Assistant Secretary of State (A/S) is a title used for many executive positions in the United States Department of State, ranking below the under secretaries.[1] A set of six assistant secretaries reporting to the under secretary for political affairs manage diplomatic missions within their designated geographic regions, plus one assistant secretary dealing with international organizations and one equivalent as the coordinator/ambassador at large for counterterrorism. Assistant secretaries usually manage individual bureaus of the Department of State. When the manager of a bureau or another agency holds a title other than assistant secretary, such as "director", it can be said to be of "assistant secretary equivalent rank". Assistant secretaries typically have a set of deputies, referred to as deputy assistant secretaries (DAS).
From 1853 until 1913, the assistant secretary of state was the second-ranking official within the U.S. Department of State. Prior to 1853, the chief clerk was the second-ranking officer, and after 1913, the counselor was the second-ranking position, though the assistant secretary continued to be a position until 1924. From 1867, the assistant secretary of state was assisted by a second assistant secretary of state, and from 1875, by a third assistant secretary of state. Specific duties of the incumbents varied over the years and included such responsibilities as supervising the Diplomatic and Consular Bureaus, general supervision of correspondence, consular appointments, administration of the Department, and supervision of economic matters and various geographic divisions.
Today, the title of the second-ranking position is the deputy secretary of state, with the next tier of State Department officials bearing the rank of under secretary of state.
The following is a list of current offices bearing the title of "Assistant Secretary of State":
The following roles also possess a rank equivalent to assistant secretary:[2] [3] [4]
| Office | Incumbent | data-sort-type="date" | Term began | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| data-sort-value="Assistant Secretary for African Affairs" | Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs | |||
| data-sort-value="Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs" | Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs | |||
| data-sort-value="Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs" | Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs | |||
| data-sort-value="Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs" | Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs | data-sort-value="Lenderking, Timothy A." align="center" | Timothy A. Lenderking | January 20, 2025 |
| data-sort-value="Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs" | Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs | data-sort-value="Meyer, Eric" align="center" | Eric Meyer | January 20, 2025 |
| data-sort-value="Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs" | Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs | data-sort-value="Wells, Mark A." align="center" | Mark A. Wells | January 1, 2025 |
| data-sort-value="Assistant Secretary for International Organization Affairs" | Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs | |||
| data-sort-value="Coordinator for Counterterrorism" | Coordinator for Counterterrorism | data-sort-value="LoGerfo, Gregory D." align="center" | Gregory D. LoGerfo | January 20, 2025 |
| data-sort-value="Assistant Secretary for Economic Affairs" | Assistant Secretary of State for Economic and Business Affairs | data-sort-value="Holman, Amy" align="center" | Amy Holman | June 28, 2024 |
| data-sort-value="Assistant Secretary for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs" | Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs | data-sort-value="Fernandes, Tony" align="center" | Tony Fernandes | January 20, 2025 |
| data-sort-value="Assistant Secretary for Energy Resources" | Assistant Secretary of State for Energy Resources | |||
| data-sort-value="Assistant Secretary for Arms Control, Verification, and Compliance" | Assistant Secretary of State for Arms Control, Verification, and Compliance | data-sort-value="Dean, Paul" align="center" | Paul Dean | January 20, 2025 |
| data-sort-value="Assistant Secretary for International Security and Nonproliferation" | Assistant Secretary of State for International Security and Nonproliferation | data-sort-value="Ganzer, Ann K." align="center" | Ann K. Ganzer | January 20, 2025 |
| data-sort-value="Assistant Secretary for Political-Military Affairs" | Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs | data-sort-value="Holstnider, James W. " align="center" | James W. Holstnider | January 20, 2025 |
| data-sort-value="Assistant Secretary for Educational and Cultural Affairs" | Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs | data-sort-value="Weinhold, Scott" align="center" | Scott Weinhold | January 20, 2025 |
