Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs

Summary

The Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs was the head of the Bureau of Public Affairs within the United States Department of State. The Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs reports to the Secretary of State and the Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs. On May 28, 2019, the bureau merged with the Bureau of International Information Programs into the Bureau of Global Public Affairs, and the duties of the Assistant Secretary of State merged into the duties of the Assistant Secretary of State for Global Public Affairs.[1]

United States
Assistant Secretary of State
for Public Affairs
Seal of the United States Department of State
Reports toThe Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs
AppointerThe President of the United States
Inaugural holderArchibald MacLeish
Formation1944
AbolishedMay 28, 2019
SuccessionAssistant Secretary of State for Global Public Affairs
WebsiteOfficial Website

History edit

The position was first created in December 1944 as the Assistant Secretary of State for Public and Cultural Relations.[2] It was later changed to its current name in 1946.[2] Initially, incumbents supervised the forerunners of the United States Information Agency and the Voice of America.[2] Under the Presidential Appointment Efficiency and Streamlining Act of 2011, the Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs does not require Senate confirmation.[2]

Historically, the Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs had a dual role as the Spokesperson for the State Department. From 2011 to 2015, the Assistant Secretary and the State Department Spokesperson were two separate roles held by different people.[3][4] In late 2015, the two roles were once again merged with the appointment of Spokesperson John Kirby as Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs.[5]

On May 28, 2019, the bureau merged with the Bureau of International Information Programs into the Bureau of Global Public Affairs, and the duties of the Assistant Secretary of State merged into the duties of the Assistant Secretary of State for Global Public Affairs.[6]

Assistant Secretaries of State for Public Affairs, 1944—2019 edit

Image Name Assumed office Left office President appointed by
  Archibald MacLeish December 20, 1944 August 17, 1945 Franklin D. Roosevelt
  William Benton September 17, 1945 September 30, 1947 Harry Truman
  George V. Allen March 31, 1948 November 28, 1949
Edward W. Barrett February 16, 1950 February 20, 1952
  Howland H. Sargeant February 21, 1952 January 29, 1953
Carl McCardle January 30, 1953 March 1, 1957 Dwight D. Eisenhower
Andrew H. Berding March 28, 1957 March 9, 1961
  Roger Tubby March 10, 1961 April 1, 1962 John F. Kennedy
Robert Manning April 11, 1962 July 31, 1964
James L. Greenfield September 10, 1964 March 12, 1966 Lyndon B. Johnson
Dixon Donnelley March 22, 1966 January 31, 1969
  Michael Collins January 6, 1970 April 11, 1971 Richard Nixon
  Carol Laise October 10, 1973 March 27, 1975
  John Reinhardt April 22, 1975 March 22, 1977 Gerald Ford
  Hodding Carter III March 25, 1977 June 30, 1980 Jimmy Carter
  William J. Dyess August 29, 1980 July 30, 1981
  Dean E. Fischer August 7, 1981 August 19, 1982 Ronald Reagan
  Robert John Hughes August 20, 1982 January 1, 1985
  Bernard Kalb August 12, 1985 October 8, 1986
  Charles E. Redman June 29, 1987 March 1, 1989
  Margaret D. Tutwiler March 3, 1989 August 23, 1992 George H. W. Bush
  Thomas E. Donilon April 1, 1993 November 7, 1996 Bill Clinton
  James Rubin August 7, 1997 April 2, 2000
  Richard Boucher January 5, 2001 June 2, 2005
  Sean McCormack June 2, 2005 January 20, 2009 George W. Bush
  Philip J. Crowley May 26, 2009 March 13, 2011 Barack Obama
  Michael A. Hammer March 30, 2012 August 30, 2013
  Douglas Frantz September 3, 2013 October 1, 2015
  John Kirby December 11, 2015 January 20, 2017
  Susan Stevenson (Acting) January 20, 2017 February 3, 2018 Donald Trump
  Michelle Giuda February 3, 2018 May 28, 2019[7]
Office abolished

References edit

  1. ^ "Administrative Timeline of the Department of State". United States Department of State. Retrieved 2021-08-25.
  2. ^ a b c d "Assistant Secretaries of State for Public Affairs". U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian. 2013. Retrieved November 20, 2015.
  3. ^ "Victoria Nuland to be State Department spokesman". Foreign Policy. May 16, 2011. Retrieved November 20, 2015.
  4. ^ "Biographies for Public Affairs and Public Diplomacy: Senior Officials". August 10, 2015. Retrieved November 20, 2015.
  5. ^ "John Kirby". U.S. Department of State. December 11, 2015. Retrieved March 10, 2016.
  6. ^ "Administrative Timeline of the Department of State". United States Department of State. Retrieved 2021-08-25.
  7. ^ "Michelle S. Giuda". United States Department of State. Retrieved 2020-03-10.

External links edit

  • Official Website
  • Archived version of the 2009-2017 Website