# United States Secretary of State

| United States Secretary of State |
| --- |
| Seal of the secretary of state |
| Flag of the secretary of state |
| **Incumbent Marco Rubio** since January 21, 2025 |
| United States Department of State |
| Style | Mr. Secretary (informal) The Honorable (formal) His Excellency (diplomatic) |
| Abbreviation | SecState |
| Member of | Cabinet of the United States United States National Security Council |
| Reports to | President of the United States |
| Seat | Harry S Truman Building Washington, D.C. |
| Appointer | The President with Senate advice and consent |
| Term length | No fixed term |
| Constituting instrument | 22 U.S.C. § 2651 |
| Precursor | Secretary of Foreign Affairs |
| Formation | July 27, 1789 (1789-07-27) |
| First holder | Thomas Jefferson |
| Succession | Fourth |
| Deputy | United States Deputy Secretary of State |
| Salary | Executive Schedule, Level I |
| Website | state.gov/secretary |

The **United States secretary of state** (**SecState**) is the head of the United States Department of State. This department deals with foreign affairs. The secretary is a member of the presidential cabinet and the highest-ranking cabinet secretary both in presidential line of succession and order of precedence. The U.S. Senate must agree with and confirm with the choice for the person to become the secretary of state.

The position of secretary of state was created on April 6, 1789. Thomas Jefferson was the first secretary of state. The secretary is also 4th in the presidential line of succession.

## Duties

The first duties of the secretary of state included:

* Publication, distribution, and preservation of the laws of the United States
* Managing the commissions of people the President puts into office.
* Custody of the Great Seal of the United States
* Custody of the records of the former Secretary of the Continental Congress, except for those of the Treasury and War Departments

The following are the responsibilities of the Secretary of State. These were added to the duties over time.

* In control of the United States Department of State and the United States Foreign Service.
* Adviser to the President on matters dealing with other countries. This includes choosing diplomats to other nations and dealing with diplomats from other nations.
* Takes part in high-level negotiations with other countries. The Secretary deals with both single nations and international conferences or organizations. This includes the negotiation of international treaties.
* In control of the direction, coordination, and supervision of activities of the U.S. Government in other countries when more than one government department is involved.
* Support U.S. citizens living or traveling in other countries. This includes information, passports, visas and other services.
* Supervises the United States immigration policy in other countries.
* Communicates problems dealing with the United States foreign policy to Congress and to U.S. citizens.

