United States Deputy Secretary of State facts for kids

The Deputy Secretary of State is a very important job in the United States. Think of them as the main helper to the Secretary of State. The Secretary of State is like the country's top diplomat, dealing with other countries around the world.

Quick facts for kids United States Deputy Secretary of State
Flag of the deputy secretary of state
Seal of the Department of State
Incumbent Christopher Landau since March 25, 2025
Department of State
Reports to	The U.S. 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

If the Secretary of State ever needs to step down or can't do their job, the Deputy Secretary of State steps in. They become the acting Secretary of State until a new one is chosen. This position was created in 1972 to help manage the busy work of the Department of State. Before 1972, a different role, the Under Secretary of State, was the second-in-command.

Two Deputy Secretaries

The Department of State is unique because it has two Deputy Secretaries who are equally important. Besides the main Deputy Secretary of State, there's also a Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources. Both of these officials have the power to act on behalf of the Secretary of State when needed.

From Deputy to Secretary

Some people who served as Deputy Secretary of State later became the actual Secretary of State. For example, Lawrence Eagleburger became Secretary in 1992. Warren Christopher became Secretary in 1993, and Antony Blinken took on the role in 2021. This shows how important the Deputy Secretary position is for future leaders.

Who Has Been Deputy Secretary of State?

This table shows the people who have served as Deputy Secretary of State. It includes when they started and ended their term, and which president they worked for.

#	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		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		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
–		Daniel Bennett Smith Acting	January 26, 2021	April 14, 2021	Joe Biden
21		Wendy Sherman	April 14, 2021	July 28, 2023
–		Victoria Nuland Acting	July 29, 2023	February 12, 2024
22		Kurt M. Campbell	February 12, 2024	January 20, 2025
23		Christopher Landau	March 25, 2025	Incumbent	Donald Trump