List of secretaries of state of the United States facts for kids

Quick facts for kids United States Secretary of State
Official seal
Incumbent Antony Blinken since January 26, 2021
United States Department of State
Appointer	President of the United States
Inaugural holder	John Jay (acting) Thomas Jefferson
Formation	July 27, 1789
Succession	Fourth

This is a list of secretaries of state of the United States.

Secretaries of foreign affairs (1781–1789)

On January 10, 1780, the Congress of the Confederation created the Department of Foreign Affairs.

On August 10, 1781, Congress selected Robert R. Livingston, a delegate from New York, as the first Secretary for Foreign Affairs. Livingston was unable to take office until October 20, 1781. He served until June 4, 1783, and was succeeded by John Jay on December 21, 1784, who served until March 4, 1789, when the government under the Articles of Confederation gave way to the government under the Constitution.

The office of Secretary of Foreign Affairs and the Department of Foreign Affairs were reinstated by a law signed by George Washington on July 27, 1789. John Jay retained the post on an interim basis, pending the return of Thomas Jefferson from France.

Secretaries of foreign affairs (1781–1789)

No.	Portrait	Name	State of residence	Took office	Left office
1		Robert R. Livingston	New York	October 20, 1781	June 4, 1783
2		John Jay	New York	December 21, 1784	March 4, 1789
—		John Jay Acting	New York	July 27, 1789	September 15, 1789

Secretaries of state

On September 15, 1789, before Jefferson could return to take the post, Washington signed into law another act which changed the name of the office from Secretary of Foreign Affairs to Secretary of State, changed the name of the department to the Department of State, and added several domestic powers and responsibilities to both the office of secretary and the department. Thomas Jefferson took office as the first Secretary of State on March 22, 1790.

