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The 'Deputy Secretary of State' of the United States is the chief assistant to the Secretary of State who is responsible for foreign affairs. If the Secretary of State resigns or dies, the Deputy Secretary of State becomes Acting Secretary of State until the President nominates and the Senate confirms a replacement.
The position was created in 1972. Prior to Jul 13, 1972, the Under Secretary of State had been the second ranking officer of the Department.
The current Deputy Secretary of State is John Negroponte, who serves under Dr. Condoleezza Rice. He was sworn in on February 13, 2007.

Contents

Deputy Secretaries of State

Deputy Secretaries of State

Name	Term of Office	President(s) served under
John N. Irwin II	July 13, 1972–February 1, 1973	Richard Nixon
Kenneth Rush	February 2, 1973–May 29, 1974	Richard Nixon
Robert S. Ingersoll	July 10, 1974–March 31, 1976	Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford
Charles W. Robinson	April 9, 1976–January 20, 1977	Gerald Ford
Warren Christopher	February 26, 1977–January 16, 1981	Jimmy Carter
William P. Clark	February 25, 1981–February 9, 1982	Ronald Reagan
Walter John Stoessel, Jr.	February 11, 1982–September 22, 1982	Ronald Reagan
Kenneth W. Dam	September 23, 1982–June 15, 1985	Ronald Reagan
John C. Whitehead	July 9, 1985–January 20, 1989	Ronald Reagan
Lawrence Eagleburger	January 20 1989–August 19, 1992	George H. W. Bush
Clifton R. Wharton, Jr.	January 27, 1993–November 8, 1993	Bill Clinton
Strobe Talbott	February 23, 1994–January 19, 2001	Bill Clinton
Richard Armitage	March 26, 2001–February 22, 2005	George W. Bush
Robert Zoellick	February 22, 2005– July 7, 2006	George W. Bush
John Negroponte	February 13, 2007– Present	George W. Bush