# Chief of Protocol of the United States

In the United States, the chief of protocol is an officer of the United States Department of State responsible for advising the president of the United States, the vice president of the United States, and the United States secretary of state on matters of national and international diplomatic protocol. The chief of protocol holds the rank of ambassador and assistant secretary of state.

## Duties

The chief arranges itineraries for foreign dignitaries visiting the U.S. and accompanies the president on all official international travel. Additionally, the office is responsible for accrediting foreign diplomats and publishing the list of foreign consular offices in the U.S., organizing ceremonies for treaty signings, conducting ambassadorial swearing-in and state arrival ceremonies, and maintaining Blair House, the official guest house for state visitors.
The chief of protocol duties include being present at the annual State of the Union speech (SOTU) given by the president each January before Congress. These SOTU duties include escorting the dean of the Diplomatic Corps into the House Chamber for the SOTU speech.
The chief of protocol position should not be confused with the distinctly different White House social secretary position.

## Divisions

The office identifies six divisions on its website, led by assistant chiefs, who oversee the following principal duties:
* Management
* Visits
* Ceremonials
* Diplomatic Affairs
* Blair House
* Major Events

## List of chiefs of protocol of the United States

| # | Image | Name | Assumed office | Left office | President served under |
| 1 | | James Clement Dunn | February 4, 1928 | November 17, 1930 | Calvin Coolidge Herbert Hoover |
| 2 | | F. Lammot Belin | November 17, 1930 | September 15, 1931 | Herbert Hoover |
| 3 | | Warren Delano Robbins | September 15, 1931 | June 11, 1933 | Herbert Hoover |
| 4 | | James Clement Dunn | June 11, 1933 | April 11, 1935 | Franklin D. Roosevelt |
| 5 | | Richard Southgate | April 11, 1935 | July 29, 1937 | Franklin D. Roosevelt |
| 6 | | George T. Summerlin | July 29, 1937 | January 15, 1944 | Franklin D. Roosevelt |
| 7 | | Stanley Woodward | January 15, 1944 | May 22, 1950 | Franklin D. Roosevelt Harry S. Truman |
| 8 | | John F. Simmons | August 18, 1950 | January 31, 1957 | Harry S. Truman Dwight D. Eisenhower |
| 9 | | Wiley T. Buchanan Jr. | February 4, 1957 | January 23, 1961 | Dwight D. Eisenhower |
| 10 | | Angier Biddle Duke | January 24, 1961 | January 20, 1965 | John F. Kennedy Lyndon B. Johnson |
| 11 | | Lloyd Nelson Hand | January 21, 1965 | March 21, 1966 | Lyndon B. Johnson |
| 12 | | James W. Symington | March 22, 1966 | March 31, 1968 | Lyndon B. Johnson |
| 13 | | Angier Biddle Duke | April 1, 1968 | September 26, 1968 | Lyndon B. Johnson |
| 14 | | Tyler Abell | September 30, 1968 | January 20, 1969 | Lyndon B. Johnson |
| 15 | | Emil Mosbacher | January 21, 1969 | June 30, 1972 | Richard Nixon |
| - | | Marion H. Smoak | July 1, 1972 | March 1, 1974 (acting) | Richard Nixon |
| 16 | | Marion H. Smoak | March 1, 1974 | March 30, 1974 | Richard Nixon |
| 17 | | Henry E. Catto Jr. | April 3, 1974 | July 1, 1976 | Richard Nixon Gerald Ford |
| 18 | | Shirley Temple Black | July 1, 1976 | January 21, 1977 | Gerald Ford |
| 19 | | Evan Dobelle | March 2, 1977 | May 22, 1978 | Jimmy Carter |
| 20 | | Edith H. J. Dobelle | November 3, 1978 | September 26, 1979 | Jimmy Carter |
| 21 | | Abelardo L. Valdez | October 19, 1979 | January 21, 1981 | Jimmy Carter |
| - | | Morgan Mason (acting) | January 21, 1981 | March 20, 1981 | Ronald Reagan |
| 22 | | Leonore Annenberg | March 20, 1981 | January 6, 1982 | Ronald Reagan |
| 23 | | Selwa Roosevelt | April 16, 1982 | January 20, 1989 | Ronald Reagan |
| 24 | | Joseph Verner Reed Jr. | May 21, 1989 | October 21, 1991 | George H. W. Bush |
| 25 | | John Giffen Weinmann | October 31, 1991 | January 20, 1993 | George H. W. Bush |
| 26 | | Molly M. Raiser | September 14, 1993 | July 24, 1997 | Bill Clinton |
| 27 | | Mary Mel French | November 13, 1997 | January 20, 2001 | Bill Clinton |
| 28 | | Donald Ensenat | June 6, 2001 | February 18, 2007 | George W. Bush |
| - | | Raymond P. Martinez (acting) | February 18, 2007 | September 14, 2007 | George W. Bush |
| 29 | | Nancy Brinker | September 14, 2007 | January 20, 2009 | George W. Bush |
| 30 | | Capricia Marshall | August 3, 2009 | August 1, 2013 | Barack Obama |
| - | | Natalie Jones (acting) | August 1, 2013 | May 13, 2014 | Barack Obama |
| 31 | | Peter A. Selfridge | May 13, 2014 | January 20, 2017 | Barack Obama |
| - | Post vacant (January 20, 2017 – December 1, 2017) | Post vacant (January 20, 2017 – December 1, 2017) | Post vacant (January 20, 2017 – December 1, 2017) | Post vacant (January 20, 2017 – December 1, 2017) | Post vacant (January 20, 2017 – December 1, 2017) |
| 32 | | Sean Lawler | December 1, 2017 | July 9, 2019 | Donald Trump |
| - | | Mary-Kate Fisher (acting) | June 24, 2019 | August 12, 2019 | Donald Trump |
| 33 | | Cam Henderson | August 12, 2019 | January 20, 2021 | Donald Trump |
| - | | Asel Roberts (acting) | January 20, 2021 | January 3, 2022 | Joe Biden |
| 34 | | Rufus Gifford | January 3, 2022 | July 28, 2023 | Joe Biden |
| - | | Ethan Rosenzweig (acting) | August 1, 2023 | January 20, 2025 | Joe Biden |