United States Secretary of State

Template:Short description Template:Distinguish Template:Use American English Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox official post

The United States secretary of state (SecState)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> is a member of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States and the head of the U.S. Department of State.

The secretary of state serves as the principal advisor to the president of the United States on all foreign affairs matters. The secretary carries out the president's foreign policies through the State Department, which includes the Foreign Service, Civil Service, and U.S. Agency for International Development. The office holder is the second-highest-ranking member of the president's cabinet, after the vice president, and ranks fourth in the presidential line of succession; first amongst cabinet secretaries.

Created in 1789 with Thomas Jefferson as its first office holder, the secretary of state represents the United States to foreign countries, and is therefore considered analogous to a secretary or minister of foreign affairs in other countries.<ref>"Heads of State, Heads of Government, Ministers for Foreign Affairs", Protocol and Liaison Service, United Nations. Retrieved November 2, 2012.</ref><ref>NATO Member Countries Template:Webarchive, NATO. Retrieved November 2, 2012.</ref> The secretary of state is nominated by the president of the United States and, following a confirmation hearing before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, is confirmed by the Senate. The secretary of state, along with the secretary of the treasury, secretary of defense, and attorney general, are generally regarded as the four most crucial Cabinet members because of the importance of their respective departments.<ref>"Cabinets and Counselors: The President and the Executive Branch" (1997). Congressional Quarterly. p. 87.</ref>

The secretary of state is a Level I position in the Executive Schedule and thus earns the salary prescribed for that level, $250,600 Template:As of.<ref name="Salary">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="UnitedStatesCode|5|5312" />

HistoryEdit

The secretary of state originates from the government under the Articles of Confederation. The Congress of the Confederation established the Department of Foreign Affairs in 1781 and created the office of secretary of foreign affairs.Template:Sfn After the Constitution of the United States was ratified, the 1st United States Congress reestablished the department, renaming it the Department of State, and created the office of secretary of state to lead the department.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Duties and responsibilitiesEdit

The stated duties of the secretary of state are to supervise the United States foreign service and immigration policy and administer the Department of State. The secretary must also advise the president on U.S. foreign matters such as the appointment of diplomats and ambassadors, advising the president of the dismissal and recall of these people. The secretary of state can conduct negotiations, interpret, and terminate treaties relating to foreign policy. The secretary also can participate in international conferences, organizations, and agencies as a representative of the United States. The secretary communicates issues relating to the U.S. foreign policy to Congress and citizens. The secretary also provides services to U.S. citizens living or traveling abroad such as providing credentials in the form of passports. Doing this, the secretary also ensures the protection of citizens, their property, and interests in foreign countries.<ref name="Duties">Template:Cite news</ref>

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Secretaries of state also have domestic responsibilities. Most of the historical domestic functions of the Department of State were gradually transferred to other agencies by the late 19th century as part of various administrative reforms and restructurings.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Those that remain include storage and use of the Great Seal, performance of protocol functions for the White House, and the drafting of certain proclamations. The secretary also negotiates with the individual states over the extradition of fugitives to foreign countries.<ref name="duties">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Under federal law, the resignation of a president or of a vice president is valid only if declared in writing, in an instrument delivered to the office of the secretary of state.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Accordingly, the resignations of President Richard Nixon and of Vice President Spiro Agnew were formalized in instruments delivered to then-Secretary of State Henry Kissinger.

Although they have historically decreased over time, Congress may occasionally add to the responsibilities of the secretary of state. One such instance occurred in 2014, when Congress passed the Sean and David Goldman International Child Abduction Prevention and Return Act which mandated actions the secretary of state must take in order to facilitate the return of abducted children from nations who are party to the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

As the highest-ranking member of the cabinet, the secretary of state is the third-highest official of the executive branch of the U.S. federal government, after the president and vice president, and is fourth in line to succeed the presidency, after the vice president, the speaker of the House of Representatives, and the president pro tempore of the Senate.

Six past secretaries of stateTemplate:Snd Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, John Quincy Adams, Van Buren and Buchanan Template:Sndhave gone on to be elected president. Others, including Henry Clay, Daniel Webster, Lewis Cass, John C. Calhoun, John M. Clayton, William L. Marcy, William Seward, Edward Everett, Jeremiah S. Black, James Blaine, Elihu B. Washburne, Thomas F. Bayard, John Sherman, Walter Q. Gresham, William Jennings Bryan, Philander C. Knox, Charles Evans Hughes, Elihu Root, Cordell Hull, Edmund Muskie, Alexander Haig, John Kerry, Hillary Clinton, and Marco Rubio have also campaigned as presidential candidates, either before or after their term of office as secretary of state, but were ultimately unsuccessful. The position of secretary of state has therefore been viewed to be a consolation prize for failed presidential candidates.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Timeline of secretaries of stateEdit

Template:See also The following timeline depicts the progression of the secretaries of state and their political affiliation at the time of assuming office.<timeline>ImageSize=width:1000 height:auto barincrement:12 PlotArea = top:10 bottom:120 right:80 left:20 AlignBars = late

