United States Deputy Secretary of State

United States Deputy Secretary of State
Incumbent William Joseph Burns since July 28, 2011
Inaugural holder	John N. Irwin, II
Formation	1972
Website	Official Website

The Deputy Secretary of State of the United States is the chief assistant to the Secretary of State. 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 July 13, 1972, the Under Secretary of State had been the second ranking officer of the Department. On December 23, 2008, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton appointed both James Steinberg and Jacob J. Lew to the position of Deputy Secretary of State. Lew's position focuses on budget and internal management affairs, while Steinberg is in charge of policy matters. (Technically, Steinberg became Deputy Secretary of State, and Lew was appointed to a newly created office, as Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources.) They were confirmed by Congress on January 28, 2009.

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 22, 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 – January 19, 2009	George W. Bush
James Steinberg	January 28, 2009 – July 28, 2011	Barack Obama
William Joseph Burns	July 28, 2011 – present	Barack Obama