N°	Secretary		Party		Vote	Term of office			State	President(s)
	Portrait	Name				Took office	Left office	Term
–		John Jay (1745–1829)		Federalist	–	September 15, 1789	March 22, 1790	188 days	New York		George Washington
1		Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826)		Democratic- Republican	–	March 22, 1790	December 31, 1793	3 years, 284 days	Virginia
2		Edmund Randolph (1753–1813)		Federalist	–	January 2, 1794	August 20, 1795	1 year, 232 days	Virginia
3		Timothy Pickering (1745–1829)		Federalist	–	August 20, 1795	December 10, 1795	4 years, 265 days	Pennsylvania
						December 10, 1795	May 12, 1800
											John Adams
–		Charles Lee (1758–1815)		Federalist	–	May 13, 1800	June 5, 1800	23 days	Virginia
4		John Marshall (1755–1835)		Federalist	–	June 13, 1800	February 4, 1801	264 days	Virginia
						February 4, 1801	March 4, 1801
–		Levi Lincoln Sr. (1749–1820)		Democratic- Republican	–	March 5, 1801	May 1, 1801	57 days	Massachusetts		Thomas Jefferson
5		James Madison (1751–1836)		Democratic- Republican	–	May 2, 1801	March 3, 1809	7 years, 305 days	Virginia
6		Robert Smith (1757–1842)		Democratic- Republican	–	March 6, 1809	April 1, 1811	2 years, 26 days	Maryland		James Madison
7		James Monroe (1758–1831)		Democratic- Republican	30–0	April 2, 1811	September 30, 1814	5 years, 335 days	Virginia
						October 1, 1814	February 28, 1815
						February 28, 1815	March 3, 1817
–		John Graham (1774–1820)		Democratic- Republican	–	March 4, 1817	March 9, 1817	5 days	Kentucky		James Monroe
–		Richard Rush (1780–1859)		Federalist	–	March 10, 1817	September 22, 1817	196 days	Pennsylvania
8		John Quincy Adams (1767–1848)		Democratic- Republican	29–1	September 22, 1817	March 3, 1825	7 years, 162 days	Massachusetts
–		Daniel Brent (1770–1841)		Democratic- Republican	–	March 4, 1825	March 7, 1825	3 days	Virginia		John Quincy Adams
9		Henry Clay (1777–1852)		Democratic- Republican	27–14	March 7, 1825	March 3, 1829	3 years, 361 days	Kentucky
				National Republican
–		James Alexander Hamilton (1788–1878)		Democratic	–	March 4, 1829	March 27, 1829	23 days	New York		Andrew Jackson
10		Martin Van Buren (1782–1862)		Democratic	25–7	March 28, 1829	May 23, 1831	2 years, 56 days	New York
11		Edward Livingston (1764–1836)		Democratic	–	May 24, 1831	May 29, 1833	2 years, 5 days	Louisiana
12		Louis McLane (1786–1857)		Democratic		May 29, 1833	June 30, 1834	1 year, 32 days	Delaware
13		John Forsyth (1780–1841)		Democratic	–	July 1, 1834	March 3, 1841	6 years, 245 days	Georgia
											Martin Van Buren
–		Jacob L. Martin (?–1848)		–	–	March 4, 1841	March 5, 1841	1 day	District of Columbia		William Henry Harrison
14		Daniel Webster (1782–1852)		Whig	–	March 6, 1841	May 8, 1843	2 years, 63 days	Massachusetts
											John Tyler
–		Hugh S. Legaré (1797–1843)		Democratic	–	May 9, 1843	June 20, 1843	42 days	South Carolina
–		William S. Derrick (1802–1852)		–	–	June 21, 1843	June 23, 1843	2 days	Pennsylvania
15		Abel P. Upshur (1791–1844)		Whig	–	June 24, 1843	July 23, 1843	220 days	Virginia
						July 24, 1843	February 28, 1844
–		John Nelson (1791–1860)		Whig	–	February 29, 1844	March 31, 1844	31 days	Maryland
16		John C. Calhoun (1782–1850)		Democratic	–	April 1, 1844	March 10, 1845	343 days	South Carolina
17		James Buchanan (1791–1868)		Democratic	–	March 10, 1845	March 7, 1849	3 years, 362 days	Pennsylvania		James K. Polk
18		John M. Clayton (1796–1856)		Whig	–	March 8, 1849	July 22, 1850	1 year, 136 days	Delaware		Zachary Taylor
											Millard Fillmore
19		Daniel Webster (1782–1852)		Whig	–	July 23, 1850	October 24, 1852	2 years, 93 days	Massachusetts
–		Charles Magill Conrad (1804–1878)		Whig	–	October 25, 1852	November 5, 1852	11 days	Louisiana
20		Edward Everett (1794–1865)		Whig	–	November 6, 1852	March 3, 1853	117 days	Massachusetts
–		William Hunter (1805–1886)		–	–	March 4, 1853	March 7, 1853	3 days	Rhode Island		Franklin Pierce
21		William L. Marcy (1786–1857)		Democratic	–	March 7, 1853	March 6, 1857	3 years, 364 days	New York
22		Lewis Cass (1782–1866)		Democratic	–	March 6, 1857	December 14, 1860	3 years, 283 days	Michigan		James Buchanan
–		William Hunter (1805–1886)		–	–	December 15, 1860	December 16, 1860	1 day	Rhode Island
23		Jeremiah S. Black (1810–1883)		Democratic	–	December 17, 1860	March 5, 1861	78 days	New York
24		William H. Seward (1801–1872)		Republican	–	March 5, 1861	March 4, 1869	7 years, 364 days	New York		Abraham Lincoln
											Andrew Johnson
