George James Tsunis

George James Tsunis (Greek: Γεώργιος Ιάκωβος Τσούνης) (born December 26, 1967) is an American lawyer and businessman who is the designate to be the next United States Ambassador to Greece. He was previously a nominee to be the U.S. ambassador to Norway by President Obama, although his nomination ultimately failed.

George James Tsunis
United States Ambassador to Greece
designate
Assuming office
TBD
PresidentJoe Biden
SucceedingGeoffrey R. Pyatt
Personal details
Born (1967-12-26) December 26, 1967
Queens, New York, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)Olga Tsunis
Children3
Alma materNew York University (BA)
St. John's University School of Law (JD)
OccupationCEO

Biography

Tsunis was born in Queens, and is the son of first-generation immigrants from Greece, James and Eleni Tsunis.[1][2] He earned a BA in Classic Studies at New York University in 1989 and a JD at St. John's University School of Law in 1992.[3]

Career

As a practicing attorney, Tsunis was a partner at the law firm Rivkin Radler LLP.[3] He married Olga J. Antzoulis in November 2004. They live in Lloyd Harbor, Long Island, with their three children.[3] He has two sisters.[1]

Nomination as U.S. Ambassador to Norway

Tsunis was nominated as Ambassador to Norway on September 10, 2013.[4] His nomination was part of a backlog of nominees for ambassador positions across the world.[5][6] Norway had never been without a US ambassador for as long.[7]

Tsunis' nomination hearing generated controversy, both in Norway and in the USA, due to his confession of never having been to Norway, and his apparent ignorance of Norwegian political issues.[8][9][10] According to some sources, the U.S. Embassy apologized for some statements to the Norwegian government and other involved parties in Norway.[11]

In statements to the press in December 2014, Tsunis indicated that he was no longer seeking the nomination as ambassador to Norway.[12]

U.S. Ambassador to Greece

Tsunis was nominated to be the next U.S. Ambassador to Greece on October 8, 2021, by President Biden.[13] Hearings were held before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on January 12, 2022. On March 8, 2022, the committee reported his nomination favorably to the Senate floor. Tsunis was officially confirmed by the entire Senate on March 10, 2022, by voice vote.[14]

Tsunis is awaiting his swearing-in as well as his presentation of credentials to the Greek government.

References
  1. "Testimony of George J. Tsunis, Ambassador-Designate to the Kingdom of Norway. Senate Foreign Relations Committee" (PDF). www.foreign.senate.gov/. United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. January 16, 2014. Retrieved November 1, 2014.
  2. "Biden Picks George Tsunis for New US Ambassador to Greece". GreekReporter.com. October 8, 2021. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
  3. Bewig, Matt (December 7, 2013). "Ambassador to Norway: Who Is George Tsunis?". www.allgov.com. Allgov.com. Retrieved November 1, 2014.
  4. "Presidential Nominations Sent to the Senate". www.whitehouse.gov. Executive Office of the President of the United States. September 11, 2013. Retrieved November 1, 2014.
  5. "Senate Politics Leave 28 Countries With No U.S. Ambassador". www.defenseone.com/. Atlantic Media. June 29, 2014. Retrieved November 1, 2014.
  6. "Better Late Than Never: The Senate Finally Confirmed Some Ambassadors". blog.foreignpolicy.com/. Foreign Policy. September 19, 2014. Retrieved November 1, 2014.
  7. Gooding, George K (October 6, 2014). "Norge har aldri gått lenger uten en ambassador fra USA". www.amerikanskpolitikk.no/. Foreign Policy. Retrieved November 1, 2014.
  8. "Nomination Hearing January 16th 2014". www.foreign.senate.gov/. United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. January 16, 2014. Retrieved November 1, 2014.
  9. "New ambassador stumbles at the start". www.newsinenglish.no/. Nina’s News from Norway. January 23, 2014. Retrieved November 1, 2014.
  10. "The Would-Be Ambassador To Norway Who Has Never Been There Himself". www.npr.org/. NPR. June 17, 2014. Retrieved November 1, 2014.
  11. "US Embassy to Norway Apologizes for New Ambassador Candidate's Gaffe". www.tnp.no/. The Nordic Page. January 26, 2014. Retrieved November 1, 2014.
  12. Richter, Paul (December 13, 2014). "Obama donor George Tsunis ends his nomination as Norway ambassador". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 25, 2014.
  13. "President Biden Announces Key Nominations". The White House. October 8, 2021. Retrieved October 8, 2021.
  14. "PN1255 — George J. Tsunis — Department of State 117th Congress (2021-2022)". US Congress. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
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