## List of Secretaries of State

|  |
| --- |
|   Denotes an interim secretary of state |

| N° | Secretary | Party | Vote | Term of office | State | President(s) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Portrait | Name | Took office | Left office | Term |
| – |  | **John Jay** (1745–1829) |  | Federalist | – | September 15, 1789 | March 22, 1790 | 188 days | New York |  | George Washington (1789–1797) |
| 1 |  | **Thomas Jefferson** (1743–1826) |  | Democratic- Republican | – | March 22, 1790 | December 31, 1793 | 3 years, 284 days | Virginia |
| 2 |  | **Edmund Randolph** (1753–1813) |  | Federalist | – | January 2, 1794 | August 20, 1795 | 1 year, 232 days | Virginia |
| 3 |  | **Timothy Pickering** (1745–1829) |  | Federalist | – | August 20, 1795 | December 10, 1795 | 4 years, 265 days | Pennsylvania |
| December 10, 1795 | May 12, 1800 |
|  | John Adams (1797–1801) |
| – |  | **Charles Lee** (1758–1815) |  | Federalist | – | May 13, 1800 | June 5, 1800 | 23 days | Virginia |
| 4 |  | **John Marshall** (1755–1835) |  | Federalist | – | June 13, 1800 | February 4, 1801 | 264 days | Virginia |
| February 4, 1801 | March 4, 1801 |
| – |  | **Levi Lincoln Sr.** (1749–1820) |  | Democratic- Republican | – | March 5, 1801 | May 1, 1801 | 57 days | Massachusetts |  | Thomas Jefferson (1801–1809) |
| 5 |  | **James Madison** (1751–1836) |  | Democratic- Republican | – | May 2, 1801 | March 3, 1809 | 7 years, 305 days | Virginia |
| 6 |  | **Robert Smith** (1757–1842) |  | Democratic- Republican | – | March 6, 1809 | April 1, 1811 | 2 years, 26 days | Maryland |  | James Madison (1809–1817) |
| 7 |  | **James Monroe** (1758–1831) |  | Democratic- Republican | 30–0 | April 2, 1811 | September 30, 1814 | 5 years, 335 days | Virginia |
| October 1, 1814 | February 28, 1815 |
| February 28, 1815 | March 3, 1817 |
| – |  | **John Graham** (1774–1820) |  | Democratic- Republican | – | March 4, 1817 | March 9, 1817 | 5 days | Kentucky |  | James Monroe (1817–1825) |
| – |  | **Richard Rush** (1780–1859) |  | Federalist | – | March 10, 1817 | September 22, 1817 | 196 days | Pennsylvania |
| 8 |  | **John Quincy Adams** (1767–1848) |  | Democratic- Republican | 29–1 | September 22, 1817 | March 3, 1825 | 7 years, 162 days | Massachusetts |
| – |  | **Daniel Brent** (1770–1841) |  | Democratic- Republican | – | March 4, 1825 | March 7, 1825 | 3 days | Virginia |  | John Quincy Adams (1825–1829) |
| 9 |  | **Henry Clay** (1777–1852) |  | Democratic- Republican | 27–14 | March 7, 1825 | March 3, 1829 | 3 years, 361 days | Kentucky |
|  | National Republican |  |
| – |  | **James Alexander Hamilton** (1788–1878) |  | Democratic | – | March 4, 1829 | March 27, 1829 | 23 days | New York |  | Andrew Jackson (1829–1837) |
| 10 |  | **Martin Van Buren** (1782–1862) |  | Democratic | 25–7 | March 28, 1829 | May 23, 1831 | 2 years, 56 days | New York |
| 11 |  | **Edward Livingston** (1764–1836) |  | Democratic | – | May 24, 1831 | May 29, 1833 | 2 years, 5 days | Louisiana |
| 12 |  | **Louis McLane** (1786–1857) |  | Democratic |  | May 29, 1833 | June 30, 1834 | 1 year, 32 days | Delaware |
| 13 |  | **John Forsyth** (1780–1841) |  | Democratic | – | July 1, 1834 | March 3, 1841 | 6 years, 245 days | Georgia |
|  | Martin Van Buren (1837–1841) |
| – |  | **Jacob L. Martin** (?–1848) |  | – | – | March 4, 1841 | March 5, 1841 | 1 day | District of Columbia |  | William Henry Harrison (1841) |
