# United States Assistant Secretary of State

Assistant Secretary of State (A/S) is a title used for many executive positions in the United States Department of State, ranking below the under secretaries. A set of six assistant secretaries reporting to the under secretary for political affairs manage diplomatic missions within their designated geographic regions, plus one assistant secretary dealing with international organizations and one equivalent as the coordinator/ambassador at large for counterterrorism. Assistant secretaries usually manage individual bureaus of the Department of State. When the manager of a bureau or another agency holds a title other than assistant secretary, such as "director", it can be said to be of "assistant secretary equivalent rank". Assistant secretaries typically have a set of deputies, referred to as deputy assistant secretaries (DAS).

## History

From 1853 until 1913, the assistant secretary of state was the second-ranking official within the U.S. Department of State. Prior to 1853, the chief clerk was the second-ranking officer, and after 1913, the counselor was the second-ranking position, though the assistant secretary continued to be a position until 1924. From 1867, the assistant secretary of state was assisted by a second assistant secretary of state, and from 1875, by a third assistant secretary of state. Specific duties of the incumbents varied over the years and included such responsibilities as supervising the Diplomatic and Consular Bureaus, general supervision of correspondence, consular appointments, administration of the Department, and supervision of economic matters and various geographic divisions.

## Overview

Today, the title of the second-ranking position is the deputy secretary of state, with the next tier of State Department officials bearing the rank of under secretary of state.
The following is a list of current offices bearing the title of "Assistant Secretary of State":
* Reporting directly to the secretary of state:
** Assistant Secretary of State for Intelligence and Research
** Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs
* Reporting to the under secretary of state for political affairs:
** Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs
** Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs
** Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs
** Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs
** Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs
** Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs
** Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs
* Reporting to the under secretary of state for management:
** Assistant Secretary of State for Administration
** Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs
** Assistant Secretary of State for Diplomatic Security
* Reporting to the under secretary of state for economic growth, energy, and the environment:
** Assistant Secretary of State for Economic and Business Affairs
** Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs
** Assistant Secretary of State for Energy Resources
* Reporting to the under secretary of state for public diplomacy and public affairs:
** Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs
** Assistant Secretary of State for Global Public Affairs
* Reporting to the under secretary of state for arms control and international security:
** Assistant Secretary of State for International Security and Nonproliferation
** Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs
** Assistant Secretary of State for Arms Control, Deterrence, and Stability
* Reporting to the under secretary of state for civilian security, democracy, and human rights:
** Assistant Secretary of State for Conflict and Stabilization Operations
** Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor
** Assistant Secretary of State for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs
** Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration
The following roles also possess a rank equivalent to assistant secretary:
* Chief of Protocol of the United States, with the rank of ambassador
* Coordinator for Counterterrorism, with the rank and status of ambassador-at-large
* Special Assistant to the Secretary and Executive Secretary of the Department
* Inspector General of the Department of State
* Legal Adviser
* Director General of the Foreign Service and Director of Global Talent
* Director, Policy Planning Staff
* Ambassador at Large for Global Women's Issues
* Ambassador at Large for Global Criminal Justice
* Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom
* Ambassador at Large to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons
* Ambassador at Large for Global Health Security and Diplomacy
* Director of the Foreign Service Institute
* Science and Technology Advisor to the Secretary of State
* Chief Information Officer of the Department
* Director, Office of Foreign Missions, with rank of ambassador
* Director of Budget and Planning
* Comptroller of the Department
* Chief Economist of the Department
* Director Foreign Assistance
* Chief Medical Officer and Designated Agency Safety and Health Official
* Director, Office of Civil Rights
* Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer
* Director, Office of Management Strategy and Solutions
* Director of Overseas Buildings Operations

