# Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs

The Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs was the head of the Bureau of Public Affairs within the United States Department of State. The Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs reports to the Secretary of State and the Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs. On May 28, 2019, the bureau merged with the Bureau of International Information Programs into the Bureau of Global Public Affairs, and the duties of the Assistant Secretary of State merged into the duties of the Assistant Secretary of State for Global Public Affairs.

## History

The position was first created in December 1944 as the Assistant Secretary of State for Public and Cultural Relations. It was later changed to its current name in 1946. Initially, incumbents supervised the forerunners of the United States Information Agency and the Voice of America. Under the Presidential Appointment Efficiency and Streamlining Act of 2011, the Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs does not require Senate confirmation.
Historically, the Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs had a dual role as the Spokesperson for the State Department. From 2011 to 2015, the Assistant Secretary and the State Department Spokesperson were two separate roles held by different people. In late 2015, the two roles were once again merged with the appointment of Spokesperson John Kirby as Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs.
On May 28, 2019, the bureau merged with the Bureau of International Information Programs into the Bureau of Global Public Affairs, and the duties of the Assistant Secretary of State merged into the duties of the Assistant Secretary of State for Global Public Affairs.

## Assistant Secretaries of State for Public Affairs, 1944—2019

| # | Image | Name | Assumed office | Left office | President appointed by |
| 1 | | Archibald MacLeish | December 20, 1944 | August 17, 1945 | Franklin D. Roosevelt |
| 2 | | William Benton | September 17, 1945 | September 30, 1947 | Harry Truman |
| 3 | | George V. Allen | March 31, 1948 | November 28, 1949 | Harry Truman |
| 4 | | Edward W. Barrett | February 16, 1950 | February 20, 1952 | Harry Truman |
| 5 | | Howland H. Sargeant | February 21, 1952 | January 29, 1953 | Harry Truman |
| 6 | | Carl McCardle | January 30, 1953 | March 1, 1957 | Dwight D. Eisenhower |
| 7 | | Andrew H. Berding | March 28, 1957 | March 9, 1961 | Dwight D. Eisenhower |
| 8 | | Roger Tubby | March 10, 1961 | April 1, 1962 | John F. Kennedy |
| 9 | | Robert Manning | April 11, 1962 | July 31, 1964 | John F. Kennedy |
| 10 | | James L. Greenfield | September 10, 1964 | March 12, 1966 | Lyndon B. Johnson |
| 11 | | Dixon Donnelley | March 22, 1966 | January 31, 1969 | Lyndon B. Johnson |
| 12 | | Michael Collins | January 6, 1970 | April 11, 1971 | Richard Nixon |
| 13 | | Carol Laise | October 10, 1973 | March 27, 1975 | Richard Nixon |
| 14 | | John Reinhardt | April 22, 1975 | March 22, 1977 | Gerald Ford |
| 15 | | Hodding Carter III | March 25, 1977 | June 30, 1980 | Jimmy Carter |
| 16 | | William J. Dyess | August 29, 1980 | July 30, 1981 | Jimmy Carter |
| 17 | | Dean E. Fischer | August 7, 1981 | August 19, 1982 | Ronald Reagan |
| 18 | | Robert John Hughes | August 20, 1982 | January 1, 1985 | Ronald Reagan |
| 19 | | Bernard Kalb | August 12, 1985 | October 8, 1986 | Ronald Reagan |
| 20 | | Charles E. Redman | June 29, 1987 | March 1, 1989 | Ronald Reagan |
| 21 | | Margaret D. Tutwiler | March 3, 1989 | August 23, 1992 | George H. W. Bush |
| 22 | | Thomas E. Donilon | April 1, 1993 | November 7, 1996 | Bill Clinton |
| 23 | | James Rubin | August 7, 1997 | April 2, 2000 | Bill Clinton |
| 24 | | Richard Boucher | January 5, 2001 | June 2, 2005 | Bill Clinton |
| 25 | | Sean McCormack | June 2, 2005 | January 20, 2009 | George W. Bush |
| 26 | | Philip J. Crowley | May 26, 2009 | March 13, 2011 | Barack Obama |
| 27 | | Michael A. Hammer | March 30, 2012 | August 30, 2013 | Barack Obama |
| 28 | | Douglas Frantz | September 3, 2013 | October 1, 2015 | Barack Obama |
| 29 | | John Kirby | December 11, 2015 | January 20, 2017 | Barack Obama |
| - | | Susan Stevenson (Acting) | January 20, 2017 | February 3, 2018 | Donald Trump |
| 30 | | Michelle Giuda | February 3, 2018 | May 28, 2019 | Donald Trump |
| | Office abolished Replaced by Assistant Secretary of State for Global Public Affairs | Office abolished Replaced by Assistant Secretary of State for Global Public Affairs | Office abolished Replaced by Assistant Secretary of State for Global Public Affairs | Office abolished Replaced by Assistant Secretary of State for Global Public Affairs | Office abolished Replaced by Assistant Secretary of State for Global Public Affairs |