United States Secretary of State

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United States Secretary of State
Official seal United States Department of State
Incumbent Hillary Rodham Clinton since January 21, 2009
Appointer	The President of United States
Inaugural holder	Thomas Jefferson
Formation	April 6, 1789
First holder	Thomas Jefferson[1]
Succession	Fourth
Website	www.state.gov

Foreign travels of US State Secretaries during their posts.

The United States Secretary of State is the head of the United States Department of State, concerned with foreign affairs. The Secretary is a member of the Cabinet and the highest-ranking cabinet secretary both in line of succession and order of precedence. The current Secretary of State is Hillary Rodham Clinton, the 67th person, and third woman to hold the post.

[edit] Functions

The position grew out of the short-lived Secretary of Foreign Affairs; most of the functions of the Secretary of State still revolve around foreign matters. The Secretary is commonly the chief diplomat of the United States, and advises the President on matters relating to foreign issues.

The specific duties of the Secretary of State include:^[2]

• Supervises the United States Foreign Service and the United States Department of State.
• Advises the President on matters relating to U.S. foreign policy, including the appointment of diplomatic representatives to other nations, and on the acceptance or dismissal of representatives from other nations.
• Participates in high-level negotiations with other countries, either bilaterally or as part of an international conference or organization, or appoints representatives to do so. This includes the negotiation of international treaties and other agreements.
• Providing information and services to U.S. citizens living or traveling abroad, including providing credentials in the form of passports and visas.
• Supervises the United States immigration policy abroad.
• Communicates issues relating the United States foreign policy to Congress and to U.S. citizens.

The original duties of the Secretary of State include some domestic duties, such as:^[3]

• Receipt, publication, distribution, and preservation of the laws of the United States
• Preparation, sealing, and recording of the commissions of Presidential appointees
• Preparation and authentication of copies of records and authentication of copies under the Department's seal
• Custody of the Great Seal of the United States
• Custody of the records of the former Secretary of the Continental Congress, except for those of the Treasury and War Departments

Most of the domestic functions of the Department of State have been transferred to other agencies. Those that remain include storage and use of the Great Seal of the United States, 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.^[2]

As the highest-ranking member of the cabinet, the Secretary of State is fourth in line to succeed the Presidency, coming after the Vice President, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the President pro tempore of the Senate. Six Secretaries of State have gone on to be elected President.

As the head of the United States Foreign Service, the Secretary of State is responsible for management of the diplomatic service of the United States. The foreign service employs about 12,000 people domestically and internationally, and supports 265 United States diplomatic missions around the world, including ambassadors to various nations.

Federal law (3 U.S.C. § 20) provides that a presidential or vice-presidential resignation must be accomplished by written communication from the President to the office of the Secretary of State. This has occurred once, when President Richard Nixon resigned on August 9, 1974 via a letter to Secretary of State Henry Kissinger.

When there is a vacancy in the office of Secretary of State, the duties are exercised either by another member of the cabinet, or, in more recent times, by a high-ranking official of the State Department until the President appoints, and the United States Senate confirms, a new Secretary.

[edit] List of Secretaries of State

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Secretaries of State of the United States

• Official Website of the Secretary of State
• The Department of State's organization page.
• The Department of State's list of current or former positions and titles.
• The Department of State's list of Secretaries of State

v • d • e United States Secretary of State Secretary of Foreign Affairs 1781–1789 R. Livingston • Jay Secretary of State 1789–present Jefferson • Randolph • Pickering • J. Marshall • Madison • Smith • Monroe • Adams • Clay • Van Buren • E. Livingston • McLane • Forsyth • Webster • Upshur • Calhoun • Buchanan • Clayton • Webster • Everett • Marcy • Cass • Black • Seward • Washburne • Fish • Evarts • Blaine • Frelinghuysen • Bayard • Blaine • Foster • Gresham • Olney • Sherman • Day • Hay • Root • Bacon • Knox • Bryan • Lansing • Colby • Hughes • Kellogg • Stimson • Hull • Stettinius • Byrnes • G Marshall • Acheson • Dulles • Herter • Rusk • Rogers • Kissinger • Vance • Muskie • Haig • Shultz • Baker • Eagleburger • Christopher • Albright • Powell • Rice • Clinton

v • d • e U.S. Department of State Bureaus and Offices Secretary of State Deputy Secretary of State & Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources Executive Secretariat · Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism · Office of the Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization · Office of the Legal Adviser · Office of Protocol · Office of War Crimes Issues · Bureau of Intelligence and Research · Bureau of Legislative Affairs · Bureau of Resource Management Under Secretary for Political Affairs Bureau of African Affairs · Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs · Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs · Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs · Bureau of International Organization Affairs · Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs · Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs · Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs Under Secretary for Management Bureau of Administration · Bureau of Consular Affairs · Bureau of Diplomatic Security · Bureau of Human Resources · Bureau of Information Resource Management · Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations · Office of Management Policy, Rightsizing, and Innovation · Foreign Service Institute Under Secretary for Economic, Business, and Agricultural Affairs Bureau of Economic, Energy, and Business Affairs Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs · Bureau of Public Affairs · Bureau of International Information Programs Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security Affairs Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation · Bureau of Political-Military Affairs · Bureau of Verification, Compliance, and Implementation Under Secretary for Democracy and Global Affairs Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor · Office To Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism · Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs · Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration · Office of the Science and Technology Adviser · Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons

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