President Joe Biden named Jane Hartley as his U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom (Credit: twitter.com/usambuk)

By  Gary   Raynaldo     DIPLOMATIC   TIMES

President Biden has chosen Jane Hartley to serve as U.S. Ambassador to Britain.  Madame Hartley, 72-years-old,  is a diplomat who was the American  ambassador to France and Monaco from 2014 until 2017 during the Barack Obama administration.  Hartley, who was confirmed  to her post by the US Senate  by voice vote in May 2022,  will be the first female  American ambassador to Britain in 45 years.  She would be the second woman to serve as US ambassador to the UK since Anne L. Armstrong, an adviser to Presidents Richard M. Nixon and Gerald R. Ford became the first when she took up the prestigious diplomatic posting in 1976. 

Anne Legendre Armstrong   (December 27, 1927 – July 30, 2008) was a United States diplomat and politician. She was the first woman to serve as Counselor to the President and as United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom, serving in those capacities under the Ford, Nixon, and Carter administrations.

US Embassy London welcomes Ambassador Jane Hartley on her first day in office May 31, 2022)

U.S. Ambassador Jane Hartley Meets with UK  Foreign Secretary Liz Truss in London June 1, 2022 (Credit: U.S. Embassy London)

U.S. Ambassador Jane Hartley Meets with UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss in London June 1, 2022 (Credit: U.S. Embassy London)

Hartley, who is married to an investment banker,  is also a businesswoman and wealthy Democratic party fundraiser.  Some have criticized President Biden for appointing ambassadors  with very little diplomatic experience. 

“It’s really shocking that Biden has put forward so many with so little diplomatic experience,” Brett Bruen, the director of global engagement in the Obama White House.  “In the past, when Hartley served, the stakes were not so high for an ambassador. But, now with the very credibility of our country on the line, with the confidence in our leadership at historic lows, we cannot be sending amateur diplomats abroad.”

Hartley was a major fundraiser for former President Barack Obama. Hartley was a so-called campaign bundler for Obama, raising more than $500,000 for his reelection bid in 2012. The London ambassadorship, and the US posting to Paris, are said to be the most prestigious diplomatic positions for an American president to fill.  The UK posting is the most vital, diplomatically and militarily, due to the long history of the  London-Washington “Special Relationship”. 

Ambassador Hartley “Thrilled” To Be Second Woman in History Nominated to UK Envoy

Ambassador Hartley is also the U.S. envoy to Northern Ireland.  During Hartley’s May 4, 2022 testimony before the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations for her confirming as UK Ambassador, she said she would continue to work to strengthen  America’s Special Relationship with Great Britain: 

“The sense of history with our closest ally is certainly not lost on me. I follow in the footsteps of many great Americans including John Adams, John Quincy Adams, and Martin Van Buren. I am also thrilled to be the second woman in history to be nominated to this role, and salute Anne Armstrong for leading the way. The UK and the United States are two great countries bound by history, friendship, and especially now, a shared commitment to the universal values of freedom and liberty. During the ongoing crisis in Ukraine, we have seen the strength of the UK response and the many ways in which the British public has volunteered in support of Ukrainians. If confirmed, it will be my mission to strengthen America’s special relationship with the UK, and I hope to focus on four overarching goals.”

Ambassador Hartley on Northern Ireland:

“I will also work tirelessly to uphold the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement, which has been the bedrock of peace, stability, and prosperity in Northern Ireland for nearly 25 years”

-Hartley said during her Senate confirmation hearing.