| 14 |  | **Daniel Webster** (1782–1852) |  | Whig | – | March 6, 1841 | May 8, 1843 | 2 years, 63 days | Massachusetts |
|  | John Tyler (1841–1845) |
|  |
| – |  | **Hugh S. Legaré** (1797–1843) |  | Democratic | – | May 9, 1843 | June 20, 1843 | 42 days | South Carolina |
| – |  | **William S. Derrick** (1802–1852) |  | – | – | June 21, 1843 | June 23, 1843 | 2 days | Pennsylvania |
| 15 |  | **Abel P. Upshur** (1791–1844) |  | Whig | – | June 24, 1843 | July 23, 1843 | 220 days | Virginia |
| July 24, 1843 | February 28, 1844 |
| – |  | **John Nelson** (1791–1860) |  | Whig | – | February 29, 1844 | March 31, 1844 | 31 days | Maryland |
| 16 |  | **John C. Calhoun** (1782–1850) |  | Democratic | – | April 1, 1844 | March 10, 1845 | 343 days | South Carolina |
| 17 |  | **James Buchanan** (1791–1868) |  | Democratic | – | March 10, 1845 | March 7, 1849 | 3 years, 362 days | Pennsylvania |  | James K. Polk (1845–1849) |
| 18 |  | **John M. Clayton** (1796–1856) |  | Whig | – | March 8, 1849 | July 22, 1850 | 1 year, 136 days | Delaware |  | Zachary Taylor (1849–1850) |
|  | Millard Fillmore (1850–1853) |
| 19 |  | **Daniel Webster** (1782–1852) |  | Whig | – | July 23, 1850 | October 24, 1852 | 2 years, 93 days | Massachusetts |
| – |  | **Charles Magill Conrad** (1804–1878) |  | Whig | – | October 25, 1852 | November 5, 1852 | 11 days | Louisiana |
| 20 |  | **Edward Everett** (1794–1865) |  | Whig | – | November 6, 1852 | March 3, 1853 | 117 days | Massachusetts |
| – |  | **William Hunter** (1805–1886) |  | – | – | March 4, 1853 | March 7, 1853 | 3 days | Rhode Island |  | Franklin Pierce (1853–1857) |
| 21 |  | **William L. Marcy** (1786–1857) |  | Democratic | – | March 7, 1853 | March 6, 1857 | 3 years, 364 days | New York |
| 22 |  | **Lewis Cass** (1782–1866) |  | Democratic | – | March 6, 1857 | December 14, 1860 | 3 years, 283 days | Michigan |  | James Buchanan (1857–1861) |
| – |  | **William Hunter** (1805–1886) |  | – | – | December 15, 1860 | December 16, 1860 | 1 day | Rhode Island |
| 23 |  | **Jeremiah S. Black** (1810–1883) |  | Democratic | – | December 17, 1860 | March 5, 1861 | 78 days | New York |
| 24 |  | **William H. Seward** (1801–1872) |  | Republican | – | March 5, 1861 | March 4, 1869 | 7 years, 364 days | New York |  | Abraham Lincoln (1861–1865) |
|  | Andrew Johnson (1865–1869) |
| 25 |  | **Elihu B. Washburne** (1816–1887) |  | Republican | – | March 5, 1869 | March 16, 1869 | 11 days | Illinois |  | Ulysses S. Grant (1869–1877) |
| 26 |  | **Hamilton Fish** (1808–1893) |  | Republican | – | March 17, 1869 | March 12, 1877 | 7 years, 360 days | New York |
| 27 |  | **William M. Evarts** (1818–1901) |  | Republican | 44–2 | March 12, 1877 | March 7, 1881 | 3 years, 360 days | New York |  | Rutherford B. Hayes (1877–1881) |
| 28 |  | **James G. Blaine** (1830–1893) |  | Republican | – | March 7, 1881 | December 19, 1881 | 287 days | Maine |  | James A. Garfield (1881) |
|  | Chester A. Arthur (1881–1885) |
| 29 |  | **Frederick T. Frelinghuysen** (1817–1885) |  | Republican | – | December 19, 1881 | March 6, 1885 | 3 years, 77 days | New Jersey |
| 30 |  | **Thomas F. Bayard** (1828–1898) |  | Democratic | – | March 7, 1885 | March 6, 1889 | 3 years, 364 days | Delaware |  | Grover Cleveland (1885–1889) |
| 31 |  | **James G. Blaine** (1830–1893) |  | Republican | – | March 7, 1889 | June 4, 1892 | 3 years, 89 days | Maine |  | Benjamin Harrison (1889–1893) |
| – |  | **William F. Wharton** (1847–1919) |  | Republican | – | June 4, 1892 | June 29, 1892 | 25 days | Massachusetts |
