United States Deputy Secretary of State
second highest ranking official of the United States Department of State
The Deputy Secretary of State of the United States is the chief assistant to the Secretary of State. 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.
| Deputy Secretary of State of the United States of America | |
|---|---|
 Seal of the Department of State | |
 Flag of the Deputy Secretary of State | |
| Department of State | |
| Reports to | The United States Secretary of State |
| Seat | Washington, D.C. |
| Appointer | The President with Senate advice and consent |
| Term length | No fixed term |
| Formation | July 13, 1972 |
| First holder | John N. Irwin II |
| Salary | Executive Schedule, Level 2 |
| Website | Official website |
List of deputy secretaries of state
change| # | 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 | .jpg)
|
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 | _Official_portrait_of_William_Burns,_U.S._Ambassador-designate_to_Russia_(Photographer-_Ann_Thomas--State)_(59-CF-DS-22432-05_Amb_BillBurns0086_fromPSD_-_DPLA_-_24e3adb7aadd75ad1930cff23ef02645.jpg)
|
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 | .jpg)
|
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 |