William H. Duncan

American diplomat
William H. Duncan
United States Ambassador to El Salvador
Incumbent
Assumed office
February 2, 2023
PresidentJoe Biden
Preceded byRonald D. Johnson
Personal details
NationalityAmerican
EducationUniversity of Arkansas (BA, JD)

William Huie Duncan[1] is an American diplomat who has served as the United States ambassador to El Salvador since February 2023.

Early life and education

Born in Louisiana, Duncan grew up in Arkansas and received a Bachelor's degree and a Juris Doctor from the University of Arkansas.[2] Before joining the Foreign Service in 1992, he served as a commissioned officer in the United States Navy and as an attorney with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.[3]

Career

Duncan is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service with the rank of Minister-Counselor; he has served a Foreign Service officer since 1992. During his career, he served as consul general in Monterrey, Mexico,[4] in addition to serving as deputy chief of mission at U.S. Embassy Mexico City, Mexico.[5] He has also served other missions in Asunción, Madrid, Baghdad, Mexico City, Bogotá, San Salvador, and Matamoros. His domestic assignments include the Offices of Andean Affairs, Mexican Affairs, East African Affairs, and Central American Affairs, as well as the State Department Operations Center.[2]

United States ambassador to El Salvador

On February 25, 2022, President Joe Biden nominated Duncan to be the next United States Ambassador to El Salvador.[6] Hearings on his nomination were held before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on July 28, 2022. His nomination was favorably reported by the committee on August 3, 2022. The United States Senate confirmed Duncan on December 13, 2022, by voice vote.[7] He was sworn in by Assistant Secretary Brian A. Nichols on January 24, 2023,[8] and he presented his credentials to President Nayib Bukele on February 2, 2023.[9]

Personal life

Duncan speaks Spanish. Ambassador Duncan and his wife Nora have three daughters and two grandsons.[10]

See also

References

  1. ^ "PN618 — Foreign Service — 104th Congress (1995-1996)". U.S. Congress. December 14, 1995. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  2. ^ a b "President Biden Announces Key Nominees" (Press release). Washington, D.C.: The White House. February 25, 2022. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  3. ^ https://sv.usembassy.gov/embassy/san-salvador/ambassador/#:~:text=Ambassador%20%2D%20William%20Duncan%20%2D%20U.S.%20Embassy%20in%20El%20Salvador
  4. ^ "Consul General William H. Duncan". U.S. Embassy & Consulates in Mexico. February 18, 2020. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
  5. ^ "William H. Duncan". U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation. January 21, 2016. Retrieved February 27, 2022.
  6. ^ "President Biden announced his intention to appoint William H. Duncan U.S. Ambassador to El Salvador". U.S. Embassy in El Salvador. February 25, 2022. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
  7. ^ "PN1816 - Nomination of William H. Duncan for Department of State, 117th Congress (2021-2022)". www.congress.gov. December 13, 2022. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
  8. ^ "William Duncan asume el cargo de nuevo Embajador de EE.UU. en El Salvador" (in Spanish). January 25, 2023. Retrieved January 25, 2023.
  9. ^ Embajada EEUU en ES [@USEmbassySV] (February 3, 2023). "Ayer el Embajador William Duncan presentó sus cartas credenciales al Presidente @Nayibbukele" (Tweet) (in Spanish). Retrieved February 5, 2023 – via Twitter.
  10. ^ https://sv.usembassy.gov/embassy/san-salvador/ambassador/#:~:text=Ambassador%20%2D%20William%20Duncan%20%2D%20U.S.%20Embassy%20in%20El%20Salvador
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by United States Ambassador to El Salvador
2023–present 		Incumbent