## Current assistant secretaries of state

| Office | Incumbent | Term began |
| Reporting to the under secretary of state for political affairs |||
| Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs 1 FAM 121 | Troy Fitrell | January 20, 2025 Acting |
| Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs 1 FAM 131 | Sean O'Neill | January 20, 2025 Acting |
| Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs 1 FAM 141 | Louis L. Bono | January 20, 2025 Acting |
| Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs 1 FAM 161 | Timothy A. Lenderking | January 20, 2025 Acting |
| Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs 1 FAM 171 | Eric Meyer | January 20, 2025 Acting |
| Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs 1 FAM 151 | Michael Kozak | January 20, 2025 Acting |
| Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs 1 FAM 331 | | |
| Coordinator for Counterterrorism 1 FAM 481 | Gregory D. LoGerfo | January 20, 2025 Acting |
| Reporting to the under secretary of state for economic growth, energy, and the environment |||
| Assistant Secretary of State for Economic and Business Affairs 1 FAM 421 | Amy Holman | June 28, 2024 Acting |
| Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs 1 FAM 541 | Tony Fernandes | January 20, 2025 Acting |
| Assistant Secretary of State for Energy Resources 1 FAM 461 | Laura Lochman | January 20, 2025 Acting |
| Reporting to the under secretary of state for arms control and international security |||
| Assistant Secretary of State for Arms Control, Verification, and Compliance 1 FAM 441 | Paul Dean | January 20, 2025 Acting |
| Assistant Secretary of State for International Security and Nonproliferation 1 FAM 451 | Paul Watzlavick | March 7, 2025 Acting |
| Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs 1 FAM 411 | James W. Holstnider | January 20, 2025 Acting |
| Reporting to the under secretary of state for public diplomacy and public affairs |||
| Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs 1 FAM 341 | Darren Beattie | February 4, 2025 Acting |
| Assistant Secretary of State for Global Public Affairs 1 FAM 321 | Michele P. Exner | January 20, 2025 Acting |
| Reporting to the under secretary of state for management |||
| Assistant Secretary of State for Administration 1 FAM 211 | Mark Biedlingmaier | January 20, 2025 Acting |
| Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs 1 FAM 251 | John Armstrong | February 27, 2025 Acting |
| Assistant Secretary of State for Diplomatic Security 1 FAM 261 | Carlos Matus | January 20, 2025 Acting |
| Director General of the Foreign Service 1 FAM 231 | Catherine Rodriguez | January 20, 2025 Acting |
| Director of the Foreign Service Institute 1 FAM 291 | Joan A. Polaschik | May 20, 2022 |
| Reporting to the under secretary of state for civilian security, democracy, and human rights |||
| Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor 1 FAM 511 | Riley M. Barnes | February 10, 2025 Acting |
| Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration 1 FAM 521 | | |
| Assistant Secretary of State for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs 1 FAM 531 | | |
| Assistant Secretary of State for Conflict and Stabilization Operations 1 FAM 471 | Neal Kringel | March 3, 2025 Acting |
| Reporting directly to the secretary of state |||
| Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs 1 FAM 311 | Philip Laidlaw | December 20, 2024 Acting |
| Assistant Secretary of State for Intelligence and Research 1 FAM 431 | Donald Blome | February 3, 2025 Acting |

