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Consulate General of the United States, Saint Petersburg

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The U.S. Consulate General in St. Petersburg (Russian: Генеральное консульство США в Санкт-Петербурге) is a former diplomatic mission of the US in Saint Petersburg, providing consular services to Russian and American citizens in Northwestern Russia. The consulate general ceased its operations on March 31, 2018, at the request of the Russian authorities.[1]

LocationSaint Petersburg, Russia
AddressCentral District, 15 Furshtatskaya Street
Coordinates59°56′41″N 30°21′16″E
ClosedMarch 31, 2018
Quick facts U.S. Consulate General in St. Petersburg, Location ...
U.S. Consulate General in St. Petersburg
LocationSaint Petersburg, Russia
AddressCentral District, 15 Furshtatskaya Street
Coordinates59°56′41″N 30°21′16″E
ClosedMarch 31, 2018
WebsiteArchived official website
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History

The official American diplomatic representation in the Russian Empire was originally located in Saint Petersburg since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1780. However, the credentials of Francis Dana were not accepted by the Russian court, thus making John Quincy Adams the first accredited Ambassador of the United States to Russia, who presented his credentials to Tsar Alexander I of Russia on November 5, 1809.[2] When the Adams arrived at Saint Petersburg, Louisa hired a French chef to entertain a number of guests, including the Baroness Stroganova, the Bettancourts and the Colombis. But the cook forgot to make soup, to the distress of the guests, and subsequently of Adams. They always served soup after that.[3]

In November 1863, William E. Phelps was appointed Consulate General, where he served for three years. The U.S. Embassy in Russia existed until 1919, when Ambassador David Francis left Russia during the Russian Civil War.

It resumed its work in 1933 in the USSR and in its new capital – Moscow. The U.S. Consulate General in Leningrad was opened in 1972 in the former revenue house of Schreyer.[4] The consular district included ten subjects of the Russian Federation, covering, in addition to Saint Petersburg, Arkhangelsk Oblast, Vologda Oblast, Kaliningrad Oblast, Leningrad Oblast, Murmansk Oblast, Novgorod Oblast, and Pskov Oblast, Republic of Karelia, and Nenets Autonomous Okrug.[1]

In March 2018, following the Poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal, the U.S. authorities announced that the Consulate General of the Russian Federation in Seattle must cease its operations. In response, Russia decided to close the U.S. Consulate in Saint Petersburg and expel 60 American diplomats from Russia.[5][6] On March 31, diplomats removed office equipment, paintings, and furniture from the building, and on the evening of March 31, the mission staff removed the American flag from the building.[1]

The Consulate General of the U.S. in Petersburg included: a consular section, political-economic section, press and culture department, U.S. Commercial Service, and representation of the United States Department of Agriculture.[7]

Consuls General

More information Name, Status ...
List of United States Chief Diplomats in Saint Petersburg
Name Status Official residence Appointment Arrival Exequatur Termination Sources
Francis Dana minister Saint Petersburg 1780-12-19 August 1781 N/A[a] August 1783 [9]
John Miller Russell consul Saint Petersburg 1794-11-24 1795 (spring/summer) N.A.[b] N/A[c] [10]
Levett Harris consul Saint Petersburg 1803-04-03 October 1803 1803-11-10 July 1816[d] [12]
William Short minister Saint Petersburg August 1808 N/A[e] N/A March 1809[f] [15]
John Quincy Adams minister Saint Petersburg 1809-06-27 October 1809 1809-11-17 April 1814 (late) [16]
William Steuben Smith secretary of legation, interim chargé d'affaires (from late April 1814) Saint Petersburg 1812-07-02 1812-07-02 N/A 1814-07-17 [17]
Levett Harris (2nd term) chargé d'affaires Saint Petersburg 1814-04-19 1814-07-17 (entered duty) 1817-01-21 [18]
William Pinkney minister [19]
George Pomutz consul general Iowa 1865 1878 [20]
George Henry Prince interim Saint Petersburg 1875 1877 [21]
William Henry Edwards consul general Ohio 1878 1880 [22]
Gaun M. Hutton interim Saint Petersburg 1879 1883 [23]
Edgar Stanton consul general Illinois 1881 1885 [24]
Pierce M. B. Young consul general Georgia 1885 1887 [25]
James V. R. Swann interim Saint Petersburg 1885 1886 [26]
George Osgood Prince interim Saint Petersburg 1886 1887 [27]
William Henry Dunster interim Saint Petersburg 1887 1897 [28]
Charlton H. Way consul general Georgia 1887 1889 [29]
John M. Crawford consul general Ohio 1889 1894 [30]
Charles Jonas consul general Ohio 1894 1894 [31]
John Karel consul general Illinois 1894 1897 [32]
William R. Holloway consul general Indiana 1897 1903 [33]
Ethelbert Watts consul general 1903 1907 [34]
John Mueller interim Saint Petersburg 1902 1906 [35]
Jacob Conner consul 1908 1914 [36]
Morris N. Hughes Jr. 2002 2005 [37]
Mary A. Krueger 2005 2008 [38]
Sheila Gwaltney 2008 2011 [39]
Bruce Turner 2011 2014 [40]
Courtney Nemroff acting 2014 2015 [41]
Thomas Leary 2015 2018 [42]
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See also

Notes

  1. [a]
    Never presented his credentials.[8]
  2. [b]
    He presented his credentials only to be informed that the Russian Government was not prepared to accept them.[8]
  3. [c]
    He remained in Saint Petersburg several years after his credentials were rejected, but as a commission merchant.[8]
  4. [d]
    At times held several posts simultaneously, but did not relinquish his consulship until this date.[11]
  5. [e]
    Never reached Saint Petersburg.[13]
  6. [f]
    The United States Senate rejected Short's nomination, and President Thomas Jefferson withdrew the nomination accordingly.[14]

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