United States Secretary of State

Secretary of State of the United States of America

Seal of the Secretary of State

Flag of the Secretary of State
Incumbent
John Kerry

since February 1, 2013
United States Department of State
Style Mr. Secretary
Member of Cabinet, National Security Council
Reports to The President
Seat Washington, D.C.
Appointer The President
with Senate advice and consent
Term length No fixed term
Constituting instrument 22 U.S.C. § 2651
Formation July 27, 1789
First holder Thomas Jefferson
Succession Fourth in the Presidential Line of Succession
Deputy Deputy Secretary of State, Tony Blinken
Salary $203,700 annually[1]  (Executive Schedule I)[2]
Website www.state.gov

The Secretary of State is a senior official of the federal government of the United States of America heading the U.S. Department of State, principally concerned with foreign policy and is considered to be the U.S. government's equivalent of a Minister for Foreign Affairs.[3][4]

The Secretary of State is appointed by the President of the United States and is confirmed by the United States Senate. The Secretary of State, along with the Secretary of the Treasury, Secretary of Defense, and Attorney General are generally regarded as the four most important cabinet members because of the importance of their respective departments.[5] Secretary of State is a Level I position in the Executive Schedule and thus earns the salary prescribed for that level.[6]

The current Secretary of State is John Kerry, the 68th person to hold the office since its creation in 1789.

Duties and responsibilities

The specific duties of the Secretary of State include:[7]

The original duties of the Secretary of State include some domestic duties, such as:[8]

Most of the domestic functions of the Department of State have been transferred to other agencies. Those that remain include storage and use of the Great Seal of the United States, performance of protocol functions for the White House, and the drafting of certain proclamations. The Secretary also negotiates with the individual States over the extradition of fugitives to foreign countries.[7] Under Federal Law,[9][10] the resignation of a President or of a Vice-President is only valid if declared in writing, in an instrument delivered to the office of the Secretary of State. Accordingly, the resignations of President Nixon and of Vice-President Spiro Agnew, domestic issues, were formalized in instruments delivered to the Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger.

As the highest-ranking member of the cabinet, the Secretary of State is the third-highest official of the executive branch of the Federal Government of the United States, after the President and Vice President and is fourth in line to succeed the Presidency, coming after the Vice President, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the President pro tempore of the Senate. Six Secretaries of State have gone on to be elected President. Others, including Kerry, Hillary Clinton, William Seward, and Henry Clay have been unsuccessful presidential candidates, either before or after their term of office as Secretary of State.

What are the Qualifications of a Secretary of State? He ought to be a Man of universal Reading in Laws, Governments, History. Our whole terrestrial Universe ought to be summarily comprehended in his Mind.[11]

John Adams

As the head of the United States Foreign Service, the Secretary of State is responsible for management of the diplomatic service of the United States. The foreign service employs about 12,000 people domestically and internationally, and supports 265 United States diplomatic missions around the world, including ambassadors to various nations.

The nature of the position means that Secretaries of State engage in travel around the world. The record for most countries visited in a secretary's tenure is 112, by Hillary Rodham Clinton.[12] Second is Madeleine Albright with 96.[13] The record for most air miles traveled in a secretary's tenure is 1.06 million miles, by John Kerry.[14] Second is Rice's 1.059 million miles and third is Clinton's 956,733 miles.[12]

When there is a vacancy in the office of Secretary of State, the duties are exercised either by another member of the cabinet, or, in more recent times, by a high-ranking official of the State Department until the President appoints, and the United States Senate confirms, a new Secretary.

List of Secretaries of State

References

  1. "Pay & Leave: Salaries & Wages". Salary Table No. 2015-EX. United States Office of Personnel Management. January 1, 2015. Retrieved January 4, 2016.
  2. 5 U.S.C. § 5312.
  3. "Heads of State, Heads of Government, Ministers for Foreign Affairs", Protocol and Liaison Service, United Nations. Retrieved November 2, 2012.
  4. NATO Member Countries, NATO. Retrieved November 2, 2012.
  5. Cabinets and Counselors: The President and the Executive Branch (1997). Congressional Quarterly. p. 87.
  6. 5 U.S.C. § 5312.
  7. 1 2 "Duties of the Secretary of State of the United States". www.state.gov. United States Department of State. January 20, 2009. Retrieved March 28, 2010.
  8. "Frequently asked questions - Office of the Historian". Office of the Historian, United States Department of State. Retrieved July 8, 2010.
  9. 3 USC §20
  10. 3 USC § 20 - Resignation or refusal of office | LII / Legal Information Institute
  11. Ford, Worthington C., ed. (1927). Statesman and Friend: Correspondence of John Adams with Benjamin Waterhouse, 1784–1822. Boston, MA: Little, Brown, and Company. p. 57.
  12. 1 2 Mark Landler (January 4, 2013). "Scare Adds to Fears That Clinton's Work Has Taken Toll". The New York Times.
  13. Lee, Matthew (June 28, 2012). "Frequent flier Hillary Clinton hits 100-country mark". Detroit Free Press. Associated Press.
  14. Associated Press (April 6, 2016). "Kerry breaks record for miles traveled by secretary of state". Fox News .

External links

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United States presidential line of succession
Preceded by
President pro tempore of the Senate
Orrin Hatch
4th in line Succeeded by
Secretary of the Treasury
Jack Lew
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