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Key Milestones
- The Founding Era
- Diplomacy and Revolution
- The Early Republic
- Securing the Republic
- The Antebellum Period
- The Civil War
- The Age of Imperialism
- Into the Twentieth Century
- The First World War
- The Interwar Period
- World War II
- The Cold War
- Bi-Polar Foreign Policy
- Entangling Alliances
- Détente
- Quest for Peace
- Cold War Denouement
- Toward the Twenty-First Century
Guide to Countries
More Resources
- State Department History
- The Secretaries of State
- The Great Seal
- Diplomatic Relations
- Ambassadors and Chiefs of Mission
- All in the Family
- Origins and Evolution of the Foreign Service
- Women in the Foreign Service
- Distinguished African-Americans
- Diplomatic and Consular Posts, 1781-1997
- Department Personnel, 1781-1997
Frequently Asked Questions
The Secretaries of State
How many Secretaries of State have there been?
There have been 64 Secretaries of State since Thomas Jefferson was appointed to the position on September 26, 1789. (See List of Secretaries of State)
How many persons have served more than once as Secretary?
Two persons have held the position twice. Daniel Webster served from March 5, 1841 to May 8, 1843, and from July 22, 1850 to October 24, 1852. James G. Blaine served from March 5 to December 19, 1881, and from March 5, 1889 to June 4, 1892.
What was the shortest term of office of any Secretary of State?
Elihu B. Washburne served from March 5-16, 1869. Washburne then served as the U.S. Minister to France until 1877.
What was the longest term of any Secretary of State?
Cordell Hull served from March 4, 1933 to November 30, 1944.
Has any member of the Foreign Service served as Secretary of State?
The only member of the Foreign Service to have served as Secretary of State was Lawrence S. Eagleburger, who served from December 8, 1992 until January 19, 1993. Eagleburger had served as Acting Secretary of State from August 23, 1992.
Who was the first woman to serve as Secretary of State?
Madeleine K. Albright was the first woman to serve as Secretary of State.
Were there equivalents to the Secretary of State prior to the Constitution?
There were two Secretaries of Foreign Affairs under the Continental Congress. Robert R. Livingston served from October 20, 1781 until June 4, 1783. John Jay served from May 7, 1784 until March 4, 1789.
Who was the first Secretary of State to travel outside the United States while in office?
William H. Seward took a working vacation in the Caribbean between January 1 and January 28, 1866. He met with Danish colonial officials in the Virgin Islands, with the Presidents of the Dominican Republic and Haiti, and with Spanish colonial officials in Cuba.
Who was the first Secretary of State to travel outside the United States on official business?
The first official travel by a Secretary of State outside the United States was by Elihu Root in 1906. Root left the United States on July 4 and attended the Third International Conference of American States in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, after which he visited Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Panama, and Colombia.
Was foreign travel always considered as part of a Secretary of State's duties?
Foreign travel was not always considered compatible with the office of Secretary of State. John W. Foster resigned in 1893 in order to head the U.S. delegation to an international arbitration tribunal in Paris that was seeking means to protect North Pacific fur seals.