Chief of Protocol of the United States

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Chief of Protocol
U.S. Department of State official seal.svg
Seal of the United States Department of State
Incumbent
Rufus Gifford

since December 20, 2021
Reports toUnited States Secretary of State
NominatorPresident of the United States
Inaugural holderJames Clement Dunn
Formation1928
Websitehttps://www.state.gov/bureaus-offices/bureaus-and-offices-reporting-directly-to-the-secretary/office-of-the-chief-of-protocol/

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.[1][2]

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:[3]

  • Management
  • Visits
  • Ceremonials
  • Diplomatic Affairs
  • Blair House
  • Major Events

List of chiefs of protocol of the United States[]

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

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "Assistant Secretaries and Equivalent Rank". January 20, 2009. Retrieved November 15, 2015.
  2. ^ "Department Organization Chart". March 2014. Retrieved November 15, 2015.
  3. ^ "U.S. Department of State: Office of the Chief of Protocol". State.gov. Retrieved August 25, 2017.

External links[]

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