Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs
| United States Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs | |
|---|---|
 Seal of the United States Department of State | |
 Flag of the United States Department of State | |
| United States Department of State | |
| Style | Madam Under Secretary |
| Reports to | The Secretary of State[1] |
| Appointer | The President with Senate advice and consent |
| Term length | Appointed |
| Inaugural holder | Robert D. Murphy |
| Formation | August 1959 |
| Salary | $183,300 annually[2] (Executive Schedule III)[3] |
| Website | Official Website |
The Under Secretary for Political Affairs is currently the fourth-ranking position[4] in the United States Department of State, after the secretary, the deputy secretary, and the deputy secretary of state for management and resources. The current under secretary is Victoria Nuland, who was confirmed by the Senate on April 29, 2021, and began work on May 3, 2021.[5]
The Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs is a career Foreign Service officer. This makes the officeholder the highest ranking member of the United States Foreign Service. The under secretary serves as the day-to-day manager of overall regional and bilateral policy issues, and oversees the bureaus for Africa, East Asia and the Pacific, Europe and Eurasia, the Near East, South and Central Asia, the Western Hemisphere, and International Organizations. The Under Secretary is advised by Assistant Secretaries of the geographic bureaus, who guide U.S. diplomatic missions within their regional jurisdiction.[6]
The political bureaus were first overseen in 1949 by a deputy under secretary for political affairs. Prior to the creation of the position of under secretary of state for political affairs in August 1959, the deputy under secretary for political affairs assisted the secretary and under secretary of state in the formulation and conduct of U.S. foreign policy. After August 1959, the deputy under secretary of political affairs served as a focal point for interdepartmental relations, especially those dealing with politico-military issues. During 1969, the department discontinued the position and created a new Bureau for Politico-Military Affairs, which exists today as the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs under another under secretary.[7][8]
List of Under Secretaries for Political Affairs[8][]
| Image | Name | State of residency | Appointment | Entry on duty | Termination of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Robert D. Murphy | Wisconsin | August 12, 1959 | August 14, 1959 | December 3, 1959 |
|
Livingston Merchant | District of Columbia | December 1, 1959 | December 4, 1959 | January 31, 1961 |
|
George McGhee | Texas | November 29, 1961 | December 4, 1961 | March 27, 1963 |
|
Averell Harriman | New York | April 4, 1963 | April 4, 1963 | March 17, 1965 |
|
Eugene Rostow | Connecticut | October 13, 1966 | October 14, 1966 | January 20, 1969 |
|
Alexis Johnson | California | February 7, 1969 | February 7, 1969 | February 1, 1973 |
|
William J. Porter | Massachusetts | February 2, 1973 | February 2, 1973 | February 18, 1974 |
|
Joseph Sisco | Maryland | February 11, 1974 | February 19, 1974 | June 30, 1976 |
|
Philip Habib | California | June 16, 1976 | July 1, 1976 | April 1, 1978 |
|
David Newsom | California | April 13, 1978 | April 19, 1978 | February 27, 1981 |
|
Walter Stoessel | California | February 27, 1981 | February 28, 1981 | January 26, 1982 |
|
Lawrence Eagleburger | Florida | February 11, 1982 | February 12, 1982 | May 1, 1984 |
|
Michael Armacost | Maryland | May 17, 1984 | May 18, 1984 | March 2, 1989 |
|
Robert Kimmitt | Virginia | March 2, 1989 | March 2, 1989 | August 23, 1991 |
—
|
Arnold Kanter | Virginia | October 4, 1991 | October 4, 1991 | January 20, 1993 |
|
Peter Tarnoff | New York | March 11, 1993 | March 11, 1993 | April 18, 1997 |
|
Tom Pickering | New Jersey | May 27, 1997 | May 27, 1997 | December 31, 2000 |
|
Marc Grossman | Virginia | March 23, 2001 | March 26, 2001 | February 25, 2005 |
|
R. Nicholas Burns | Massachusetts | March 18, 2005 | March 18, 2005 | February 29, 2008 |
|
William Joseph Burns | Maryland | February 29, 2008 | May 13, 2008 | July 28, 2011 |
|
Thomas A. Shannon Jr.[9] Acting |
Virginia | July 28, 2011 | July 28, 2011 | September 21, 2011 |
|
Wendy Sherman[10] | Maryland | September 21, 2011 | September 21, 2011 | October 2, 2015 |
|
|
Thomas A. Shannon Jr.[9] | Virginia | February 2, 2016 | February 12, 2016 | June 4, 2018 |
|
Stephen Mull Acting |
Pennsylvania | June 5, 2018 | June 5, 2018 | August 29, 2018 |
|
David Hale | New Jersey | August 28, 2018 | August 30, 2018 | May 3, 2021 |
|
Victoria Nuland | Virginia | April 29, 2021 | May 3, 2021 |
References[]
- ^ "1 FAM 041 Under Secretary for Political Affairs (P)". Foreign Affairs Manual. U.S. Department of State. January 31, 2017. Retrieved March 28, 2018.
- ^ "Pay & Leave: Salaries & Wages". Salary Table No. 2015-EX. United States Office of Personnel Management. January 1, 2015. Retrieved January 4, 2016.
- ^ 5 U.S.C. § 5312.
- ^ "Senior Officials". U. S. Department of State.
- ^ "Victoria Nuland". U.S. Department of State. U.S. Government Publishing Office. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
- ^ "Under Secretary for Political Affairs". Retrieved June 14, 2021.
- ^ "History of the U.S. Department of State". Retrieved September 20, 2007.
- ^ a b "Under Secretaries of State for Political Affairs". Retrieved September 20, 2007.
- ^ a b "State Department gets some nominees, after Cruz clears his roadblock". Washington Post. February 12, 2016.
- ^ "Biography, Wendy R. Sherman, Under Secretary, Political Affairs". United States Department of State. Archived from the original on October 18, 2011. Retrieved December 29, 2011.
- United States Under Secretaries of State
- 1959 introductions
- United States diplomacy