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Undersecretary for Political Affairs
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R. Nicholas Burns, former Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs
The Under Secretary for Political Affairs is the third ranking position in the United States Department of State, after the Secretary and the Deputy Secretary. The Under Secretary serves as the day-to-day manager of overall regional and bilateral policy issues, and oversees the bureaus for Africa, East Asia and the Pacific, Europe and Eurasia, the Near East, South Asia, the Western Hemisphere, International Organizations, and International Narcotics and Law Enforcement. The Under Secretary is advised by Assistant Secretaries of the geographic bureaus, who guide U.S. diplomatic missions within their regional jurisdiction.[1] The most recent Under Secretary was R. Nicholas Burns, who was confirmed by the Senate and sworn in by the Secretary of State on March 17, 2005 after being appointed by the President.[2] Burns retired from the Foreign Service in 2008; current United States Ambassador to Russia William Joseph Burns (no relation) has been nominated to replace him.
The political bureaus were first overseen in 1949 by a Deputy Under Secretary for Political Affairs. Prior to the creation of the position of Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs in August 1959, the Deputy Under Secretary for Political Affairs assisted the Secretary and Under Secretary of State in the formulation and conduct of U.S. foreign policy. After August 1959, the Deputy Under Secretary for Political Affairs served as a focal point for interdepartmental relations, especially those dealing with politico-military issues. During 1969, the Department discontinued the position and created a new Bureau for Politico-Military Affairs, which exists today as the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs under another Under Secretary.[3][4]
List of Under Secretaries for Political Affairs[4]
| Name |
State of Residency |
Appointment |
Entry on Duty |
Termination of Appointment |
| Robert D. Murphy |
Wisconsin |
August 12, 1959 |
August 14, 1959 |
December 3, 1959 |
| Livingston T. Merchant |
District of Columbia |
December 1, 1959 |
December 4, 1959 |
January 31, 1961 |
| George C. McGhee |
Texas |
November 29, 1961 |
December 4, 1961 |
March 27, 1963 |
| W. Averell Harriman |
New York |
April 4, 1963 |
April 4, 1963 |
March 17, 1965 |
| Eugene V. Rostow |
Connecticut |
October 13, 1966 |
October 14, 1966 |
January 20, 1969 |
| U. Alexis Johnson |
California |
February 7, 1969 |
February 7, 1969 |
February 1, 1973 |
| William J. Porter |
Massachusetts |
February 2, 1973 |
February 2, 1973 |
February 18, 1974 |
| Joseph John Sisco |
Maryland |
February 11, 1974 |
February 19, 1974 |
June 30, 1976 |
| Philip C. Habib |
California |
June 16, 1976 |
July 1, 1976 |
April 1, 1978 |
| David D. Newsom |
California |
April 13, 1978 |
April 19, 1978 |
February 27, 1981 |
| Walter J. Stoessel, Jr. |
California |
February 27, 1981 |
February 28, 1981 |
January 26, 1982 |
| Lawrence S. Eagleburger |
Florida |
February 11, 1982 |
February 12, 1982 |
May 1, 1984 |
| Michael Hayden Armacost |
Maryland |
May 17, 1984 |
May 18, 1984 |
March 2, 1989 |
| Robert Michael Kimmitt |
Virginia |
March 2, 1989 |
March 2, 1989 |
August 23, 1991 |
| Arnold Lee Kanter |
Virginia |
October 4, 1991 |
October 4, 1991 |
January 20, 1993 |
| Peter Tarnoff |
New York |
March 11, 1993 |
March 11, 1993 |
April 18, 1997 |
| Thomas R. Pickering |
New Jersey |
May 27, 1997 |
May 27, 1997 |
December 31, 2000 |
| Marc Isaiah Grossman |
Virginia |
March 23, 2001 |
March 26, 2001 |
| R. Nicholas Burns |
Massachusetts |
March 18, 2005 |
March 18, 2005 |
February 29, 2008 |
| William Joseph Burns |
Unknown |
February 29, 2008 |
May 13, 2008 |
? , ? |
References
- ^ ""Under Secretary for Political Affairs"". Retrieved on September 20, 2007.
- ^ ""Burns, R. Nicholas"". Retrieved on September 20, 2007.
- ^ ""History of the U.S. Department of State"". Retrieved on September 20, 2007.
- ^ a b ""Under Secretaries of State for Political Affairs"". Retrieved on September 20, 2007.
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