had yet to hold a confirmation vote, so per Senate rules, he was required to be nominated again in 2018 in order for a vote to be held.[8] He was confirmed to the position on January 24, 2018, on a 49–49 vote of the Senate, with Vice President Mike Pence breaking the tie in favor of Brownback.[9]
Ambassadors-at-large edit
| Image | Name | Appointment | Left office |
|---|---|---|---|
| Robert A. Seiple | 1999 | 2001 | |
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|
John Hanford | 2002 | 2009 |
|
Suzan Johnson Cook | 2011 | 2013 |
|
David Saperstein | 2015 | 2017 |
|
Sam Brownback | 2018 | 2021 |
|
Rashad Hussain[10] | 2022 | incumbent |
References edit
- ^ U.S. Department of State. "Biography Robert A Seiple." September 11, 2009.
- ^ U.S. Department of State. "Biography John V. Hanford III." September 11, 2009.
- ^ "Religious liberty ambassador's resignation raises concerns". Archived from the original on April 2, 2014.
- ^ Dias, Elizabeth. "Obama Nominates Rabbi to Religious Freedom Post" Archived January 17, 2015, at the Wayback Machine, Time, July 28, 2014. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
- ^ Campbell, Kay. "Rabbi David Saperstein confirmed as U.S. Ambassador for Religious Freedom" Archived December 19, 2014, at the Wayback Machine, AL.com, December 17, 2014. Retrieved December 19, 2014.
- ^ "US Senate approves rabbi as freedom of faith envoy" Archived April 3, 2015, at the Wayback Machine, The Times of Israel, December 15, 2014. Retrieved December 15, 2014.
- ^ @AP (July 26, 2017). "BREAKING: White House: Trump to nominate Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback as ambassador at large for international religious freedom" (Tweet). Retrieved July 27, 2017 – via Twitter.
- ^ Brownback’s nomination for ambassador post not carried over, will return to White House, Lawrence Journal World, December 22, 2017. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
- ^ "U.S. Senate: U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes 115th Congress - 2nd Session". www.senate.gov. Retrieved January 24, 2018.
- ^ The White House (July 30, 2021). "President Biden Announces Intent to Nominate and Appoint Leaders to Serve in Key Religious Affairs Roles". The White House. Retrieved July 31, 2021.