Following the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1918 at the end of World War I, the Czechs and Slovaks united to form the new nation of Czechoslovakia.

By this time, Slovakia had already declared independence and had become a puppet state of Germany, the Slovak Republic.

In June 1992, the Slovak parliament voted to declare sovereignty and the Czech-Slovak federation dissolved peacefully on January 1, 1993.

The United States recognized the Czech Republic and Slovakia as independent nations and moved to establish diplomatic relations.

Paul Hacker, the incumbent U.S. consul general, served as the first chargé d'affaires of the U.S. Embassy in Slovakia (January 1 to July 7, 1993), followed by Eleanor Sutter.