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 from: 1790 till: 1793 color:DemRep     text:"Thomas Jefferson"
bar:Randolph
 from: 1794 till: 1795 color:Federalist text:"Edmund Randolph"
bar:Pickering
 from: 1795 till: 1800 color:Federalist text:"Timothy Pickering"
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 from: 1800 till: 1801 color:Federalist text:"John Marshall"
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 from: 1801 till: 1809 color:DemRep     text:"James Madison"
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 from: 1809 till: 1811 color:DemRep     text:"Robert Smith"
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 from: 1811 till: 1817 color:DemRep     text:"James Monroe"
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 from: 1817 till: 1825 color:DemRep     text:"John Quincy Adams"
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 from: 1825 till: 1826 color:DemRep
 from: 1826 till: 1829 color:NatRep     text:"Henry Clay"
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 from: 1829 till: 1831 color:Democratic text:"Martin Van Buren"
bar:Livingston
 from: 1831 till: 1833 color:Democratic text:"Edward Livingston"
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 from: 1833 till: 1834 color:Democratic text:"Louis McLane"
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 from: 1834 till: 1841 color:Democratic text:"John Forsyth"
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 from: 1841 till: 1843 color:Whig
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 from: 1843 till: 1844 color:Whig       text:"Abel P. Upshur"
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 from: 1844 till: 1845 color:Democratic text:"John C. Calhoun"
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 from: 1845 till: 1849 color:Democratic text:"James Buchanan"
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 from: 1849 till: 1850 color:Whig       text:"John M. Clayton"
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 from: 1852 till: 1853 color:Whig       text:"Edward Everett"
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 from: 1853 till: 1857 color:Democratic text:"William L. Marcy"
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 from: 1857 till: 1860 color:Democratic text:"Lewis Cass"
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 from: 1860 till: 1861 color:Democratic text:"Jeremiah S. Black"
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 from: 1861 till: 1869 color:Republican text:"William H. Seward"
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 from: 1892 till: 1893 color:Republican text:"John W. Foster"
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 from: 1893 till: 1895 color:Democratic text:"Walter Q. Gresham"
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 from: 1895 till: 1897 color:Democratic text:"Richard Olney"
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 from: 1897 till: 1898 color:Republican text:"John Sherman"
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 from: 1898 till: 1898 color:Republican text:"William R. Day"
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 from: 1898 till: 1905 color:Republican text:"John Hay"
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 from: 1905 till: 1909 color:Republican text:"Elihu Root"
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 from: 1909 till: 1909 color:Republican text:"Robert Bacon"
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 from: 1909 till: 1913 color:Republican text:"Philander C. Knox"
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 from: 1913 till: 1915 color:Democratic text:"William Jennings Bryan"
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 from: 1915 till: 1920 color:Democratic text:"Robert Lansing"
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 from: 1920 till: 1921 color:Democratic text:"Bainbridge Colby"
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 from: 1921 till: 1925 color:Republican text:"Charles Evans Hughes"
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 from: 1925 till: 1929 color:Republican text:"Frank B. Kellogg"
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 from: 1929 till: 1933 color:Republican text:"Henry L. Stimson"
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 from: 1944 till: 1945 color:Democratic text:"Edward Stettinius Jr."
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 from: 1945 till: 1947 color:Democratic text:"James F. Byrnes"
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 from: 1947 till: 1949 color:Ind        text:"George C. Marshall"
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 from: 1949 till: 1953 color:Democratic text:"Dean Acheson"
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 from: 1953 till: 1959 color:Republican text:"John Foster Dulles"
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 from: 1959 till: 1961 color:Republican text:"Christian Herter"
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 from: 1961 till: 1969 color:Democratic text:"Dean Rusk"
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 from: 1969 till: 1973 color:Republican text:"William P. Rogers"
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 from: 1973 till: 1977 color:Republican text:"Henry Kissinger"
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 from: 1977 till: 1980 color:Democratic text:"Cyrus Vance"
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 from: 1980 till: 1981 color:Democratic text:"Edmund Muskie"
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 from: 1981 till: 1982 color:Republican text:"Alexander Haig"
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 from: 1982 till: 1989 color:Republican text:"George Shultz"
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 from: 1989 till: 1992 color:Republican text:"James Baker"
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 from: 1992 till: 1993 color:Republican text:"Lawrence Eagleburger"
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 from: 1993 till: 1997 color:Democratic text:"Warren Christopher"
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 from: 1997 till: 2001 color:Democratic text:"Madeleine Albright"
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 from: 2001 till: 2005 color:Republican text:"Colin Powell"
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 from: 2005 till: 2009 color:Republican text:"Condoleezza Rice"
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 from: 2009 till: 2013 color:Democratic text:"Hillary Clinton"
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 from: 2013 till: 2017 color:Democratic text:"John Kerry"
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 from: 2017 till: 2018 color:Republican text:"Rex Tillerson"
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 from: 2018 till: 2021 color:Republican text:"Mike Pompeo"
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 from: 2021 till: 2025 color:Democratic text:"Antony Blinken"
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 from: 2025 till: $now color:Republican text:"Marco Rubio"