United States Under Secretary of State

Position of the United States Department of State

Under Secretary of State (U/S) is a title used by senior officials of the United States Department of State who rank above the assistant secretaries and below the deputy secretary.

From 1919 to 1972, the under secretary was the second-ranking official at the Department of State (immediately beneath the U.S. secretary of state), serving as the secretary's principal deputy, chief assistant, and acting secretary in the event of the secretary's absence. Prior second-ranking positions had been the chief clerk, the assistant secretary of state, and the counselor. Prior to 1944, a number of offices in the department reported directly to the under secretary. In July 1972, the position of deputy secretary superseded that of under secretary of state.

The following is a list of current offices bearing the title of "Under Secretary of State":

* Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs
* Under Secretary of State for Management
* Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment
* Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security
* Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs
* Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights

In addition to the six under secretaries, the counselor of the State Department, who advises the secretary of state, holds a rank equivalent to under secretary.

## Current under secretaries of state

[edit]

Under secretaries of state[1]

Office  | Incumbent  | Term began

Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs
1 FAM 041 |

Allison Hooker

| June 5, 2025

Under Secretary of State for Management
1 FAM 044 |

José Cunningham
(Acting)

| April 5, 2025

Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment
1 FAM 042 |

Thomas E. Lertsen
(Acting)

| January 20, 2025

Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security
1 FAM 043 |

Brent T. Christensen
(Acting)

| January 20, 2025

Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights
1 FAM 045 |

Jeremy P. Lewin
(Acting)

| July 11, 2025

Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs
1 FAM 046 |

Darren Beattie
(Acting)

| February 4, 2025

## Under secretaries of state, 1919–1972

[edit]

Name  | Home state  | Term of office  | President(s) served under

|
|
|

Frank Polk | New York | July 1, 1919-June 15, 1920  | Woodrow Wilson
Norman Davis | New York | June 15, 1920-March 7, 1921  | Woodrow Wilson and Warren G. Harding
Henry P. Fletcher | Pennsylvania | March 8, 1921-March 6, 1922  | Warren G. Harding
William Phillips | Massachusetts | April 26, 1922-April 11, 1924  | Warren G. Harding and Calvin Coolidge
Joseph Grew | New Hampshire | April 16, 1924-June 30, 1927  | Calvin Coolidge
Robert E. Olds | Minnesota | July 1, 1927-June 30, 1928  | Calvin Coolidge
J. Reuben Clark | Utah | August 31, 1928-June 19, 1929  | Calvin Coolidge and Herbert Hoover
Joseph P. Cotton | New York | June 20, 1929-March 10, 1931  | Herbert Hoover
William R. Castle Jr. | District of Columbia | April 2, 1931-March 5, 1933  | Herbert Hoover and Franklin Roosevelt
William Phillips | Massachusetts | March 6, 1933-August 23, 1936  | Franklin Roosevelt
Sumner Welles | Maryland | May 21, 1937-September 30, 1943  | Franklin Roosevelt
Edward Stettinius Jr. | Virginia | October 4, 1943-November 30, 1944  | Franklin Roosevelt
Joseph Grew | New York | December 20, 1944-August 15, 1945  | Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman
Dean Acheson | Maryland | August 16, 1945-June 30, 1947  | Harry Truman
Robert A. Lovett | New York | July 1, 1947-January 20, 1949  | Harry Truman
James E. Webb | North Carolina | January 28, 1949-February 29, 1952  | Harry Truman
David K. E. Bruce | Virginia | April 1, 1952-January 20, 1953  | Harry Truman
Walter Bedell Smith | District of Columbia | February 9, 1953-October 1, 1954  | Dwight D. Eisenhower
Herbert Hoover Jr. | California | October 4, 1954-February 5, 1957  | Dwight D. Eisenhower
Christian Herter | Massachusetts | February 21, 1957-April 22, 1959  | Dwight D. Eisenhower
C. Douglas Dillon | New Jersey | June 12, 1959-January 4, 1961  | Dwight D. Eisenhower
Chester Bowles | Connecticut | January 25-December 3, 1961  | John F. Kennedy
George Ball | District of Columbia | December 4, 1961-September 30, 1966  | John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson
Nicholas Katzenbach | New Jersey | October 3, 1966-January 20, 1969  | Lyndon B. Johnson
Elliot Richardson | Massachusetts | January 23, 1969-June 23, 1970  | Richard Nixon
John N. Irwin II | New York | September 21, 1970-July 12, 1972  | Richard Nixon