| data-sort-value="Assistant Secretary for Global Public Affairs" | Assistant Secretary of State for Global Public Affairs | |||
| data-sort-value="Assistant Secretary for Administration" | Assistant Secretary of State for Administration | data-sort-value="Biedlingmaier, Mark" align="center" | Mark Biedlingmaier | January 20, 2025 |
| data-sort-value="Assistant Secretary for Consular Affairs" | Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs | data-sort-value="Stufft, Julie" align="center" | Julie Stufft | January 20, 2025 |
| data-sort-value="Assistant Secretary for Diplomatic Security" | Assistant Secretary of State for Diplomatic Security | data-sort-value="Matus, Carlos F." align="center" | Carlos F. Matus | January 20, 2025 |
| data-sort-value="Director of Human Resources" | Director General of the Foreign Service | |||
| data-sort-value="Director of Foreign Service Institute" | Director of the Foreign Service Institute | data-sort-value="Polaschik, Joan" align="center" | Joan A. Polaschik | May 20, 2022 |
| data-sort-value="Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor" | Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor | data-sort-value="Mennuti, Jonathan," align="center" | Jonathan Mennuti | January 20, 2025 |
| data-sort-value="Assistant Secretary for Population, Refugees, and Migration" | Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration | |||
| data-sort-value="Assistant Secretary for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement" | Assistant Secretary of State for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs | |||
| data-sort-value="Assistant Secretary for Conflict and Stabilization Operations" | Assistant Secretary of State for Conflict and Stabilization Operations | |||
| data-sort-value="Assistant Secretary for Legislative Affairs" | Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs | data-sort-value="Laidlaw, Philip" align="center" | Philip Laidlaw | December 20, 2024 |
| data-sort-value="Assistant Secretary for Intelligence and Research" | Assistant Secretary of State for Intelligence and Research | data-sort-value="Gardner, Leila." align="center" | Leila Gardner | January 20, 2025 |
The Consular and Diplomatic Appropriations Act for the year ending June 30, 1867 authorized the president to appoint a second assistant secretary of state. Duties of incumbents varied less over the years than did those of the other assistant secretary positions. Responsibilities included: supervision of correspondence with diplomatic officers; preparation of drafts of treaties, conventions, diplomatic notes, and instructions; detailed treatment of current diplomatic and political questions; approval of correspondence for the signature of the secretary or acting secretary; and consultation on matters of diplomatic procedure, international law and policy, and traditional practices of the department. The Foreign Service Act of 1924 abolished numerical titles for assistant secretaries of state. Only two people held the position from 1866 to 1924.
| Picture | Name | State of Residency | Term of Office | President(s) served under | Secretary of State(s) served under | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | William Hunter | Rhode Island | July 27, 1866 - July 22, 1886 | Andrew Johnson Ulysses S. Grant Rutherford B. Hayes James A. Garfield Chester A. Arthur Grover Cleveland | William H. Seward Elihu Benjamin Washburne Hamilton Fish William Maxwell Evarts James Gillespie Blaine Frederick Theodore Frelinghuysen Thomas F. Bayard, Sr. | ||
| 2 | Alvey A. Adee | District of Columbia | August 3, 1886 - June 30, 1924 | Grover Cleveland Benjamin Harrison William McKinley Theodore Roosevelt William Howard Taft Thomas Woodrow Wilson Warren G. Harding Calvin Coolidge | Thomas F. Bayard, Sr. James Gillespie Blaine John Watson Foster Walter Quintin Gresham Richard Olney John Sherman William Rufus Day John Milton Hay Elihu Root Robert Bacon Philander Chase Knox William Jennings Bryan Robert Lansing Bainbridge Colby Charles Evans Hughes |
A federal appropriations act for the year ending Jun 30, 1875 (Jun 20, 1874; 18 Stat. 90), authorized the president to appoint a third assistant secretary of state. The secretary of state was authorized to prescribe the duties of the assistant secretaries and other Department of State employees, "and may make changes and transfers therein when, in his judgment, it becomes necessary." The third assistant secretary's duties varied over the years, including such diverse assignments as: supervision of several geographic divisions; oversight of the bureaus of accounts and appointments; international conferences and commissions; and ceremonials and protocol, including presentation to the president of chiefs of foreign diplomatic missions. The Foreign Service Act of 1924 (May 24, 1924; 43 Stat 146) abolished numerical titles for assistant secretaries of state.