| 32 |  | **John W. Foster** (1836–1917) |  | Republican | – | June 29, 1892 | February 23, 1893 | 239 days | Indiana |
| – |  | **William F. Wharton** (1847–1919) |  | Republican | – | February 24, 1893 | March 6, 1893 | 10 days | Massachusetts |
|  | Grover Cleveland (1893–1897) |
| 33 |  | **Walter Q. Gresham** (1832–1895) |  | Democratic | – | March 7, 1893 | May 28, 1895 | 2 years, 82 days | Illinois |
| – |  | **Edwin F. Uhl** (1841–1901) |  | Democratic | – | May 28, 1895 | June 9, 1895 | 12 days | Michigan |
| 34 |  | **Richard Olney** (1835–1917) |  | Democratic | – | June 10, 1895 | March 5, 1897 | 1 year, 268 days | Massachusetts |
| 35 |  | **John Sherman** (1823–1900) |  | Republican | – | March 6, 1897 | April 27, 1898 | 1 year, 52 days | Ohio |  | William McKinley (1897–1901) |
| 36 |  | **William R. Day** (1849–1923) |  | Republican | – | April 28, 1898 | September 16, 1898 | 141 days | Ohio |
| – |  | **Alvey A. Adee** (1842–1924) |  | Independent | – | September 17, 1898 | September 29, 1898 | 12 days | New York |
| 37 |  | **John Hay** (1838–1905) |  | Republican | – | September 30, 1898 | July 1, 1905 | 6 years, 274 days | District of Columbia |
|  | Theodore Roosevelt (1901–1909) |
| – |  | **Francis B. Loomis** (1861–1948) |  | Republican | – | July 1, 1905 | July 18, 1905 | 17 days | Ohio |
| 38 |  | **Elihu Root** (1845–1937) |  | Republican | – | July 19, 1905 | January 27, 1909 | 3 years, 192 days | New York |
| 39 |  | **Robert Bacon** (1860–1919) |  | Republican | – | January 27, 1909 | March 5, 1909 | 37 days | New York |
| 40 |  | **Philander C. Knox** (1853–1921) |  | Republican | – | March 6, 1909 | March 5, 1913 | 3 years, 364 days | Pennsylvania |  | William Howard Taft (1909–1913) |
| 41 |  | **William Jennings Bryan** (1860–1925) |  | Democratic | – | March 5, 1913 | June 9, 1915 | 2 years, 96 days | Nebraska |  | Woodrow Wilson (1913–1921) |
| 42 |  | **Robert Lansing** (1864–1928) |  | Democratic | – | June 9, 1915 | June 24, 1915 | 4 years, 249 days | New York |
| June 24, 1915 | February 13, 1920 |
| – |  | **Frank Polk** (1871–1943) |  | Democratic | – | February 14, 1920 | March 14, 1920 | 29 days | New York |
| 43 |  | **Bainbridge Colby** (1869–1950) |  | Democratic | – | March 23, 1920 | March 4, 1921 | 346 days | New York |
| 44 |  | **Charles Evans Hughes** (1862–1948) |  | Republican | – | March 5, 1921 | March 4, 1925 | 3 years, 364 days | New York |  | Warren G. Harding (1921–1923) |
|  | Calvin Coolidge (1923–1929) |
| 45 |  | **Frank B. Kellogg** (1856–1937) |  | Republican | – | March 5, 1925 | March 28, 1929 | 4 years, 23 days | Minnesota |
|  | Herbert Hoover (1929–1933) |
| 46 |  | **Henry L. Stimson** (1867–1950) |  | Republican | – | March 28, 1929 | March 4, 1933 | 3 years, 341 days | New York |
| 47 |  | **Cordell Hull** (1871–1955) |  | Democratic | – | March 4, 1933 | November 30, 1944 | 11 years, 271 days | Tennessee |  | Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933–1945) |
| 48 |  | **Edward Stettinius Jr.** (1900–1949) |  | Democratic | 68–1 | December 1, 1944 | June 27, 1945 | 208 days | Virginia |
|  | Harry S. Truman (1945–1953) |
| – |  | **Joseph Grew** (1880–1965) |  | Independent | – | June 28, 1945 | July 3, 1945 | 5 days | New Hampshire |
| 49 |  | **James F. Byrnes** (1882–1972) |  | Democratic | – | July 3, 1945 | January 21, 1947 | 1 year, 202 days | South Carolina |
