| Post: | Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor |
| Insignia: | U.S. Department of State official seal.svg |
| Insigniasize: | 120px |
| Insigniacaption: | Seal of the United States Department of State |
| Incumbent: | Robert S. Gilchrist |
| Acting: | yes |
| Incumbentsince: | January 21, 2024[1] |
| Reports To: | Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights |
| Nominator: | President of the United States |
| Formation: | 1976 |
| Inaugural: | James M. Wilson, Jr. |
| Website: | Official Website |
The Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor is the head of the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor within the United States Department of State. The Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor reports to the Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights.
| Name | Assumed office | Left office | President served under | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | James M. Wilson, Jr. | November 29, 1976 | April 28, 1977 | Gerald Ford | |
| 2 | Patricia M. Derian | August 17, 1977 | January 19, 1981 | Jimmy Carter | |
| 3 | Elliott Abrams | December 12, 1981 | July 17, 1985 | Ronald Reagan | |
| 4 | Richard Schifter | October 31, 1985 | April 3, 1992 | Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush | |
| 5 | Patricia Diaz Dennis | August 24, 1992 | January 20, 1993 | George H. W. Bush |
While Ernest W. Lefever was nominated for the office by Reagan in 1981, his nomination was rejected by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and he withdrew from consideration.[2]
| Name | Assumed office | Left office | President served under | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | John Shattuck | June 2, 1993 | November 13, 1998 | Bill Clinton |
| 7 | Harold Hongju Koh | November 13, 1998 | January 20, 2001 | Bill Clinton |
| 8 | Lorne Craner | June 4, 2001 | July 31, 2004 | George W. Bush |
| 9 | Barry Lowenkron | October 14, 2005 | August 28, 2007 | George W. Bush |
| 10 | David J. Kramer | March 21, 2008 | January 20, 2009 | George W. Bush |
| 11 | Michael H. Posner | September 23, 2009 | March 8, 2013 | Barack Obama |
| - | Uzra Zeya (acting)[3] | March 8, 2013 | April 3, 2014 | Barack Obama |
| 12 | Tom Malinowski[4] | April 3, 2014 | January 20, 2017 | Barack Obama |
| - | Virginia Bennett (acting) | January 20, 2017 | November 30, 2017 | Donald Trump |
| - | Michael Kozak (Senior Bureau Official) | November 30, 2017 | September 12, 2019 | Donald Trump |
| 13 | Robert Destro[5] | September 23, 2019 | January 20, 2021 | Donald Trump |
| - | Lisa J. Peterson (acting)[6] | January 20, 2021 | September 6, 2022 | Joe Biden |
| - | Erin M. Barclay (acting) | September 6, 2022 | January 21, 2024 | |
| - | Robert S. Gilchrist (Senior Bureau Official) | January 21, 2024 | Incumbent |