## List of assistant secretaries of state, 1853–1937

| # | Name | State of residency | Term of office | President(s) served under | Secretary of State(s) served under |
| 1 | Ambrose Dudley Mann | Virginia | March 23, 1853 – May 8, 1855 | Franklin Pierce | William L. Marcy |
| 2 | William Hunter | Rhode Island | May 9, 1855 – October 31, 1855 | Franklin Pierce | William L. Marcy |
| 3 | John Addison Thomas | New York | November 1, 1855 – April 3, 1857 | Franklin Pierce James Buchanan | William L. Marcy Lewis Cass |
| 4 | John Appleton | Maine | April 4, 1857 – June 10, 1860 | James Buchanan | Lewis Cass |
| 5 | William H. Trescot | South Carolina | June 8, 1860 – December 20, 1860 | James Buchanan | Lewis Cass Jeremiah S. Black |
| 6 | Frederick W. Seward | New York | March 6, 1861 – March 4, 1869 | Abraham Lincoln Andrew Johnson | William H. Seward |
| 7 | J.C. Bancroft Davis | New York | March 25, 1869 – November 13, 1871 | Ulysses S. Grant | Hamilton Fish |
| 8 | Charles Hale | Massachusetts | February 19, 1872 – January 24, 1873 | Ulysses S. Grant | Hamilton Fish |
| 9 | J.C. Bancroft Davis | New York | January 24, 1873 – January 30, 1874 | Ulysses S. Grant | Hamilton Fish |
| 10 | John Lambert Cadwalader | New York | June 17, 1874 – March 20, 1877 | Ulysses S. Grant Rutherford B. Hayes | Hamilton Fish William M. Evarts |
| 11 | Frederick W. Seward | New York | March 16, 1877 – October 31, 1879 | Rutherford B. Hayes | William M. Evarts |
| 12 | John Hay | Ohio | November 1, 1879 – May 3, 1881 | Rutherford B. Hayes James A. Garfield | William M. Evarts James G. Blaine |
| 13 | Robert R. Hitt | Illinois | May 4, 1881 – December 19, 1881 | James A. Garfield Chester A. Arthur | James G. Blaine |
| 14 | J.C. Bancroft Davis | New York | December 19, 1881 – July 7, 1882 | Chester A. Arthur | Frederick T. Frelinghuysen |
| 15 | John Davis | Washington, D.C. | July 7, 1882 – February 23, 1885 | Chester A. Arthur | Frederick T. Frelinghuysen |
| 16 | James D. Porter | Tennessee | March 20, 1885 – September 17, 1887 | Grover Cleveland | Thomas F. Bayard |
| 17 | George L. Rives | New York | November 19, 1887 – March 5, 1889 | Grover Cleveland | Thomas F. Bayard |
| 18 | William F. Wharton | Massachusetts | April 2, 1889 – March 20, 1893 | Benjamin Harrison Grover Cleveland | James G. Blaine John W. Foster Walter Q. Gresham |
| 19 | Josiah Quincy | Massachusetts | March 20, 1893 – September 22, 1893 | Grover Cleveland | Walter Q. Gresham |
| 20 | Edwin F. Uhl | Michigan | November 1, 1893 – February 11, 1896 | Grover Cleveland | Walter Q. Gresham Richard Olney |
| 21 | William Woodville Rockhill | Maryland | February 11, 1896 – May 10, 1897 | Grover Cleveland William McKinley | Richard Olney John Sherman |
| 22 | William R. Day | Ohio | May 3, 1897 – April 27, 1898 | William McKinley | John Sherman |
| 23 | John B. Moore | New York | April 27, 1898 – September 16, 1898 | William McKinley | William R. Day |
| 24 | David Jayne Hill | New York | October 25, 1898 – January 28, 1903 | William McKinley Theodore Roosevelt | John Hay |
| 25 | Francis B. Loomis | Ohio | January 7, 1903 – October 10, 1905 | Theodore Roosevelt | John Hay Elihu Root |
| 26 | Robert Bacon | New York | September 5, 1905 – January 27, 1909 | Theodore Roosevelt | Elihu Root |
| 27 | John Callan O'Laughlin | Washington, D.C. | January 27, 1909 – March 5, 1909 | Theodore Roosevelt | Robert Bacon |
| 28 | Huntington Wilson | Illinois | March 5, 1909 – March 19, 1913 | William Howard Taft Woodrow Wilson | Philander C. Knox William Jennings Bryan |
| 29 | John E. Osborne | Wyoming | April 21, 1913 – December 14, 1916 | Thomas Woodrow Wilson | William Jennings Bryan Robert Lansing |
| 30 | William Phillips | Massachusetts | January 24, 1917 – March 25, 1920 | Thomas Woodrow Wilson | Robert Lansing Bainbridge Colby |
| 31 | Fred Morris Dearing | Missouri | March 11, 1921 – February 28, 1922 | Warren G. Harding | Charles Evans Hughes |
| 32 | Leland B. Harrison | Illinois | March 31, 1922 – June 30, 1924 | Warren G. Harding Calvin Coolidge | Charles Evans Hughes |
| 32 | Wilbur J. Carr | Ohio | July 1, 1924 – July 28, 1937 | Calvin Coolidge Herbert Hoover Franklin Roosevelt | Charles Evans Hughes Frank B. Kellogg Henry L. Stimson Cordell Hull |

## Second Assistant Secretary of State

The Consular and Diplomatic Appropriations Act for the year ending June 30, 1867 authorized the president to appoint a second assistant secretary of state. Duties of incumbents varied less over the years than did those of the other assistant secretary positions. Responsibilities included: supervision of correspondence with diplomatic officers; preparation of drafts of treaties, conventions, diplomatic notes, and instructions; detailed treatment of current diplomatic and political questions; approval of correspondence for the signature of the secretary or acting secretary; and consultation on matters of diplomatic procedure, international law and policy, and traditional practices of the department. The Foreign Service Act of 1924 abolished numerical titles for assistant secretaries of state. Only two people held the position from 1866 to 1924.
| # | Picture | Name | State of Residency | Term of Office | President(s) served under | Secretary of State(s) served under |
| 1 | | William Hunter | Rhode Island | July 27, 1866 - July 22, 1886 | Andrew Johnson Ulysses S. Grant Rutherford B. Hayes James A. Garfield Chester A. Arthur Grover Cleveland | William H. Seward Elihu Benjamin Washburne Hamilton Fish William Maxwell Evarts James Gillespie Blaine Frederick Theodore Frelinghuysen Thomas F. Bayard, Sr. |
| 2 | | Alvey A. Adee | District of Columbia | August 3, 1886 - June 30, 1924 | Grover Cleveland Benjamin Harrison William McKinley Theodore Roosevelt William Howard Taft Thomas Woodrow Wilson Warren G. Harding Calvin Coolidge | Thomas F. Bayard, Sr. James Gillespie Blaine John Watson Foster Walter Quintin Gresham Richard Olney John Sherman William Rufus Day John Milton Hay Elihu Root Robert Bacon Philander Chase Knox William Jennings Bryan Robert Lansing Bainbridge Colby Charles Evans Hughes |

