Assistant Secretaries of State for International Organization Affairs

Title: Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs
Name: Dean Rusk
State of Residency: Virginia
Non-career appointee
Appointment: Feb 8, 1949
Entry on Duty: Feb 9, 1949
Termination of Appointment: May 26, 1949
Note: Designated as Deputy Under Secretary of State. Served as Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs from Mar 28, 1950, until termination of appointment as Assistant Secretary on Dec 9, 1951.

Title: Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs
Name: John D. Hickerson
State of Residency: Texas
Foreign Service officer
Appointment: Jun 24, 1949
Entry on Duty: Aug 8, 1949
Termination of Appointment: Jul 27, 1953
Note: Designated as Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs Jul 6-Aug 8, 1949.

Title: Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs
Name: Robert D. Murphy
State of Residency: Wisconsin
Foreign Service officer
Appointment: Mar 20, 1953
Entry on Duty: Jul 28, 1953
Termination of Appointment: Nov 30, 1953
Note: Designated under the same appointment as Deputy Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs. Appointment as Assistant Secretary terminated Aug 10, 1955.

Title: Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs
Name: David McK. Key
State of Residency: Connecticut
Foreign Service officer
Appointment: Dec 4, 1953
Entry on Duty: Dec 18, 1953
Termination of Appointment: Jul 31, 1955
Note: Commissioned during a recess of the Senate; recommissioned after confirmation on Mar 17, 1954.

Title: Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs
Name: Francis O. Wilcox
State of Residency: Iowa
Non-career appointee
Appointment: Jul 28, 1955
Entry on Duty: Sep 6, 1955
Termination of Appointment: Jan 20, 1961

Title: Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs
Name: Harlan Cleveland
State of Residency: New York
Non-career appointee
Appointment: Feb 20, 1961
Entry on Duty: Feb 23, 1961
Termination of Appointment: Sep 8, 1965

Title: Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs
Name: Joseph John Sisco
State of Residency: Maryland
Foreign Service officer
Appointment: Sep 1, 1965
Entry on Duty: Sep 10, 1965
Termination of Appointment: Feb 9, 1969

Title: Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs
Name: Samuel De Palma
State of Residency: Maryland
Foreign Service officer
Appointment: Feb 7, 1969
Entry on Duty: Feb 11, 1969
Termination of Appointment: Jun 20, 1973

Title: Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs
Name: David H. Popper
State of Residency: New York
Foreign Service officer
Appointment: Jul 12, 1973
Entry on Duty: Jun 25, 1973
Termination of Appointment: Jan 2, 1974

Title: Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs
Name: William B. Buffum
State of Residency: New York
Foreign Service officer
Appointment: Dec 19, 1973
Entry on Duty: Feb 4, 1974
Termination of Appointment: Dec 18, 1975

Title: Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs
Name: Samuel W. Lewis
State of Residency: Texas
Foreign Service officer
Appointment: Dec 22, 1975
Entry on Duty: Dec 24, 1975
Termination of Appointment: Apr 13, 1977

Title: Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs
Name: Charles W. Maynes
State of Residency: New York
Non-career appointee
Appointment: Apr 7, 1977
Entry on Duty: Apr 14, 1977
Termination of Appointment: Apr 9, 1980

Title: Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs
Name: Richard Lee McCall, Jr.
State of Residency: Virginia
Non-career appointee
Appointment: Jun 5, 1980
Entry on Duty: Jun 10, 1980
Termination of Appointment: Jan 21, 1981

Title: Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs
Name: Elliott Abrams
State of Residency: Maryland
Non-career appointee
Appointment: May 7, 1981
Entry on Duty: May 13, 1981
Termination of Appointment: Dec 1, 1981

Title: Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs
Name: Gregory J. Newell
State of Residency: Virginia
Non-career appointee
Appointment: May 28, 1982
Entry on Duty: June 4, 1982
Termination of Appointment: Nov 12, 1985

Title: Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs
Name: Alan L. Keyes
State of Residency: New Jersey
Non-career appointee
Appointment: Nov 6, 1985
Entry on Duty: Nov 13, 1985
Termination of Appointment: Nov 17, 1987

Title: Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs
Name: Richard Salisbury Williamson
State of Residency: Illinois
Non-career appointee
Appointment: Feb 5, 1988
Entry on Duty: Feb 18, 1988
Termination of Appointment: Mar 19, 1989

Title: Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs
Name: John R. Bolton
State of Residency: Maryland
Non-career appointee
Appointment: May 5, 1989
Entry on Duty: May 22, 1989
Termination of Appointment: Jan 19, 1993

Title: Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs
Name: Douglas J. Bennet, Jr.
State of Residency: Connecticut
Non-career appointee
Appointment: May 25, 1993
Entry on Duty: May 26, 1993
Termination of Appointment: May 31, 1995

Title: Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs
Name: Princeton Nathan Lyman
State of Residency: Maryland
Foreign Service officer
Appointment: Mar 18, 1997
Entry on Duty: Mar 19, 1997
Termination of Appointment: Oct 22, 1998
Note: An earlier nomination was not acted on by the Senate.

Title: Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs
Name: C. David Welch
State of Residency: Virginia
Foreign Service officer
Appointment: Oct 22, 1998
Entry on Duty: Oct 23, 1998
Termination of Appointment:

Title: Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs
Name: Kim R. Holmes
State of Residency: Maryland
Non-career appointee
Appointment: Nov 19, 2002
Entry on Duty: Nov 21, 2002
Termination of Appointment: May 1, 2005

Title: Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs
Name: Kristen Silverberg
State of Residency: Texas
Non-career appointee
Appointment: Aug 2, 2005
Entry on Duty: Aug 16, 2005
Termination of Appointment:

Creation of Position: The Department of State created the position of Assistant Secretary of State for United Nations Affairs in February 1949, using one of the six Assistant secretary positions originally authorized by Congress in 1944 (Dec 8, 1944; P.L. 78-472; 58 Stat. 798). On Aug 25, 1954, a Department administrative action changed the incumbent's designation to Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs.