United States
Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs
Seal of the United States Department of State
Flag of the United States Department of State
Incumbent
Victoria Nuland
since May 3, 2021
United States Department of State
StyleMadam Under Secretary
Reports toThe Secretary of State[1]
AppointerThe President
with Senate advice and consent
Term lengthAppointed
Inaugural holderRobert D. Murphy
FormationAugust 1959
Salary$183,300 annually[2]  (Executive Schedule III)[3]
WebsiteOfficial Website

The Under Secretary for Political Affairs is currently the fourth-ranking position[4] in the United States Department of State, after the secretary, the deputy secretary, and the deputy secretary of state for management and resources. The current under secretary is Victoria Nuland, who was confirmed by the Senate on April 29, 2021, and began work on May 3, 2021.[5]

The Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs is a career Foreign Service officer. This makes the officeholder the highest-ranking member of the United States Foreign Service. 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 and Central Asia, the Western Hemisphere, International Organizations, and Counterterrorism. The Under Secretary is advised by Assistant Secretaries of the geographic bureaus, who guide U.S. diplomatic missions within their regional jurisdiction.[6]

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 of 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.[7][8]

List of Under Secretaries for Political Affairs

Image 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 J. Sisco Maryland February 11, 1974 February 19, 1974 June 30, 1976
Philip 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 Eagleburger Florida February 11, 1982 February 12, 1982 May 1, 1984
Michael Armacost Maryland May 17, 1984 May 18, 1984 March 2, 1989
Robert M. Kimmitt Virginia March 2, 1989 March 2, 1989 August 23, 1991
Arnold 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 Grossman Virginia March 23, 2001 March 26, 2001 February 25, 2005
R. Nicholas Burns Massachusetts March 18, 2005 March 18, 2005 February 29, 2008
William J. Burns Maryland February 29, 2008 May 13, 2008 July 28, 2011
Thomas A. Shannon Jr.[9]
Acting 		Minnesota July 28, 2011 July 28, 2011 September 21, 2011
Wendy Sherman[10] Maryland September 21, 2011 September 21, 2011 October 2, 2015
Thomas A. Shannon Jr.[9] Minnesota February 2, 2016 February 12, 2016 June 4, 2018
Stephen Mull
Acting 		Pennsylvania June 5, 2018 June 5, 2018 August 29, 2018
David Hale New Jersey August 28, 2018 August 30, 2018 May 3, 2021
Victoria Nuland Virginia April 29, 2021 May 3, 2021

References

  1. ^ "1 FAM 041 Under Secretary for Political Affairs (P)". Foreign Affairs Manual. U.S. Department of State. January 31, 2017. Retrieved March 28, 2018.
  2. ^ "Pay & Leave: Salaries & Wages". Salary Table No. 2015-EX. United States Office of Personnel Management. January 1, 2015. Retrieved January 4, 2016.
  3. ^ 5 U.S.C. § 5312.
  4. ^ "Senior Officials". U. S. Department of State.
  5. ^ "Victoria Nuland". U.S. Department of State. U.S. Government Publishing Office. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
  6. ^ "Under Secretary for Political Affairs". Retrieved June 14, 2021.
  7. ^ "History of the U.S. Department of State". Retrieved September 20, 2007.
  8. ^ a b "Under Secretaries of State for Political Affairs". Retrieved September 20, 2007.
  9. ^ a b "State Department gets some nominees, after Cruz clears his roadblock". Washington Post. February 12, 2016.
  10. ^ "Biography, Wendy R. Sherman, Under Secretary, Political Affairs". United States Department of State. Archived from the original on October 18, 2011. Retrieved December 29, 2011.
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