| 50 |  | **George C. Marshall** (1880–1959) |  | Independent | – | January 21, 1947 | January 20, 1949 | 1 year, 365 days | Pennsylvania |
| 51 |  | **Dean Acheson** (1893–1971) |  | Democratic | 83–6 | January 21, 1949 | January 20, 1953 | 3 years, 365 days | Maryland |
| – |  | **H. Freeman Matthews** (1899–1986) |  | Independent | – | January 20, 1953 | January 21, 1953 | 1 day | Maryland |  | Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953–1961) |
| 52 |  | **John Foster Dulles** (1888–1959) |  | Republican | – | January 21, 1953 | April 22, 1959 | 6 years, 91 days | New York |
| 53 |  | **Christian Herter** (1895–1966) |  | Republican | 93–0 | April 22, 1959 | January 20, 1961 | 1 year, 273 days | Massachusetts |
| – |  | **Livingston T. Merchant** (1903–1976) |  | Independent | – | January 20, 1961 | January 21, 1961 | 1 day | District of Columbia |  | John F. Kennedy (1961–1963) |
| 54 |  | **Dean Rusk** (1909–1994) |  | Democratic | – | January 21, 1961 | January 20, 1969 | 7 years, 365 days | New York |
|  | Lyndon B. Johnson (1963–1969) |
| – |  | **Charles E. Bohlen** (1904–1974) |  | Independent | – | January 20, 1969 | January 22, 1969 | 2 days | District of Columbia |  | Richard Nixon (1969–1974) |
| 55 |  | **William P. Rogers** (1913–2001) |  | Republican | – | January 22, 1969 | September 3, 1973 | 4 years, 224 days | Maryland |
| – |  | **Kenneth Rush** (1910–1994) |  | Republican | – | September 3, 1973 | September 22, 1973 | 19 days | Florida |
| 56 |  | **Henry Kissinger** (1923–2023) |  | Republican | 78–7 | September 22, 1973 | January 20, 1977 | 3 years, 120 days | District of Columbia |
|  | Gerald Ford (1974–1977) |
| – |  | **Philip Habib** (1920–1992) |  | Independent | – | January 20, 1977 | January 23, 1977 | 3 days | California |  | Jimmy Carter (1977–1981) |
| 57 |  | **Cyrus Vance** (1917–2002) |  | Democratic | Voice | January 23, 1977 | April 28, 1980 | 3 years, 96 days | New York |
| – |  | **Warren Christopher** (1925–2011) |  | Democratic | – | April 28, 1980 | May 2, 1980 | 4 days | California |
| – |  | **David D. Newsom** (1918–2008) |  | Independent | – | May 2, 1980 | May 3, 1980 | 1 day | California |
| – |  | **Richard N. Cooper** (1934–2020) |  | Independent | – | May 3, 1980 | May 3, 1980 | 0 days | Connecticut |
| – |  | **David D. Newsom** (1918–2008) |  | Independent | – | May 3, 1980 | May 4, 1980 | 1 day | California |
| – |  | **Warren Christopher** (1925–2011) |  | Democratic | – | May 4, 1980 | May 8, 1980 | 4 days | California |
| 58 |  | **Edmund Muskie** (1914–1996) |  | Democratic | 94–2 | May 8, 1980 | January 18, 1981 | 255 days | Maine |
| – |  | **David D. Newsom** (1918–2008) |  | Independent | – | January 18, 1981 | January 22, 1981 | 4 days | California |
| 59 |  | **Alexander Haig** (1924–2010) |  | Republican | 93–6 | January 22, 1981 | July 5, 1982 | 1 year, 164 days | Connecticut |  | Ronald Reagan (1981–1989) |
| – |  | **Walter J. Stoessel Jr.** (1920–1986) |  | Independent | – | July 5, 1982 | July 16, 1982 | 11 days | California |
| 60 |  | **George Shultz** (1920–2021) |  | Republican | 97–0 | July 16, 1982 | January 20, 1989 | 6 years, 188 days | California |
| – |  | **Michael Armacost** (b. 1937) |  | Independent | – | January 20, 1989 | January 25, 1989 | 5 days | Maryland |  | George H. W. Bush (1989–1993) |
| 61 |  | **James Baker** (b. 1930) |  | Republican | 99–0 | January 25, 1989 | August 23, 1992 | 3 years, 211 days | Texas |
