U.S. Ambassador to Luxembourg Thomas M. Barrett presented his diplomatic credentials to His Royal Highness the Grand Duke of Luxembourg at the Grand Ducal Palace in Luxembourg City on February 10.
With that diplomatic ceremony, the former Mayor of Milwaukee became the 24th Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.
“From the west side of Milwaukee to the Grand Ducal Palace, I am tremendously honored and excited to start my next chapter here in Luxembourg as the U.S. Ambassador. I am excited to build on the strong relationship our two countries share, which I have already experienced in my home state of Wisconsin – a place with a very special connection to Luxembourg,” said said Ambassador Barrett. “I look forward to working together as close partners to advance our shared priorities on human rights and climate change, expand our collaboration in finance and space, and to defend our common values as NATO allies. My wife Kris and I are especially eager to meet and connect with Luxembourgers across this small but truly grand country.”
Ambassador Barrett previously served as the Mayor of Milwaukee from 2004 to 2021, making him the longest-serving mayor of one of the 50 largest cities in the United States. From 1993 to 2003, he was elected to serve five consecutive terms in the U.S. House of Representatives.
From 1989 to 1993, he was an elected member of the Wisconsin Senate, and of the Wisconsin State Assembly from 1984 to 1989.
Ambassador Barrett was nominated by President Biden on August 25, 2021, to be the next U.S. Ambassador to Luxembourg. He was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on December 16, sworn in by Judge Lynn Adelman in Milwaukee on December 23, and arrived in Luxembourg on January 28, 2022.
He previously served as the Mayor of Milwaukee from 2004-2021, making him the longest-serving mayor of one of the 50 largest cities in the United States.
Before being elected to serve, Ambassador Barrett worked in a private law practice and as a bank examiner for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. He started his career in 1980 as a law clerk for the Honorable Judge Robert W. Warren on the United States Federal District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin.
