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When have Latter-day Saints served as US ambassadors and senior administration officials? Here’s your master list

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Throughout history, many members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have served as international ambassadors and senior administration officials for the United States of America. So for all you history buffs and trivia nerds out there, here's your master list. And for all you non-Jeopardy competitors, keep an eye out for a few names you might just recognize.

Editor’s note: Did we miss anyone? Please send us an email at editor@ldsliving.com.


Past ambassadors and senior administration officials

James Moyle
US Assistant Secretary of Treasury | 1917–1921
US Commissioner of Customs | 1933–1939

William Spry
Commissioner of the General Land Office | 1921–1929

J. Reuben Clark
US Ambassador to Mexico | 1930–1933

Edgar B. Broussard
Chairman of the US Tariff Commission | 1935 and 1953–1960

Marriner Eccles
Chair of the Federal Reserve | 1934–1948

Rosel Hyde
FCC Chairman | 1953–1954

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Ezra Taft Benson. Photo credit: Intellectual Reserve, Inc.

Ezra Taft Benson
US Secretary of Agriculture | 1953–1961

Ivy PriestTreasurer of the United States | 1953–1961

Stewart Udall
Secretary of the Interior | 1961–1969

David King
US Ambassador to Madagascar | 1967–1969
US Ambassador to Mauritius | 1968–1969

Hamer Budge
SEC Chairman | 1969–1971

L. Ralph Mecham
Assistant Secretary of Commerce | 1969–1970
Director of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Court System | 1985–2006

George RomneyUS Secretary of Housing and Urban Development | 1969–1973

James C. Fletcher
Administrator of NASA | 1971–1977, 1986–1989

David M. Kennedy
US Ambassador to NATO | 1972–1973
US Secretary of Treasury | 1969–1971

Mark Evans Austad
US Ambassador to Finland | 1975–1977
US Ambassador to Norway | 1982–1984

Angela “Bay” Buchanan
Treasurer of the United States | 1981–1983

Terrel “T.H.” Bell
US Secretary of Education | 1981–1984

Keith Nyborg
US Ambassador to Finland | 1981–1986

William Bennett
US Secretary of Education | 1985–1988

Gregory Newell
US Ambassador to Sweden | 1985–1989

Joanne Hansen
Executive Assistant to the First Lady | 1986–1989

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Rex E. Lee. Photo credit: Intellectual Reserve, Inc.

Rex E. Lee
US Solicitor General | 1989–1995

Richard Swett
US Ambassador to Denmark | 1998–2001

William "Bill" Hansen
Deputy Secretary of Education | 2001–2003

Mike Leavitt
Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency | 2003–2005
Secretary of Health and Human Services | 2005–2009

Aubrey Hooks
US Ambassador to the Republic of the Congo | 1996–1999
US Ambassador to Côte d'Ivoire | 2004–2007
US Ambassador to the Democratic Republic of the Congo | 2001–2004

Robert “Steve” Beecroft
Executive Secretary for State Department Secretaries Colin Powell and Condoleeza Rice
US Ambassador to Jordan | 2008–2011
US Ambassador to Iraq | 2012–2014
US Ambassador to Egypt | 2015–2017

Deborah K. Jones
US Ambassador to Libya | 2013–2015

Larry Echo Hawk
US Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Indian Affairs | 2009–2012

Nathan Sheets
Under Secretary of the Treasury for International Affairs | 2014–2017

John Huntsman, Jr.
US Ambassador to Singapore | 1992–1993
US Ambassador to China | 2009–2011
US Ambassador to Russia | 2017–2019

Robert O’Brien
National Security Advisor | 2019–2021

John Rakolta, Jr.
US Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates | 2019–2021

Current ambassadors and senior administration officials

Matthew H. Tueller
US Ambassador to Kuwait | 2011–2014
US Ambassador to Yemen | 2014–2019
US Ambassador to Iraq | 2019–present

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Jody Olsen. Photo credit: Wikipedia

Jody Olsen
Peace Corps. Director | 2018–present

Jeff Flake - still to be confirmed
US Ambassador to Turkey

Tom Udall - still to be confirmed
US Ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa

Jeff Hovenier - still to be confirmed
US Ambassador to Kosovo

Lead image by Getty Images

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