United States Secretary of State

Secretary of State of the United States of America

Seal of the Secretary of State

Flag of the Secretary of State
Incumbent
Rex Tillerson

since February 1, 2017
United States Department of State
Style Mr. Secretary
Member of Cabinet, National Security Council
Reports to The President
Seat Washington, D.C.
Appointer The President
with Senate advice and consent
Term length Appointed
Constituting instrument 22 U.S.C. § 2651
Precursor United States Secretary of Foreign Affairs
Formation July 27, 1789 (1789-07-27)
First holder John Jay (acting)
Thomas Jefferson
Succession Fourth[1]
Deputy John Sullivan
Salary $205,700 annually[2]  (Executive Schedule I)[3]
Website www.state.gov/secretary/

The Secretary of State is a senior official of the federal government of the United States of America, and as head of the U.S. Department of State, is principally concerned with foreign policy and is considered to be the U.S. government's equivalent of a Minister for Foreign Affairs.[4][5]

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 United States 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 important Cabinet members because of the importance in their respective departments.[6] Secretary of State is a Level I position in the Executive Schedule and thus earns the salary prescribed for that level (currently $205,700).[3]

The current Secretary of State is former ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson, the 69th person to hold office since its creation in 1789.

Duties and responsibilities

The stated duties of the Secretary of State are as follows:[7]

The original duties of the Secretary of State include some domestic duties such as:

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.[8] Under Federal Law,[9] the resignation of a President or of a Vice President is only valid if declared in writing, in an instrument delivered to the office of the Secretary of State. Accordingly, the resignations of President Nixon and of Vice-President Spiro Agnew, domestic issues, were formalized in instruments delivered to the Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger.

As the highest-ranking member of the cabinet, the Secretary of State is the third-highest official of the executive branch of the Federal Government of the United States, after the President and Vice President and 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. Others, including John Kerry, William Seward, Henry Clay, William Jennings Bryan and Hillary Clinton have been unsuccessful presidential candidates, either before or after their term of office as Secretary of State. Former Secretaries of State retain the right to add the title "Secretary" to their surnames.

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. The U.S. Secretary of State has the power to remove any foreign diplomat from U.S. soil for any reason.

The nature of the position means that Secretaries of State engage in travel around the world. The record for most countries visited in a secretary's tenure is 112 by Hillary Clinton.[10] Second is Madeleine Albright with 96.[11] The record for most air miles traveled in a secretary's tenure is 1.380 million miles by John Kerry.[12] Second is Condoleezza Rice's 1.059 million miles, and third is Clinton's 956,733 miles.[10]

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.

What are the Qualifications of a Secretary of State? He ought to be a Man of universal Reading in Laws, Governments, History. Our whole terrestrial Universe ought to be summarily comprehended in his Mind.

John Adams[13]

Line of succession

The line of succession for the Secretary of State is as follows:[14]

  1. Deputy Secretary of State
  2. Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources
  3. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs
  4. Under Secretary of State for Management
  5. Remaining Under Secretaries of State (following in the order they took the oath of office)
    1. Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Affairs
    2. Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs
    3. Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights
    4. Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment
  6. Assistant Secretaries of States for regional bureaus (following in the order they took the oath of office)
    1. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs
    2. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs
    3. Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs
    4. Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs
    5. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs
    6. Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs
    7. Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs
  7. Other Officers (following in the order they took the oath of office)
    1. Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs
    2. Assistant Secretary of State for International Security and Nonproliferation
    3. Assistant Secretary of State for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs
    4. Assistant Secretary of State for Administration
    5. Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration
    6. Legal Adviser of the Department of State
    7. Coordinator for International Information Programs
    8. Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs
    9. Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs
    10. Assistant Secretary of State for Diplomatic Security
    11. Assistant Secretary of State for Economic and Business Affairs
    12. Assistant Secretary of State for Intelligence and Research
    13. Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs
    14. Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor
    15. Assistant Secretary of State for Arms Control, Verification, and Compliance
    16. Director General of the Foreign Service
    17. Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs
    18. Assistant Secretary of State for Conflict and Stabilization Operations
    19. Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs
    20. Coordinator for Counterterrorism
  8. United States Ambassador to the United Nations (New York)
  9. Deputy United States Ambassador to the United Nations (New York)
  10. Remaining U.S. representatives to the United Nations (New York) (following in the order they took the oath of office)
    1. Alternative United States Representative to the United Nations for Special Political Affairs
    2. United States Representative to the United Nations for UN Management and Reform
    3. United States Representative on the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations
  11. The following Chiefs of Missions (in the following order)
    1. United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom
    2. United States Ambassador to Canada
    3. United States Ambassador to Australia
    4. United States Ambassador to Mexico
    5. United States Ambassador to Japan
    6. United States Ambassador to India
  12. Other officers (following in the order they took the oath of office)
    1. United States Ambassadors at Large
    2. Counselor of the United States Department of State
    3. Special Representatives of the President
  13. Remaining Chiefs of Missions (following in the order they took the oath of office)

List of Secretaries of State

References

  1. "3 U.S. Code § 19 - Vacancy in offices of both President and Vice President; officers eligible to act". Cornell Law School.
  2. "Pay & Leave: Salaries & Wages". Salary Table No. 2015-EX. United States Office of Personnel Management. January 1, 2015. Retrieved January 4, 2016.
  3. 1 2 5 U.S.C. § 5312.
  4. "Heads of State, Heads of Government, Ministers for Foreign Affairs", Protocol and Liaison Service, United Nations. Retrieved November 2, 2012.
  5. NATO Member Countries, NATO. Retrieved November 2, 2012.
  6. Cabinets and Counselors: The President and the Executive Branch (1997). Congressional Quarterly. p. 87.
  7. "Duties of the Secretary of State". U.S. Department of State. Retrieved 2017-02-01.
  8. "Duties of the Secretary of State of the United States". www.state.gov. United States Department of State. January 20, 2009. Retrieved March 28, 2010.
  9. "3 U.S. Code § 20 - Resignation or refusal of office".
  10. 1 2 Mark Landler (January 4, 2013). "Scare Adds to Fears That Clinton's Work Has Taken Toll". The New York Times.
  11. Lee, Matthew (June 28, 2012). "Frequent flier Hillary Clinton hits 100-country mark". Detroit Free Press. Associated Press.
  12. Associated Press (April 6, 2016). "Kerry breaks record for miles traveled by secretary of state". Fox News.
  13. Ford, Worthington C., ed. (1927). Statesman and Friend: Correspondence of John Adams with Benjamin Waterhouse, 1784–1822. Boston, MA: Little, Brown, and Company. p. 57.
  14. "Providing an Order of Succession Within the Department of State". Federal Register. 2002-01-11. Retrieved 2016-10-30.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Secretaries of State of the United States.
Current U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by
Ambassadors from the United States
(while at their posts)
Order of Precedence of the United States
as Secretary of State
Succeeded by
Ambassadors to the United States
(in order of tenure)
Preceded by
Otherwise Barack Obama
as Former President
Succeeded by
Otherwise António Guterres
as Secretary-General of the United Nations
Current U.S. presidential line of succession
Preceded by
President pro tempore of the Senate
Orrin Hatch
4th in line Succeeded by
Secretary of the Treasury
Steve Mnuchin
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