| 62 |  | **Lawrence Eagleburger** (1930–2011) |  | Republican | – | August 23, 1992 | December 8, 1992 | 150 days | Florida |
| Recess | December 8, 1992 | January 20, 1993 |
| – |  | **Arnold Kanter** (1945–2010) |  | Independent | – | January 20, 1993 | January 20, 1993 | 0 days | District of Columbia |
| – |  | **Frank G. Wisner** (b. 1938) |  | Independent | – | January 20, 1993 | January 20, 1993 | 0 days | District of Columbia |  | Bill Clinton (1993–2001) |
| 63 |  | **Warren Christopher** (1925–2011) |  | Democratic | Voice | January 20, 1993 | January 17, 1997 | 3 years, 363 days | California |
| 64 |  | **Madeleine Albright** (1937–2022) |  | Democratic | 99–0 | January 23, 1997 | January 20, 2001 | 3 years, 363 days | District of Columbia |
| 65 |  | **Colin Powell** (1937–2021) |  | Republican | Voice | January 20, 2001 | January 26, 2005 | 4 years, 6 days | Virginia |  | George W. Bush (2001–2009) |
| 66 |  | **Condoleezza Rice** (b. 1954) |  | Republican | 85–13 | January 26, 2005 | January 20, 2009 | 3 years, 360 days | California |
| – |  | **Bill Burns** (b. 1956) |  | Independent | – | January 20, 2009 | January 21, 2009 | 1 day | District of Columbia |  | Barack Obama (2009–2017) |
| 67 |  | **Hillary Clinton** (b. 1947) |  | Democratic | 94–2 | January 21, 2009 | February 1, 2013 | 4 years, 11 days | New York |
| 68 |  | **John Kerry** (b. 1943) |  | Democratic | 94–3 | February 1, 2013 | January 20, 2017 | 3 years, 354 days | Massachusetts |
| – |  | **Tom Shannon** (b. 1958) |  | Republican | – | January 20, 2017 | February 1, 2017 | 12 days | Minnesota |  | Donald Trump (2017–2021) |
| 69 |  | **Rex Tillerson** (b. 1952) |  | Republican | 55–43 | February 1, 2017 | March 31, 2018 | 1 year, 58 days | Texas |
| – |  | **John Sullivan** (b. 1959) |  | Republican | – | April 1, 2018 | April 26, 2018 | 25 days | Massachusetts |
| 70 |  | **Mike Pompeo** (b. 1963) |  | Republican | 57–42 | April 26, 2018 | January 20, 2021 | 2 years, 269 days | Kansas |
| – |  | **Daniel Bennett Smith** (b. 1956) |  | Independent | – | January 20, 2021 | January 26, 2021 | 6 days | Virginia |  | Joe Biden (2021–2025) |
| 71 |  | **Antony Blinken** (b. 1962) |  | Democratic | 78–22 | January 26, 2021 | January 20, 2025 | 3 years, 360 days | New York |
| – |  | **Lisa Kenna** (b. 1965) |  | Independent | – | January 20, 2025 | January 21, 2025 | 1 day | Vermont |  | Donald Trump (2025–present) |
| 72 |  | **Marco Rubio** (b. 1971) |  | Republican | 99–0 | January 21, 2025 | present | 1 year, 153 days | Florida |

## Living former secretaries of state

As of September 2025, there are seven living former secretaries of state, the oldest being James Baker (served 1989–1992). The most recent death of a former secretary of state was that of Henry Kissinger (served 1973–1977) on November 29, 2023. The living former secretaries of state, in order of service, are:

**Living former secretaries of state James A. Baker
(1985-1988)
Born (1930-04-28)April 28, 1930
(age 96 years, 56 days)
* Condoleezza Rice
(2005-2009)
Born (1954-11-14)November 14, 1954
(age 71 years, 221 days)
* Hillary Clinton
(2009-2013)
Born (1947-10-26)October 26, 1947
(age 78 years, 240 days)
* John Kerry
(2013-2017)
Born (1943-12-11)December 11, 1943
(age 82 years, 194 days)
* Rex Tillerson
(2017-2018)
Born (1952-03-23)March 23, 1952
(age 74 years, 92 days)
* Mike Pompeo
(2018-2021)
Born (1963-12-30)December 30, 1963
(age 62 years, 175 days)
* Antony Blinken
(2021-2025)
Born (1962-04-16)April 16, 1962
(age 64 years, 68 days)