Legal Adviser of the Department of State explained

Post:Legal Adviser of the
United States Department of State
Insignia:US Department of State official seal.svg
Insigniasize:120
Insigniacaption:Seal of the United States Department of State
Incumbent:Richard C. Visek[1]
Acting:yes
Incumbentsince:January 20, 2021
Reports To:United States Secretary of State
Formation:1931
Inaugural:Green Hackworth
Website:Official Website

The Legal Adviser of the Department of State is a position within the United States Department of State. The legal adviser provides legal advice on all issues (domestic and international) arising in the course of the department's activities. The legal adviser heads the State Department's Office of the Legal Adviser. As such, the legal adviser has the rank of Assistant Secretary.[2] [3]

History

From 1870 to 1891, the examiner of claims had been the chief legal officer of the department. The solicitor, a Department of Justice employee, had functioned as the Department of State's chief legal officer from 1891 to 1931. Solicitors and examiners of claims were by statute officials of the Department of Justice.The position of Legal Advisor was created by an Act of Congress on February 23, 1931 (P.L. 71-715; 46 Stat. 1214). The first legal adviser was Green Hackworth, who served until 1946 and then became a judge on the International Court of Justice.

List of legal advisers of the Department of State

NameAssumed officeLeft officePresident served under
1Green HackworthJuly 1, 1931[4] March 1, 1946Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman
2Charles H. FahyJune 19, 1946August 15, 1947Harry S. Truman
3Ernest A. GrossAugust 16, 1947March 3, 1949Harry S. Truman
4Adrian S. FisherJune 28, 1949January 27, 1953Harry S. Truman
5Herman PhlegerFebruary 2, 1953April 1, 1957Dwight D. Eisenhower
6Loftus BeckerJune 13, 1957August 15, 1959Dwight D. Eisenhower
7Eric H. HagerSeptember 9, 1959January 20, 1961Dwight D. Eisenhower
8Abram ChayesFebruary 6, 1961June 27, 1964John F. Kennedy
9Leonard C. MeekerMay 18, 1965July 13, 1969Lyndon B. Johnson
10John Reese StevensonJuly 14, 1969January 1, 1973Richard Nixon
11Carlyle E. MawNovember 27, 1973July 9, 1974Richard Nixon
12Monroe LeighJanuary 21, 1975January 20, 1977Gerald Ford
13Herbert J. HansellApril 8, 1977September 20, 1979Jimmy Carter
14Roberts Bishop OwenOctober 4, 1979February 16, 1981Jimmy Carter
15Davis Rowland RobinsonJuly 30, 1981February 27, 1985Ronald Reagan
16Abraham David SofaerJune 10, 1985June 15, 1990Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush
17Edwin D. WilliamsonSeptember 20, 1990January 20, 1993George H. W. Bush
18Conrad K. HarperMay 24, 1993June 30, 1996Bill Clinton
19David AndrewsSeptember 2, 1997April 25, 2000Bill Clinton
20William Howard Taft IVApril 16, 2001March 1, 2005George W. Bush
21John B. Bellinger IIIApril 6, 2005March 23, 2009[5] George W. Bush, Barack Obama
-Joan E. Donoghue (acting)March 23, 2009June 25, 2009Barack Obama
22Harold Hongju KohJune 25, 2009January 22, 2013Barack Obama
-Mary McLeod (acting)January 23, 2013February 1, 2016Barack Obama
23Brian EganFebruary 2, 2016January 20, 2017Barack Obama
-Richard C. Visek (acting)January 20, 2017January 22, 2018
24January 22, 2018May 31, 2019
-Marik String (acting)June 1, 2019January 20, 2021
-Richard C. Visek (acting)January 20, 2021Joe Biden

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Richard C. Visek . state.gov . January 2021. April 25, 2021.
  2. Web site: Assistant Secretaries and Equivalent Rank . January 20, 2009 . state.gov. November 15, 2015.
  3. Web site: Department Organization Chart . state.gov . March 2014. November 15, 2015.
  4. Initially commissioned during a Senate recess; subsequently confirmed and re-commissioned on December 17, 1931.
  5. Web site: Archived copy . April 25, 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090503030705/http://fdsys.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/DCPD-2009NOMINATIONS/html/DCPD-2009NOMINATIONS.htm . May 3, 2009 . dead .