The first British envoy to the United States was
Sir John Temple, who was appointed consul general in 1785 and was based in
New York at the estate at
Richmond Hill (Manhattan) which served previously as a headquarters for
George Washington.
George Hammond was appointed on 5 July 1791. He held the title of
Minister in Washington or
Minister to the United States of America. In 1809,
David Erskine and President
James Madison negotiated a compromise on Anglo-American disputes over shipping in the Atlantic, which might have averted the
War of 1812. However, the deal was rejected by
King George III and the British Government recalled Erskine. By the 1850s, the envoy's title was '''Her Majesty's
Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to the United States of America''', and the United Kingdom had consulates in several American cities. Under the direction of
Sir John Crampton in 1854 and 1855, British consuls attempted to enlist American volunteers to fight in the
Crimean War. The American government strenuously objected, and President
Franklin Pierce asked for Crampton to be recalled. The United Kingdom refused, and in May 1856 the American government dismissed Crampton, along with the United Kingdom's consuls in
New York,
Philadelphia and
Cincinnati. After much negotiation, the United Kingdom was allowed to re-establish its Legation in Washington the following year, and
Lord Napier became the new minister. In 1893, the British diplomatic mission in Washington was raised from a
Legation to an
Embassy, and
Sir Julian Pauncefote, Minister since 1889, was appointed as the United Kingdom's first ambassador to the United States, with the title '''Her Britannic Majesty's Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the United States'''. The role has in the past been offered to three former
Prime Ministers: the
Earl of Rosebery,
David Lloyd George and
Sir Edward Heath, all of whom declined. ==Heads of mission==