United States Deputy Secretary of State
United States Deputy Secretary of State | |
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since January 28, 2009 | |
Inaugural holder | John N. Irwin, II |
Formation | 1972 |
Website | Official Website |
The Deputy Secretaries of State of the United States are the chief assistants to the Secretary of State. If the Secretary of State resigns or dies, a Deputy Secretary of State becomes Acting Secretary of State until the President nominates and the Senate confirms a replacement. The position was created in 1972. Prior to July 13, 1972, the Under Secretary of State had been the second ranking officer of the Department. On December 23, 2008, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton appointed both James Steinberg and Jacob J. Lew to the position of Deputy Secretary of State. Lew's position focuses on budget and internal management affairs, while Steinberg is in charge of policy matters. (Technically, Steinberg became Deputy Secretary of State, and Lew was appointed to a newly created office, as Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources.) They were confirmed by Congress on January 28, 2009.
Deputy Secretaries of State
Name | Term of Office | President(s) served under |
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John N. Irwin II | July 13, 1972–February 1, 1973 | Richard Nixon |
Kenneth Rush | February 2, 1973–May 29, 1974 | Richard Nixon |
Robert S. Ingersoll | July 10, 1974–March 31, 1976 | Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford |
Charles W. Robinson | April 9, 1976–January 20, 1977 | Gerald Ford |
Warren Christopher | February 26, 1977–January 16, 1981 | Jimmy Carter |
William P. Clark | February 25, 1981–February 9, 1982 | Ronald Reagan |
Walter John Stoessel, Jr. | February 11, 1982–September 22, 1982 | Ronald Reagan |
Kenneth W. Dam | September 23, 1982–June 15, 1985 | Ronald Reagan |
John C. Whitehead | July 9, 1985–January 20, 1989 | Ronald Reagan |
Lawrence Eagleburger | January 20, 1989–August 19, 1992 | George H. W. Bush |
Clifton R. Wharton, Jr. | January 27, 1993–November 8, 1993 | Bill Clinton |
Strobe Talbott | February 22, 1994–January 19, 2001 | Bill Clinton |
Richard Armitage | March 26, 2001–February 22, 2005 | George W. Bush |
Robert Zoellick | February 22, 2005– July 7, 2006 | George W. Bush |
John Negroponte | February 13, 2007– January 19, 2009 | George W. Bush |
James Steinberg | January 28, 2009– Present | Barack Obama |