Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs


The Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs is 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.

History

The position was first created in December 1944 as the Assistant Secretary of State for Public and Cultural Relations. It was later changed to its current name in 1946. Initially, incumbents supervised the forerunners of the United States Information Agency and the Voice of America. Under the Presidential Appointment Efficiency and Streamlining Act of 2011, the Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs does not require Senate confirmation.
Historically, the Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs had a dual role as the Spokesperson for the State Department. From 2011-2015, the Assistant Secretary and the State Department Spokesperson were two separate roles held by different people. In late 2015, the two roles were once again merged with the appointment of Spokesperson John Kirby as Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs.

Assistant Secretaries of State for Public Affairs, 1944—Present

NameAssumed officeLeft officePresident appointed by
Archibald MacLeishDecember 20, 1944August 17, 1945Franklin D. Roosevelt
William BentonSeptember 17, 1945September 30, 1947Harry Truman
George V. AllenMarch 31, 1948November 28, 1949Harry Truman
Edward W. BarrettFebruary 16, 1950February 20, 1952Harry Truman
Howland H. SargeantFebruary 21, 1952January 29, 1953Harry Truman
Carl McCardleJanuary 30, 1953March 1, 1957Dwight D. Eisenhower
Andrew H. BerdingMarch 28, 1957March 9, 1961Dwight D. Eisenhower
Roger TubbyMarch 10, 1961April 1, 1962John F. Kennedy
Robert ManningApril 11, 1962July 31, 1964John F. Kennedy
James L. GreenfieldSeptember 10, 1964March 12, 1966Lyndon B. Johnson
Dixon DonnelleyMarch 22, 1966January 31, 1969Lyndon B. Johnson
Michael CollinsJanuary 6, 1970April 11, 1971Richard Nixon
Carol LaiseOctober 10, 1973March 27, 1975Richard Nixon
John ReinhardtApril 22, 1975March 22, 1977Gerald Ford
Hodding Carter IIIMarch 25, 1977June 30, 1980Jimmy Carter
William J. DyessAugust 29, 1980July 30, 1981Jimmy Carter
Dean E. FischerAugust 7, 1981August 19, 1982Ronald Reagan
Robert John HughesAugust 20, 1982January 1, 1985Ronald Reagan
Bernard KalbAugust 12, 1985October 8, 1986Ronald Reagan
Charles E. RedmanJune 29, 1987March 1, 1989Ronald Reagan
Margaret D. TutwilerMarch 3, 1989August 23, 1992George H. W. Bush
Thomas E. DonilonApril 1, 1993November 7, 1996Bill Clinton
James RubinAugust 7, 1997April 2, 2000Bill Clinton
Richard BoucherJanuary 5, 2001June 2, 2005Bill Clinton
Sean McCormackJune 2, 2005January 20, 2009George W. Bush
Philip J. CrowleyMay 26, 2009March 13, 2011Barack Obama
Michael A. HammerMarch 30, 2012August 30, 2013Barack Obama
Douglas FrantzSeptember 3, 2013October 1, 2015Barack Obama
John KirbyDecember 11, 2015January 20, 2017Barack Obama
Susan Stevenson January 20, 2017February 3, 2018Donald Trump
Michelle GiudaFebruary 3, 2018March 3, 2020Donald Trump