United States Ambassador to Cuba

Ambassador of the United States to Cuba
Seal of the United States Department of State
Incumbent Jeffrey DeLaurentis (acting) since July 20, 2015
Nominator	President of the United States
Inaugural holder	Herbert G. Squiers as Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary
Formation	May 20, 1902; reestablished July 20, 2015
Final holder	Philip Bonsal (1960)
Abolished	January 3, 1961 - July 20, 2015
Website	havana.usembassy.gov

The United States Ambassador to the Republic of Cuba is the official representative of the President of the United States to the head of state of Cuba, and serves as the head of the Embassy of the United States in Havana. Direct bilateral diplomatic relations did not exist between the two countries from 1961 to 2015. President Dwight D. Eisenhower severed relations following the Cuban Revolution on January 3, 1961. Relations were subsequently restored by Cuban President Raul Castro and President Barack Obama on July 20, 2015.

With the restoration of relations in 2015, the president may nominate an ambassador, though the position has remained vacant since 1960. The embassy is currently run by a Chargé d'affaires ad interim, Jeffrey DeLaurentis. The Chargé d'affaires and the embassy staff at large work in the American Embassy on the Malecón across from the Plaza de la Revolución in Havana, Cuba. Obama officially nominated DeLaurentis on September 27, 2016.

Cuba was the last major Spanish colony to gain independence, following a lengthy struggle that began in 1868. José Martí, Cuba's national hero, helped initiate the final push for independence in 1895. In 1898, the United States fought a brief war known as the Spanish–American War, after the USS Maine sank in Havana Harbor on February 15, 1898 due to an explosion of undetermined origin. In December 1898, Spain relinquished control of Cuba to the United States with the Treaty of Paris. On May 20, 1902, the United States granted Cuba its independence but retained the right to intervene to preserve Cuban independence and stability in accordance with the Platt Amendment.