United States Assistant Secretary of State

The Assistant Secretary of State, from 1853 until 1913, was the second-ranking official within the American 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. 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.

In modern times, Assistant Secretary of State is a title used for many executive positions in the United States State Department. 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 another dealing with working with other countries on narcotics issues. 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."

List of Assistant Secretaries of State

# Picture Name State of Residency Term of Office President(s) served under Secretary of State(s) served under 1 Ambrose Dudley Mann Virginia March 23, 1853- May 8, 1855 Franklin Pierce William L. Marcy2 William Hunter [1]Rhode Island May 9, 1855- October 31, 1855 Franklin Pierce William L. Marcy3 John Addison Thomas New York November 1, 1855- April 3, 1857 Franklin Pierce
James Buchanan William L. Marcy
Lewis Cass4 John Appleton Maine April 4, 1857- June 10, 1860 James Buchanan Lewis Cass5 William H. Trescot South Carolina June 8, 1860- December 20, 1860 James Buchanan Lewis Cass
Jeremiah S. Black6 Frederick W. Seward New York March 6, 1861- March 4, 1869 Abraham Lincoln
Andrew Johnson William H. Seward7 J.C. Bancroft Davis New York March 25, 1869- November 13, 1871 Ulysses S. Grant Hamilton Fish8 Charles Hale Massachusetts February 19, 1872- January 24, 1873 Ulysses S. Grant Hamilton Fish9 J.C. Bancroft Davis New York January 24, 1873- January 30, 1874 Ulysses S. Grant Hamilton Fish10 John Cadwalader Pennsylvania June 17, 1874- March 20, 1877 Ulysses S. Grant
Rutherford B. Hayes Hamilton Fish
William M. Evarts11 Frederick W. Seward New York March 16, 1877- October 31, 1879 Rutherford B. Hayes William M. Evarts12 John Hay Ohio November 1, 1879- May 3, 1881 Rutherford B. Hayes
James A. Garfield William M. Evarts
James G. Blaine13 Robert R. Hitt Illinois May 4, 1881- December 19, 1881 James A. Garfield
Chester A. Arthur James G. Blaine14 J.C. Bancroft Davis New York December 19, 1881- July 7, 1882 Chester A. Arthur Frederick T. Frelinghuysen15 John Davis Washington DC July 7, 1882- February 23, 1885 Chester A. Arthur Frederick T. Frelinghuysen16 James D. Porter Tennessee March 20, 1885- September 17, 1887 Grover Cleveland Thomas F. Bayard17 George L. Rives New York November 19, 1887- March 5, 1889 Grover Cleveland Thomas F. Bayard18 William F. Wharton[2]Massachusetts April 2, 1889- March 20, 1893 Benjamin Harrison
Grover Cleveland James G. Blaine
John W. Foster
Walter Q. Gresham19 Josiah Quincy Massachusetts March 20, 1893- September 22, 1893 Grover Cleveland Walter Q. Gresham20 Edwin F. Uhl [2]Michigan November 1, 1893- February 11, 1896 Grover Cleveland Walter Q. Gresham
Richard Olney21 William Woodville Rockhill Maryland February 11, 1896- May 10, 1897 Grover Cleveland
William McKinley Richard Olney
John Sherman22 William R. Day Ohio May 3, 1897- April 27, 1898 William McKinley John Sherman23 John B. Moore New York April 27, 1898- September 16, 1898 William McKinley William R. Day24 David J. Hill New York October 25, 1898- January 28, 1903 William McKinley
Theodore Roosevelt John Hay25 Francis B. Loomis [2]Ohio January 7, 1903- October 10, 1905 Theodore Roosevelt John Hay
Elihu Root26 Robert Bacon New York September 5, 1905- January 27, 1909 Theodore Roosevelt Elihu Root27 John Callan O'Laughlin Washington DC January 27, 1909- March 5, 1909 Theodore Roosevelt Robert Bacon28 Huntington Wilson Illinois March 5, 1909- March 19, 1913 William Howard Taft
Woodrow Wilson Philander C. Knox
William Jennings Bryan29 John E. Osborne Wyoming April 21, 1913- December 14, 1916 Thomas Woodrow Wilson William Jennings Bryan
Robert Lansing30 William Phillips Massachusetts January 24, 1917- March 25, 1920 Thomas Woodrow Wilson Robert Lansing
Bainbridge Colby31 Fred Morris Dearing Missouri March 11, 1921- February 28, 1922 Warren G. Harding Charles Evans Hughes32 Leland B. Harrison Illinois March 31, 1922- June 30, 1924 Warren G. Harding
Calvin Coolidge Charles Evans Hughes

Second Assistant Secretary of State

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 of 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 have served the position from 1866 to 1924.