Coordinators for Combating Terrorism

Title: Special Assistant to the Secretary of State and Coordinator for Combating Terrorism
Name: L. Douglas Heck
State of Residency: Oregon
Foreign Service officer
Appointment: [Aug 29, 1976]
Termination of Appointment: Jun 6, 1977
Note: Appointed Jul 23, 1976, as Special Assistant to the Secretary of State and Coordinator for Combating Terrorism.

Title: Coordinator for Counter-Terrorism
Name: Heyward Isham
State of Residency: District of Columbia
Foreign Service officer
Appointment: [Oct 26, 1977]
Termination of Appointment: Aug 1, 1978

Title: Coordinator for Counter-Terrorism
Name: Anthony C. E. Quainton
State of Residency: Washington
Foreign Service officer
Appointment: [Aug 16, 1978]
Termination of Appointment: Aug 1, 1981

Title: Coordinator for Counter-Terrorism
Name: Robert M. Sayre
State of Residency: Virginia
Foreign Service officer
Appointment: [May 11, 1982]
Termination of Appointment: Sep 10, 1984

Title: Coordinator for Counter-Terrorism
Name: Robert B. Oakley
State of Residency: Louisiana
Foreign Service officer
Appointment: [Sep 10, 1984]
Termination of Appointment: Oct 12, 1986
Note: Effective Nov 4, 1985, the Office was elevated to the Office of Ambassador at Large for Counter-Terrorism. Oakley was designated as Acting Ambassador at Large pending nomination and confirmation of a successor.

Title: Ambassador at Large for Counter-Terrorism
Name: L. Paul Bremer, III
State of Residency: Connecticut
Foreign Service officer
Appointment: [Oct 16, 1986]
Termination of Appointment: May 25, 1989

Title: Coordinator for Counter-Terrorism
Name: Morris D. Busby
State of Residency: Virginia
Foreign Service officer
Appointment: [May 1, 1989]
Termination of Appointment: Jul 24, 1991
Note: The Office was scheduled for incorporation into a proposed Bureau of Narcotics, Terrorism, and Crime under the Department of State reorganization plan of Feb 5, 1993. Section 161(e) of the Foreign Relations Authorization Act for Fiscal Years 1994 and 1995 (P.L. 103-236; 108 Stat. 404) re-authorized the office on Apr 30, 1994.

Title: Coordinator for Counter-Terrorism
Name: A. Peter Burleigh
State of Residency: California
Foreign Service officer
Appointment: [Jul 24, 1991]
Entry on Duty: Nov 22, 1991
Termination of Appointment: Nov 23, 1992
Note: Received the personal rank of Ambassador, Aug 7, 1991.

Note: The following officers served as Acting Coordinators for Counter-Terrorism 1992-1994: Thomas E. McNamara, Nov 1992-Jul 1993; and Barbara Bodine, Jul 1993-Aug 1994.

Title: Coordinator for Counterterrorism
Name: Philip C. Wilcox, Jr.
State of Residency: Maryland
Foreign Service officer
Appointment: [Aug 16, 1994]
Entry on Duty: Mar 24, 1995
Termination of Appointment: Jun 27, 1997
Note: Appointed to the rank of Ambassador during his tenure, Mar 24, 1995.

Title: Coordinator for Counterterrorism
Name: Christopher W.S. Ross
State of Residency: California
Foreign Service officer
Appointment: [Mar 30, 1998]
Entry on Duty: Mar 24, 1995
Termination of Appointment: Dec 13, 1998
Note: Served as Acting Director.

Title: Coordinator for Counterterrorism
Name: Michael A. Sheehan
State of Residency: New Jersey
Non-career appointee
Appointment: Aug 9, 1999
Entry on Duty: Aug 9, 1999
Termination of Appointment: Dec 20, 2000 
Note: Served as Acting Director from Dec 14, 1998. Held rank of Ambassador at Large during his tenure.

Title: Coordinator for Combating Terrorism
Name: Francis X. Taylor
State of Residency: Maryland
Non-career appointee
Appointment: Jul 12, 2001
Entry on Duty: Jul 13, 2001
Termination of Appointment: Nov 15, 2002
Note: Held rank of Ambassador at Large during his tenure.

Title: Coordinator for Combating Terrorism
Name: J. Cofer Black
State of Residency: Virginia
Non-career appointee
Appointment: Nov 26, 2002
Entry on Duty: Nov 26, 2002
Termination of Appointment: Nov 15, 2004

Title: Coordinator for Combating Terrorism
Name: Henry Crumpton
State of Residency: Virginia
Non-career appointee
Appointment: Aug 2, 2005
Entry on Duty:
Termination of Appointment:

Creation of Position: On Aug 1, 1976, the Department of State elevated the position of Special Assistant to the Secretary of State and Coordinator of the Office for Combating Terrorism to that of Director of the Office for Combating Terrorism, with rank equivalent to an Assistant Secretary of State. All Directors have been designated by the Secretary of State, not commissioned. The Department had established the earlier position in October 1972 to head an interagency working-level committee charged with addressing the problem of international terrorism. The Department has changed the incumbent's title twice since 1976 to "Ambassador at Large for Counter-Terrorism" on Nov 4, 1985, and to "Coordinator for Counter-Terrorism on May 1, 1989.