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James Costos
United States Ambassador to Spain
In office September 24, 2013 – January 20, 2017
President	Barack Obama
Preceded by	Alan Solomont
Succeeded by	Duke Buchan
Personal details
Born	1963 (age 54–55) Lowell, Massachusetts, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Domestic partner	Michael Smith
Alma mater	University of Massachusetts Lowell

James Costos (born 1963) is an American diplomat who was the United States Ambassador to Spain and Andorra from 2013 to 2017 and 2014 to 2017, respectively.^[1] He was appointed by President Barack Obama and confirmed by the United States Senate on August 1, 2013.

Early life and education

Costos was born in 1963 and grew up in Lowell, Massachusetts. He is a second-generation Greek-American, whose father served as a U.S. Marine and was stationed at Camp David during the Truman administration.^[2] He is the first in his family to graduate college. He earned a degree in political science from the University of Massachusetts in 1985.^[3]

Career

Costos was a corporate leader and executive in the international retail and international entertainment industries, most notably at HBO and Tod's. His responsibilities included global positioning, external relations, marketing and communications. He is an active supporter of humanitarian organizations, including the Human Rights Campaign and the Santa Monica Museum of Art, and an advocate for cultural institutions and cultural diplomacy. He has served on the Board of Directors of the Humane Society of the United States, the country's largest animal protection organization.^[3]

President Obama nominated Costos for the position of U.S. Ambassador to Spain and Principality of Andorra on June 14, 2013.^[4] The U.S. Senate voted to confirm the nomination on August 1, 2013, and Costos was sworn in on August 22, 2013.^[3][5] He presented his credentials to the Spanish government in Madrid on September 24, 2013.^[5]

His business career has made him expert on the issue of the enforcement of laws against digital piracy, a particular concern of U.S. businesses with respect to Spain. His initial focus, he said, was on issues of international security and thanking Spain for allowing the U.S. to deploy part of its anti-missile shield defense and for hosting U.S. military bases. In September 2013, Costos visited the bases at Rota and Morón to mark the 60th anniversary of the agreement under which they were established.^[6]

In October 2013 the Spanish government summoned him to address allegations that the National Security Agency had recently collected data on 60 million telephone calls in Spain.^[7]

While visiting California in 2014, President Obama and his wife Michelle stayed at the Costos-Smith home.^[8]

In June 2015, he joined other gay U.S. ambassadors in a statement supporting international trade agreements, linking open markets to the development of open societies that provide civil rights protections.^[9]

Personal life

Costos lives in Los Angeles, California, with his partner Michael S. Smith. He is a vegetarian, but imposed no dietary restrictions on embassy functions. On the subject of LGBT rights, Costos has said "I am not an activist. I broadly support human rights for straight, gay, women’s issues. And I just happen to be gay.... This doesn't define me as a person, but it is part of who I am. It's like being a vegetarian: it's one more facet of James Costos."^[6] He said he and Smith had been welcomed in Spain "with great accommodation" and that because Spain already provides LGBT civil rights, the role he and Smith played was a symbolic for those who still suffered from a lack of enforcement in support of their rights: "What we can do through our messaging is give a sense of hope."^[10]

After leaving the White House in January 2017, the Obamas departed Washington for Palm Springs, where they were guests in the Costos-Smith home for several days before traveling to the British Virgin Islands to stay at the home of Sir Richard Branson.^[11]

See also

• List of current ambassadors of the United States


• List of LGBT Ambassadors of the United States

References

Additional sources

• 
  Abril, Guillermo (February 3, 2017). "The Tech Legacy of James Costos". El Pais.
  


• 
  De La Torriente, Eugenia (February 15, 2017). "Hasta La Vista, Mr Ambassador". El País.
  


• 
  Bradley, Melissa Biggs (September 30, 2015). "James Costos and Interior Decorator Michael S. Smith at Home in Spain". Architectural Digest


• 
  Guzmán, Pilar (December 28, 2016). "MAESTROS DE CEREMONIA: UNA RUTA POR MADRID CON EL EMBAJADOR JAMES COSTOS Y SU PAREJA, MICHAEL S. SMITH". Condé Nast Traveler.
  


• 
  Villarejo, Estaban (January 15, 2017). "James Costos: "Las relaciones entre E.E.UU. y España son tan estrechas que poco cambrá con Trump"". ABC.
  


• 
  Rodríguez, Antonio (January 18, 2017). "HASTA SIEMPRE MR. COSTOS". Tiempo.
  


• 
  Rico, Maite (July 2, 2014). "Mr Ambassador and Mr Smith; Obama's man in Madrid and his partner are bringing a breath of fresh air to US diplomacy in Spain". El País.
  


• 
  Villarino, Ángel (December 14, 2015). "Hay demasiados lazos económicos para que Trump cambie la relación con España". El Confidencial.
  


• 
  Bagley, Christopher (April 27, 2015). "Ambassador James Costos and his partner, White House decorator Michael Smith, are zhushing up the U.S. Embassy in Madrid with visionary art and rocking parties". W Magazine. Retrieved August 14, 2015.
  


• 
  Costos, James (July 17, 2015). "Incubating a New Spain Through the Promotion of Entrepreneurship". DipNote.
  


• 
  Bronner, Sasha (August 13, 2015). "Meet The Same-Sex Couple Who's Helping To Change What It Means To Be An American Ambassador". Huffington Post. Retrieved August 14, 2015.
  

External links

• U.S. Embassy Madrid


• Ambassador Costos' Blog on ElMundo.es