United States Deputy Secretary of State

Deputy Secretary of State of the United States of America
Seal of the Department of State
Flag of the Deputy Secretary of State
Incumbent
Kurt M. Campbell
since February 12, 2024
Department of State
Reports toThe United States Secretary of State
SeatWashington, D.C.
AppointerThe President of the United States
with Senate advice and consent
Term lengthNo fixed term
FormationJuly 13, 1972
First holderJohn N. Irwin II
SalaryExecutive Schedule, Level 2
WebsiteOfficial website

The deputy secretary of state of the United States is the principal deputy to the secretary of state. As of February 2024, the position is held by Kurt M. Campbell, who is serving under United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken. If the secretary of state resigns or dies, the 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 of State.

The State Department is the only federal cabinet-level agency to have two co-equal deputy secretaries. The second deputy secretary of state, the deputy secretary of state for management and resources, serves as the "first assistant" for the purposes of the Vacancies Reform Act, but both deputy secretaries have full delegated authority to act for the secretary, if not otherwise prohibited by law.

Certain deputy secretaries of state went on to become appointed as the secretary of state, such as Lawrence Eagleburger in 1992,[1] Warren Christopher in 1993,[2] and Antony Blinken in 2021.[3]

List of deputy secretaries of state[edit]

# Portrait Name Term began Term ended President(s) served under
1 John N. Irwin II July 13, 1972 February 1, 1973 Richard Nixon
2 Kenneth Rush February 2, 1973 May 29, 1974
3 Robert S. Ingersoll July 10, 1974 March 31, 1976
Gerald Ford
4 Charles W. Robinson April 9, 1976 January 20, 1977
5 Warren Christopher February 26, 1977 January 16, 1981 Jimmy Carter
6 William P. Clark Jr. February 25, 1981 February 9, 1982 Ronald Reagan
7 Walter J. Stoessel Jr. February 11, 1982 September 22, 1982
8 Kenneth W. Dam September 23, 1982 June 15, 1985
9 John C. Whitehead July 9, 1985 January 20, 1989
10 Lawrence Eagleburger January 20, 1989 December 8, 1992 George H. W. Bush
11 Clifton R. Wharton Jr. January 27, 1993 November 8, 1993 Bill Clinton
12 Strobe Talbott February 22, 1994 January 19, 2001
13 Richard Armitage March 26, 2001 February 22, 2005 George W. Bush
14 Robert Zoellick February 22, 2005 July 7, 2006
15 John Negroponte February 13, 2007 January 28, 2009
16 James Steinberg January 28, 2009 July 28, 2011 Barack Obama
17 William J. Burns July 28, 2011 November 3, 2014
– Wendy Sherman
Acting 		November 3, 2014 January 9, 2015
18 Antony Blinken January 9, 2015 January 20, 2017
– Thomas A. Shannon Jr.
Acting 		February 1, 2017 May 24, 2017 Donald Trump
19 John J. Sullivan May 24, 2017 December 20, 2019
20 Stephen Biegun December 21, 2019 January 20, 2021
21 Wendy Sherman April 14, 2021 July 28, 2023 Joe Biden
– Victoria Nuland
Acting 		July 29, 2023 February 12, 2024
22 Kurt M. Campbell February 12, 2024 Incumbent

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Biographies of the Secretaries of State: Lawrence Sidney Eagleburger (1930–2011)". U.S. Department of State. n.d. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
  2. ^ "Biographies of the Secretaries of State: Warren Minor Christopher (1925–2011)". U.S. Department of State. n.d. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
  3. ^ "Biographies of the Secretaries of State: Antony Blinken (1962–)". U.S. Department of State. n.d. Retrieved March 10, 2021.

External links[edit]

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