Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs
United States Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs |
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![]() Seal of the United States Department of State
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Nominator | Barack Obama |
Inaugural holder | George Walbridge Perkins, Jr. |
Formation | August 1949 |
Website | Official Website |
The Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs is a position within the United States Department of State that leads the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs charged with implementing American foreign policy in Europe and Eurasia, and with advising the Under Secretary for Political Affairs on matters relating to diplomatic missions within that area. The current Assistant Secretary is Victoria Nuland.
Originally, the Department of State first established a Division of Western European Affairs in 1909, which handled European nations primarily bordering on the Atlantic Ocean and their colonies. The Division of Near Eastern Affairs handled relations with most Central, Eastern, and Southern European countries until after World War I. During the interwar period, responsibility for much of Central and Eastern Europe shifted to the Division of European Affairs, although Greece, Turkey, and Cyprus were handled as part of the Near East until April 18, 1974. Following World War II, the Department completed the transfer of responsibility for the former colonies of European nations, except Canada, to the Bureaus of Near Eastern, South Asian, African Affairs, and Far Eastern Affairs.
The Department of State later established the Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs in 1949. This came after the Commission on Organization of the Executive Branch of Government, also known as the Hoover Commission, recommended that certain offices be upgraded to bureau level after Congress had increased the number of Assistant Secretaries of State from six to ten. On September 14, 1983, an administrative action changed the title of the incumbent to Assistant Secretary of State for European and Canadian Affairs. On January 12, 1999, the title was changed back to Assistant Secretary for European Affairs. During the George W. Bush administration, A. Elizabeth Jones was sworn in with the title of Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs.
Contents
- 1 List of Assistant Secretaries of State for European Affairs, 1949–1983
- 2 List of Assistant Secretaries of State for European and Canadian Affairs, 1983–1999
- 3 List of Assistant Secretaries of State for European Affairs, 1999–2001
- 4 List of Assistant Secretaries of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, 2001–present
- 5 References
- 6 External links
List of Assistant Secretaries of State for European Affairs, 1949–1983
List of Assistant Secretaries of State for European and Canadian Affairs, 1983–1999
Name | Assumed Office | Left Office | President served under |
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Richard R. Burt | February 18, 1983[5] | July 18, 1985 | Ronald Reagan |
Rozanne L. Ridgway | July 19, 1985 | June 30, 1989[6] | Ronald Reagan |
Raymond G. H. Seitz | August 8, 1989 | April 30, 1991 | George H. W. Bush |
Thomas Niles | October 3, 1991 | April 1, 1993 | George H. W. Bush |
Stephen A. Oxman | April 2, 1993 | August 15, 1994 | Bill Clinton |
Richard Holbrooke | September 13, 1994 | February 21, 1996 | Bill Clinton |
John C. Kornblum | July 3, 1996 | August 1, 1997 | Bill Clinton |
Marc Grossman | August 5, 1997 | May 31, 2000 | Bill Clinton |
List of Assistant Secretaries of State for European Affairs, 1999–2001
The title of "Assistant Secretary of State for European and Canadian Affairs" was changed to "Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs" on January 12, 1999.
Name | Assumed Office | Left Office | President served under |
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Marc Grossman | August 5, 1997 | May 31, 2000 | Bill Clinton |
James F. Dobbins | January 4, 2001[7] | Bill Clinton and George W. Bush | |
A. Elizabeth Jones | June 1, 2001 | February 28, 2005 | George W. Bush |
List of Assistant Secretaries of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, 2001–present
The title of "Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs" was changed to "Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs" on August 8, 2001.
Name | Assumed Office | Left Office | President served under |
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A. Elizabeth Jones | June 1, 2001 | February 28, 2005 | George W. Bush |
Daniel Fried | May 5, 2005 | 2009 | George W. Bush |
Philip Gordon | May 15, 2009 | March, 2013 | Barack Obama |
Victoria Nuland | September 18, 2013 | Barack Obama |
References
- ↑ Appointed on October 15, 1956; declined appointment.
- ↑ Initially commissioned during Senate recess; after confirmation by Senate, re-commissioned on January 29, 1959.
- ↑ Appointed August 26, 1959, but never took oath of office.
- ↑ Initially commissioned during Senate recess; after confirmation by Senate, re-commissioned on January 27, 1960.
- ↑ He was first nominated on May 10, 1982, but the Senate did not act on this first nomination.
- ↑ The State Department's website (http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ho/po/12047.htm) gives the date as June 30, 1985, but given the context, this appears to be a typo for 1989.
- ↑ He had previously been nominated on September 26, 2000, but the Senate did not act on that nomination.