25		Elihu B. Washburne (1816–1887)		Republican	–	March 5, 1869	March 16, 1869	11 days	Illinois		Ulysses S. Grant
26		Hamilton Fish (1808–1893)		Republican	–	March 17, 1869	March 12, 1877	7 years, 360 days	New York
27		William M. Evarts (1818–1901)		Republican	44–2	March 12, 1877	March 7, 1881	3 years, 360 days	New York		Rutherford B. Hayes
28		James G. Blaine (1830–1893)		Republican	–	March 7, 1881	December 19, 1881	287 days	Maine		James A. Garfield
											Chester A. Arthur
29		Frederick Theodore Frelinghuysen (1817–1885)		Republican	–	December 19, 1881	March 6, 1885	3 years, 77 days	New Jersey
30		Thomas F. Bayard (1828–1898)		Democratic	–	March 7, 1885	March 6, 1889	3 years, 364 days	Delaware		Grover Cleveland
31		James G. Blaine (1830–1893)		Republican	–	March 7, 1889	June 4, 1892	3 years, 89 days	Maine		Benjamin Harrison
–		William F. Wharton (1847–1919)		Republican	–	June 4, 1892	June 29, 1892	25 days	Massachusetts
32		John W. Foster (1836–1917)		Republican	–	June 29, 1892	February 23, 1893	239 days	Indiana
–		William F. Wharton (1847–1919)		Republican	–	February 24, 1893	March 6, 1893	10 days	Massachusetts
											Grover Cleveland
33		Walter Q. Gresham (1832–1895)		Democratic	–	March 7, 1893	May 28, 1895	2 years, 82 days	Illinois
–		Edwin F. Uhl (1841–1901)		Democratic	–	May 28, 1895	June 9, 1895	12 days	Michigan
34		Richard Olney (1835–1917)		Democratic	–	June 10, 1895	March 5, 1897	1 year, 268 days	Massachusetts
35		John Sherman (1823–1900)		Republican	–	March 6, 1897	April 27, 1898	1 year, 52 days	Ohio		William McKinley
36		William R. Day (1849–1923)		Republican	–	April 28, 1898	September 16, 1898	141 days	Ohio
–		Alvey A. Adee (1842–1924)		Independent	–	September 17, 1898	September 29, 1898	12 days	New York
37		John Hay (1838–1905)		Republican	–	September 30, 1898	July 1, 1905	6 years, 274 days	District of Columbia
											Theodore Roosevelt
–		Francis B. Loomis (1861–1948)		Republican	–	July 1, 1905	July 18, 1905	17 days	Ohio
38		Elihu Root (1845–1937)		Republican	–	July 19, 1905	January 27, 1909	3 years, 192 days	New York
39		Robert Bacon (1860–1919)		Republican	–	January 27, 1909	March 5, 1909	37 days	New York
40		Philander C. Knox (1853–1921)		Republican	–	March 6, 1909	March 5, 1913	3 years, 364 days	Pennsylvania		William Howard Taft
41		William Jennings Bryan (1860–1925)		Democratic	–	March 5, 1913	June 9, 1915	2 years, 96 days	Nebraska		Woodrow Wilson
42		Robert Lansing (1864–1928)		Democratic	–	June 9, 1915	June 24, 1915	4 years, 249 days	New York
						June 24, 1915	February 13, 1920
–		Frank Polk (1871–1943)		Democratic	–	February 14, 1920	March 14, 1920	29 days	New York
43		Bainbridge Colby (1869–1950)		Democratic	–	March 23, 1920	March 4, 1921	346 days	New York
44		Charles Evans Hughes (1862–1948)		Republican	–	March 5, 1921	March 4, 1925	3 years, 364 days	New York		Warren G. Harding
											Calvin Coolidge
45		Frank B. Kellogg (1856–1937)		Republican	–	March 5, 1925	March 28, 1929	4 years, 23 days	Minnesota
											Herbert Hoover
46		Henry L. Stimson (1867–1950)		Republican	–	March 28, 1929	March 4, 1933	3 years, 341 days	New York
47		Cordell Hull (1871–1955)		Democratic	–	March 4, 1933	November 30, 1944	11 years, 271 days	Tennessee		Franklin D. Roosevelt
48		Edward Stettinius Jr. (1900–1949)		Democratic	68–1	December 1, 1944	June 27, 1945	208 days	Virginia
											Harry S. Truman
–		Joseph Grew (1880–1965)		Independent	–	June 28, 1945	July 3, 1945	5 days	New Hampshire
49		James F. Byrnes (1882–1972)		Democratic	–	July 3, 1945	January 21, 1947	1 year, 202 days	South Carolina
50		George C. Marshall (1880–1959)		Independent	–	January 21, 1947	January 20, 1949	1 year, 365 days	Pennsylvania
51		Dean Acheson (1893–1971)		Democratic	83–6	January 21, 1949	January 20, 1953	3 years, 365 days	Maryland
–		H. Freeman Matthews (1899–1986)		Independent	–	January 20, 1953	January 21, 1953	1 day	Maryland		Dwight D. Eisenhower
52		John Foster Dulles (1888–1959)		Republican	–	January 21, 1953	April 22, 1959	6 years, 91 days	New York
53		Christian Herter (1895–1966)		Republican	93–0	April 22, 1959	January 20, 1961	1 year, 273 days	Massachusetts
–		Livingston T. Merchant (1903–1976)		Independent	–	January 20, 1961	January 21, 1961	1 day	District of Columbia		John F. Kennedy
54		Dean Rusk (1909–1994)		Democratic	–	January 21, 1961	January 20, 1969	7 years, 365 days	New York
											Lyndon B. Johnson
–		Charles E. Bohlen (1904–1974)		Independent	–	January 20, 1969	January 22, 1969	2 days	District of Columbia		Richard Nixon