## Third Assistant Secretary of State

A federal appropriations act for the year ending Jun 30, 1875 (Jun 20, 1874; 18 Stat. 90), authorized the president to appoint a third assistant secretary of state. The secretary of state was authorized to prescribe the duties of the assistant secretaries and other Department of State employees, "and may make changes and transfers therein when, in his judgment, it becomes necessary." The third assistant secretary's duties varied over the years, including such diverse assignments as: supervision of several geographic divisions; oversight of the bureaus of accounts and appointments; international conferences and commissions; and ceremonials and protocol, including presentation to the president of chiefs of foreign diplomatic missions. The Foreign Service Act of 1924 (May 24, 1924; 43 Stat 146) abolished numerical titles for assistant secretaries of state.
| # | Name | State of Residency | Term of Office | President(s) served under | Secretary of State(s) served under |
| 1 | John Allen Campbell | Wyoming | February 24, 1875 - November 30, 1877 | Ulysses S. Grant Rutherford B. Hayes | Hamilton Fish William M. Evarts |
| 2 | Charles Payson | Massachusetts, New York | June 22, 1878 - June 30, 1881 | Rutherford B. Hayes James A. Garfield | William M. Evarts James G. Blaine |
| 3 | Walker Blaine | Maine | July 1, 1881 - June 30, 1882 | James A. Garfield Chester A. Arthur | James G. Blaine Frederick T. Frelinghuysen |
| 4 | Alvey A. Adee | District of Columbia | July 18, 1882 - August 5, 1886 | Chester A. Arthur Grover Cleveland | Frederick T. Frelinghuysen Thomas F. Bayard, Sr. |
| 5 | John Bassett Moore | Delaware, New York | August 6, 1886 - September 30, 1891 | Grover Cleveland Benjamin Harrison | Thomas F. Bayard, Sr. James G. Blaine |
| 6 | William Morton Grinnell | New York | February 15, 1892 - April 16, 1893 | Benjamin Harrison Grover Cleveland | James G. Blaine John W. Foster |
| 7 | Edward Henry Strobel | New York | April 17, 1893 - April 16, 1894 | Grover Cleveland | Walter Q. Gresham |
| 8 | William Woodville Rockhill | District of Columbia, Maryland | April 17, 1894 - February 13, 1896 | Grover Cleveland | Walter Q. Gresham Richard Olney |
| 9 | William Woodward Baldwin | New York | February 29, 1896 - April 1, 1897 | Grover Cleveland, William McKinley | Richard Olney John Sherman |
| 10 | Thomas Wilbur Cridler | West Virginia | April 8, 1897 - November 15, 1901 | William McKinley | John Sherman William R. Day John Hay |
| 11 | Herbert Henry Davis Peirce | Massachusetts | November 16, 1901 - June 22, 1906 | Theodore Roosevelt | John Hay Elihu Root |
| 12 | Huntington Wilson | Illinois | July 2, 1906 - December 30, 1908 | Theodore Roosevelt | Elihu Root |
| 13 | William Phillips | Massachusetts | January 11, 1909 - October 13, 1909 | Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft | Elihu Root Robert Bacon Philander C. Knox |
| 14 | Chandler Hale | Maine | October 14, 1909 - April 21, 1913 | William Howard Taft, Woodrow Wilson | Philander C. Knox William Jennings Bryan |
| 15 | Dudley Field Malone | New York | April 22, 1913 - November 22, 1913 | Woodrow Wilson | William Jennings Bryan |
| 16 | William Phillips | Massachusetts | March 17, 1914 - January 24, 1917 | Woodrow Wilson | William Jennings Bryan Robert Lansing |
| 17 | Breckinridge Long | Massachusetts | January 29, 1917 - June 8, 1920 | Woodrow Wilson | Robert Lansing Bainbridge Colby |
| 18 | Van Santvoord Merle-Smith | New York | June 24, 1920 - March 4, 1921 | Woodrow Wilson | Bainbridge Colby |
| 19 | Robert Woods Bliss | New York | March 16, 1921 - May 3, 1923 | Warren G. Harding | Charles Evans Hughes |
| 20 | J. Butler Wright | Wyoming | June 11, 1923 - June 30, 1924 | Warren G. Harding Calvin Coolidge | Charles Evans Hughes |

## Defunct offices including the designation of Assistant Secretary of State

* Assistant Secretary of State for Occupied Areas