State Department

Secretary of State

Why It Matters

The tough job of representing the fledgling democracy of America abroad initially fell to the Committee of Secret Correspondence, which was led by Benjamin Franklin. In 1781, the Continental Congress created the Department of Foreign Affairs. Eight years later, James Madison proposed establishing the current State Department.

The first secretary, Thomas Jefferson, had only six staff members and two diplomatic posts. Today, the department boasts 61,526 employees, including 11,772 U.S. Foreign Service members. It ships diplomats to 180 countries and has 250 consulates worldwide.

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Background

At a Glance

# of Employees: 61,526
2010 Budget: $52 billion
Address: 2201 C Street NWWashington, D.C. 20520; 202-647-6575
Web site

Offices

Secretary of State
- Bureau of Intelligence and Research
- Bureau of Legislative Affairs
- Deputy Secretary for Management
- Deputy Secretary of State
- Executive Secretariat
- Office of Civil Rights
- Office of Global Women's Issues
- Office of Policy Planning
- Office of Special Representative Richard C. Holbrooke
- Office of War Crimes
- Office of the Chief of Protocol
- Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism
- Office of the Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization
- Office of the Inspector General
- Office of the Legal Adviser
- Office of the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator
- US AID
- Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security Affairs
  - Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation
  - Bureau of Political Military Affairs
  - Bureau of Verification and Compliance
- Under Secretary for Democracy and Global Affairs
  - Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor
  - Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs
  - Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration
  - Office to Monitor and Combat the Trafficking in Persons
- Under Secretary for Economic, Energy and Agricultural Affairs
  - Bureau of Economic, Energy and Business Affairs
- Under Secretary for Management
  - Bureau of Administration
  - Bureau of Consular Affairs
  - Bureau of Diplomatic Security
  - Bureau of Information Resource Management
  - Bureau of Resource Management
  - Foreign Service Institute
- Under Secretary for Political Affairs
  - Bureau of African Affairs
  - Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs
  - Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs
  - Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs
  - Bureau of International Organization Affairs
  - Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs
  - Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs
  - Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs
- Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs
  - Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs
  - Bureau of International Information Programs
  - Bureau of Public Affairs