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United States Under Secretary of State

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Under Secretary of State (U/S) is a title used by senior officials of the United States Department of State who rank above the Assistant Secretaries and below the Deputy Secretary.

From 1919 to 1972, the Under Secretary was the second-ranking official at the Department of State (immediately beneath the United States Secretary of State), serving as the Secretary's principal deputy, chief assistant, and Acting Secretary in the event of the Secretary's absence. Prior second-ranking positions had been the Chief Clerk, the Assistant Secretary of State, and the Counselor. Prior to 1944, a number of offices in the Department reported directly to the Under Secretary. In July 1972, the position of Deputy Secretary superseded that of Under Secretary of State.

The following is a list of current offices bearing the title of "Under Secretary of State":

In addition to the six Under Secretaries, the Counselor of the Department, who advises the Secretary of State, holds a rank equivalent to Under Secretary.

Current Under Secretaries of State

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Under Secretaries of State[1]
Office Incumbent Term began

Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs
1 FAM 041

John R. Bass
(Acting)
March 22, 2024

Under Secretary of State for Management
1 FAM 044

December 29, 2021

Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment
1 FAM 042

August 6, 2021

Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security
1 FAM 043

July 22, 2021

Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights
1 FAM 045

July 14, 2021

Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs
1 FAM 046

August 3, 2024

Under Secretaries of State, 1919–1972

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Name Home state Term of office President(s) served under
Frank Polk New York July 1, 1919–June 15, 1920 Woodrow Wilson
Norman Davis New York June 15, 1920–March 7, 1921 Woodrow Wilson and Warren G. Harding
Henry P. Fletcher Pennsylvania March 8, 1921–March 6, 1922 Warren G. Harding
William Phillips Massachusetts April 26, 1922–April 11, 1924 Warren G. Harding and Calvin Coolidge
Joseph Grew New Hampshire April 16, 1924–June 30, 1927 Calvin Coolidge
Robert E. Olds Minnesota July 1, 1927–June 30, 1928 Calvin Coolidge
J. Reuben Clark Utah August 31, 1928–June 19, 1929 Calvin Coolidge and Herbert Hoover
Joseph P. Cotton New York June 20, 1929–March 10, 1931 Herbert Hoover
William R. Castle Jr. District of Columbia April 2, 1931–March 5, 1933 Herbert Hoover and Franklin Roosevelt
William Phillips Massachusetts March 6, 1933–August 23, 1936 Franklin Roosevelt
Sumner Welles Maryland May 21, 1937–September 30, 1943 Franklin Roosevelt
Edward Stettinius Jr. Virginia October 4, 1943–November 30, 1944 Franklin Roosevelt
Joseph Grew New York December 20, 1944–August 15, 1945 Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman
Dean Acheson Maryland August 16, 1945–June 30, 1947 Harry Truman
Robert A. Lovett New York July 1, 1947–January 20, 1949 Harry Truman
James E. Webb North Carolina January 28, 1949–February 29, 1952 Harry Truman
David K. E. Bruce Virginia April 1, 1952–January 20, 1953 Harry Truman
Walter Bedell Smith District of Columbia February 9, 1953–October 1, 1954 Dwight D. Eisenhower
Herbert Hoover Jr. California October 4, 1954–February 5, 1957 Dwight D. Eisenhower
Christian Herter Massachusetts February 21, 1957–April 22, 1959 Dwight D. Eisenhower
C. Douglas Dillon New Jersey June 12, 1959–January 4, 1961 Dwight D. Eisenhower
Chester Bowles Connecticut January 25–December 3, 1961 John F. Kennedy
George Ball District of Columbia December 4, 1961–September 30, 1966 John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson
Nicholas Katzenbach New Jersey October 3, 1966–January 20, 1969 Lyndon B. Johnson
Elliot Richardson Massachusetts January 23, 1969–June 23, 1970 Richard Nixon
John N. Irwin II New York September 21, 1970–July 12, 1972 Richard Nixon

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Senior Officials". United States Department of State. January 26, 2017. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
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