## See also

[edit]

* List of undersecretary positions
* Undersecretary

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Senior Officials". United States Department of State. January 26, 2017. Retrieved January 26, 2017.

## External links

[edit]

* The Department of State's list of Under Secretaries in the period that it was the second-ranking position.
* The Department of State's list of former and current positions.

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United States Department of State

* Headquarters: Harry S Truman Building

* Marco Rubio, Secretary of State
* Christopher Landau, Deputy Secretary of State
* Michael Rigas, Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources
* Allison Hooker, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs

Deputy Secretary of State and
Deputy Secretary of State for
Management and Resources|

* Office of Foreign Assistance
* Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy
* Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization
* Office of the U.S. Coordinator for the Arctic Region

Under Secretary for
Political Affairs|

* Bureau of African Affairs
* Bureau of Counterterrorism
* Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs
* Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs
* Bureau of International Organization Affairs (United States Mission to the United Nations)
* Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs
* Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs
* Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs

Under Secretary for Economic
Growth, Energy, and the Environment|

* Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs
* Bureau of Energy Resources
* Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs
* Office of the Chief Economist
* Office of Global Food Security
* Office of Global Partnerships
* Office of the Science and Technology Advisor to the Secretary

Under Secretary for Arms Control
and International Security|

* Bureau of Arms Control, Verification and Compliance
* Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation
* Bureau of Political-Military Affairs
* Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs
* International Security Advisory Board

Under Secretary for Public
Diplomacy and Public Affairs|

* Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (Fulbright Program)
* Bureau of Global Public Affairs
* Global Engagement Center
* International Expositions Unit
* Office of Global Youth Issues
* Office of Policy, Planning, and Resources for Public Affairs and Public Diplomacy
* United States Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy

Under Secretary
for Management|

* Bureau of Administration
* Bureau of Budget and Planning
* Bureau of Consular Affairs
* Bureau of Diplomatic Security
* Bureau of Global Talent Management
* Bureau of Information Resource Management
* Bureau of Medical Services
* Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations
* Bureau of the Comptroller and Global Financial Services
* Foreign Service Institute (Office of the Historian)
* Office of Foreign Missions
* Director of Diplomatic Reception Rooms
* Office of Management Strategy and Solutions
* Office of White House Liaison

Under Secretary for Foreign Assistance, Humanitarian Affairs and Religious Freedom|

* Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations
* Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor
* Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration
* Bureau of Global Health Security and Diplomacy
* Office of Global Criminal Justice
* Office of International Religious Freedom
* Office of the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism
* Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons

Bureaus/offices reporting
directly to the secretary|

* Chief of Staff
* Office of the Counselor
* Bureau of Intelligence and Research
* Bureau of Legislative Affairs
* Executive Secretariat (Operations Center)
* Policy Planning Staff (Foreign Affairs Policy Board)
* Office of Civil Rights
* Office of Diversity and Inclusion
* Office of Global Women's Issues
* Office of Inspector General
* Office of the Chief of Protocol
* Office of the Legal Adviser
* Office of the Ombudsman
* Office of the Secretary's Special Representative for Syria Engagement
* Office of the Special Envoy for Critical and Emerging Technology
* Office of the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs
* Office of the Special Presidential Envoy for Climate
* Office of the Special Representative for Venezuela
* Office of the United States Security Coordinator for Israel and the Palestinian Authority
* Office of the U.S. Special Coordinator for the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment
* Iran Action Group
* Foreign Service Grievance Board
* Secretary's Open Forum

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