55		William P. Rogers (1913–2001)		Republican	–	January 22, 1969	September 3, 1973	4 years, 224 days	Maryland
–		Kenneth Rush (1910–1994)		Republican	–	September 3, 1973	September 22, 1973	19 days	Florida
56		Henry Kissinger (1923–2023)		Republican	78–7	September 22, 1973	January 20, 1977	3 years, 120 days	District of Columbia
											Gerald Ford
–		Philip Habib (1920–1992)		Independent	–	January 20, 1977	January 23, 1977	3 days	California		Jimmy Carter
57		Cyrus Vance (1917–2002)		Democratic	Voice	January 23, 1977	April 28, 1980	3 years, 96 days	New York
–		Warren Christopher (1925–2011)		Democratic	–	April 28, 1980	May 2, 1980	4 days	California
–		David D. Newsom (1918–2008)		Independent	–	May 2, 1980	May 3, 1980	1 day	California
–		Richard N. Cooper (1934–2020)		Independent	–	May 3, 1980		0 days	Connecticut
–		David D. Newsom (1918–2008)		Independent	–	May 3, 1980	May 4, 1980	1 day	California
–		Warren Christopher (1925–2011)		Democratic	–	May 4, 1980	May 8, 1980	4 days	California
58		Edmund Muskie (1914–1996)		Democratic	94–2	May 8, 1980	January 18, 1981	255 days	Maine
–		David D. Newsom (1918–2008)		Independent	–	January 18, 1981	January 22, 1981	4 days	California
59		Alexander Haig (1924–2010)		Republican	93–6	January 22, 1981	July 5, 1982	1 year, 164 days	Connecticut		Ronald Reagan
–		Walter J. Stoessel Jr. (1920–1986)		Independent	–	July 5, 1982	July 16, 1982	11 days	California
60		George Shultz (1920–2021)		Republican	97–0	July 16, 1982	January 20, 1989	6 years, 188 days	California
–		Michael Armacost (b. 1937)		Independent	–	January 20, 1989	January 25, 1989	5 days	Maryland		George H. W. Bush
61		James Baker (b. 1930)		Republican	99–0	January 25, 1989	August 23, 1992	3 years, 211 days	Texas
62		Lawrence Eagleburger (1930–2011)		Republican	–	August 23, 1992	December 8, 1992	150 days	Florida
					Recess	December 8, 1992	January 20, 1993
–		Arnold Kanter (1945–2010)		Independent	–	January 20, 1993		0 days	District of Columbia
–		Frank G. Wisner (b. 1938)		Independent	–	January 20, 1993		0 days	District of Columbia		Bill Clinton
63		Warren Christopher (1925–2011)		Democratic	Voice	January 20, 1993	January 17, 1997	3 years, 363 days	California
64		Madeleine Albright (1937–2022)		Democratic	99–0	January 23, 1997	January 20, 2001	3 years, 363 days	District of Columbia
65		Colin Powell (1937–2021)		Republican	Voice	January 20, 2001	January 26, 2005	4 years, 6 days	Virginia		George W. Bush
66		Condoleezza Rice (b. 1954)		Republican	85–13	January 26, 2005	January 20, 2009	3 years, 360 days	California
–		William J. Burns (b. 1956)		Independent	–	January 20, 2009	January 21, 2009	1 day	District of Columbia		Barack Obama
67		Hillary Clinton (b. 1947)		Democratic	94–2	January 21, 2009	February 1, 2013	4 years, 11 days	New York
68		John Kerry (b. 1943)		Democratic	94–3	February 1, 2013	January 20, 2017	3 years, 354 days	Massachusetts
–		Thomas A. Shannon Jr. (b. 1958 )		Republican	–	January 20, 2017	February 1, 2017	12 days	Minnesota		Donald Trump
69		Rex Tillerson (b. 1952)		Republican	55–43	February 1, 2017	March 31, 2018	1 year, 58 days	Texas
–		John J. Sullivan (b. 1959)		Republican	–	April 1, 2018	April 26, 2018	25 days	Massachusetts
70		Mike Pompeo (b. 1963)		Republican	57–42	April 26, 2018	January 20, 2021	2 years, 269 days	Kansas
–		Daniel Bennett Smith (b. 1956)		Independent	–	January 20, 2021	January 26, 2021	6 days	Virginia		Joe Biden
71		Antony Blinken (b. 1962)		Democratic	78–22	January 26, 2021	Incumbent	3 years, 297 days	New York

List of secretaries of state by time in office

11 years, 271 days Cordell Hull from 1933 to 1944

7 years, 364 days Dean Rusk from 1961 to 1969

7 years, 364 days William H. Seward from 1861 to 1869

43 days Lawrence Eagleburger from 1992 to 1993

37 days Robert Bacon in 1909

11 days Elihu B. Washburne in 1869

This is a list of United States secretaries of state by time in office. This is based on the difference between dates; if counted by number of calendar days all the figures would be one greater. Cordell Hull is the only person to have served as secretary of state for more than eight years. Daniel Webster and James G. Blaine are the only secretaries of state to have ever served non-consecutive terms. Warren Christopher served very briefly as acting secretary of state non-consecutively with his later tenure as full-fledged secretary of state. Elihu B. Washburne served as secretary of state for less than two weeks before becoming ambassador to France.