Samuel D. Heins (born May 31, 1947) is the former
United States Ambassador to Norway
The United States ambassador to Norway (formally the ambassador of the United States to the Kingdom of Norway) is the official representative of the President of the United States, president and the government of the United States of America to ...
, serving from 2016 to 2017. The wait for confirmation of a new
ambassador
An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or so ...
by the
United States Senate
The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...
led to the Embassy being without a Senate-confirmed Ambassador for 29 months. He succeeded
Barry B. White, who had resigned the position in 2013.
Foreign Service
He was confirmed by the Senate on February 12, 2016, and presented his credentials to
Harald V of Norway
Harald V (, ; born 21 February 1937) has been King of Norway since 1991.
A member of the House of Glücksburg, Harald was the third child and only son of King Olav V of Norway and Princess Märtha of Sweden. He was second in the Succession to t ...
on March 10, 2016.
His long-awaited arrival was announced enthusiastically by
Foreign Minister
In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and relations, diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral r ...
Børge Brende
Børge Brende (born 25 September 1965) is a Norwegian politician and diplomat, and has been the president and CEO of the World Economic Forum since 2017. A member of the Conservative Party, he previously was Minister of Foreign Affairs from 201 ...
on
Twitter
Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...
,
which is unusual for Ambassadorial appointments to Norway.
Before his appointment, Ambassador Heins was most recently a partner in the Heins, Mills and Olson Law Firm in Minneapolis. He earned a B.A. degree from the
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota Twin Cities (historically known as University of Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint ...
in 1968 and a J.D. degree from the
University of Minnesota Law School
The University of Minnesota Law School is the law school of the University of Minnesota, a public university in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The school confers four law degrees: a Juris Doctor (J.D.), a Master of Laws (LL.M.), a Master of Science in Pa ...
in 1972.
His spouse is also a retired lawyer. They have three children. He is the fifth U.S. Ambassador to Norway from Minnesota.
See also
*
List of ambassadors of the United States
Ambassadors of the United States are persons nominated by the president to serve as the United States' diplomatic representatives to foreign nations, international organizations, and as ambassadors-at-large. Under Article II, Section 2 of th ...
References
External links
US embassy in Norway bio on the Ambassador
{{DEFAULTSORT:Heins, Samuel D.
1947 births
Living people
University of Minnesota alumni
University of Minnesota Law School alumni
Minnesota lawyers
Obama administration personnel
Ambassadors of the United States to Norway