Chief Clerk (United States Department of State)

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The Chief Clerk, between 1789 and 1853, was the second-ranking official within the United States Department of State, known as the Department of Foreign Affairs before September 5, 1789. Section 2 of the Act of Congress of July 27, 1789 (1 Stat. 28) establishing a Department of Foreign Affairs, authorized the Secretary to appoint a Chief Clerk, who would have custody of the Department's records whenever the office of the Secretary should be vacant. From 1789 to 1853, when Congress created the position of Assistant Secretary of State, the Chief Clerk was the second-ranking officer of the Department of State, and was responsible for supervision of Department personnel, distribution of correspondence, and day-to-day operations.

All Chief Clerks were designated, not commissioned. After 1853, the Chief Clerk's duties included at various times custody of archives, distribution of correspondence, and supervision of Department personnel and property. The office was abolished on January 26, 1939, re-established August 6, 1942, as the Office of the Chief Clerk and Administrative Assistant, and abolished in the reorganization of January 15, 1944. Although the Chief Clerk was the second-ranking officer until 1853, the holder of the office of Chief Clerk did not always become Acting Secretary of State in the Secretary's absence, and sometimes that position was delegated to other Cabinet members.

List of Chief Clerks[edit]

All Chief Clerks were non-career appointees.

List Name State of Residency Term Start Term End Notes
1 Henry Remsen Jr. New York July 27, 1789 December 31, 1789 As Under Secretary of Foreign Affairs, was appointed Chief Clerk after creation of Department of Foreign Affairs.
2 Roger Alden Connecticut January 1, 1790 July 25, 1790
3 Henry Remsen Jr. New York September 1, 1790 March 31, 1792
4 George Taylor Jr. New York April 1, 1792 February 7, 1798
5 Jacob Wagner Pennsylvania February 8, 1798 March 31, 1807
6 John Graham Virginia July 1, 1807 July 18, 1817
7 Daniel Brent Virginia September 22, 1817 August 22, 1833
8 Asbury Dickins North Carolina August 23, 1833 December 12, 1836
9 Aaron Ogden Dayton New Jersey December 13, 1836 June 25, 1838
10 Aaron Vail New York June 26, 1838 July 15, 1840
11 Jacob L. Martin North Carolina July 16, 1840 March 5, 1841
12 Daniel Fletcher Webster Massachusetts March 6, 1841 April 23, 1843
13 William S. Derrick Pennsylvania April 24, 1843 April 9, 1844
14 Richard K. Cralle Virginia April 10, 1844 March 10, 1845
15 William S. Derrick Pennsylvania March 11, 1845 August 27, 1845
16 Nicholas P. Trist Virginia August 28, 1845 April 14, 1847
17 William S. Derrick Pennsylvania April 15, 1847 January 25, 1848
18 John Appleton Maine January 26, 1848 April 25, 1848
19 William S. Derrick Pennsylvania April 25, 1848 May 15, 1852
20 William Hunter Jr. Rhode Island May 17, 1852 May 7, 1855 Continued to serve as Chief Clerk after the appointment of A. Dudley Mann as Assistant Secretary of State.

References[edit]

  • Office of the Historian, Bureau of Public Affairs. "Chief Clerks". Department of State. Retrieved September 26, 2011.
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