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Chief of Protocol of the United States

In the United States, the chief of protocol is an officer of the United States Department of State responsible for advising the president of the United States, the vice president of the United States, and the United States secretary of state on matters of national and international diplomatic protocol. The chief of protocol holds the rank of ambassador and assistant secretary of state.[2][3]

Chief of Protocol
Seal of the United States Department of State
since August 1, 2023
Reports toUnited States Secretary of State
NominatorPresident of the United States
Inaugural holderJames Clement Dunn
Formation1928
Websiteoffice-of-the-chief-of-protocol/

Duties

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The chief arranges itineraries for foreign dignitaries visiting the U.S. and accompanies the president on all official international travel. Additionally, the office is responsible for accrediting foreign diplomats and publishing the list of foreign consular offices in the U.S., organizing ceremonies for treaty signings, conducting ambassadorial swearing-in and state arrival ceremonies, and maintaining Blair House, the official guest house for state visitors.

The chief of protocol duties include being present at the annual State of the Union speech (SOTU) given by the president each January before Congress. These SOTU duties include escorting the dean of the Diplomatic Corps into the House Chamber for the SOTU speech.

The chief of protocol position should not be confused with the distinctly different White House social secretary position.

Divisions

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The office identifies six divisions on its website, led by assistant chiefs, who oversee the following principal duties:[4]

  • Management
  • Visits
  • Ceremonials
  • Diplomatic Affairs
  • Blair House
  • Major Events

List of chiefs of protocol of the United States

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# Image Name Assumed office Left office President served under
1   James Clement Dunn February 4, 1928 November 17, 1930 Calvin Coolidge
Herbert Hoover
2   F. Lammot Belin November 17, 1930 September 15, 1931 Herbert Hoover
3   Warren Delano Robbins September 15, 1931 June 11, 1933
4   James Clement Dunn June 11, 1933 April 11, 1935 Franklin D. Roosevelt
5   Richard Southgate April 11, 1935 July 29, 1937
6   George T. Summerlin July 29, 1937 January 15, 1944
7   Stanley Woodward January 15, 1944 May 22, 1950 Franklin D. Roosevelt
Harry S. Truman
8   John F. Simmons August 18, 1950 January 31, 1957 Harry S. Truman
Dwight D. Eisenhower
9 Wiley T. Buchanan Jr. February 4, 1957 January 23, 1961 Dwight D. Eisenhower
10   Angier Biddle Duke January 24, 1961 January 20, 1965 John F. Kennedy
Lyndon B. Johnson
11   Lloyd Nelson Hand January 21, 1965 March 21, 1966 Lyndon B. Johnson
12   James W. Symington March 22, 1966 March 31, 1968
13   Angier Biddle Duke April 1, 1968 September 26, 1968
14   Tyler Abell September 30, 1968 January 20, 1969
15 Emil Mosbacher January 21, 1969 June 30, 1972 Richard Nixon
- Marion H. Smoak July 1, 1972 March 1, 1974 (acting)
16 March 1, 1974 March 30, 1974
17   Henry E. Catto Jr. April 3, 1974 July 1, 1976 Richard Nixon
Gerald Ford
18   Shirley Temple Black July 1, 1976 January 21, 1977 Gerald Ford
19   Evan Dobelle March 2, 1977 May 22, 1978 Jimmy Carter
20   Edith H. J. Dobelle November 3, 1978 September 26, 1979
21 Abelardo L. Valdez October 19, 1979 January 21, 1981
-   Morgan Mason (acting) January 21, 1981 March 20, 1981 Ronald Reagan
22   Leonore Annenberg March 20, 1981 January 6, 1982
23   Selwa Roosevelt April 16, 1982 January 20, 1989
24   Joseph Verner Reed Jr. May 21, 1989 October 21, 1991 George H. W. Bush
25   John Giffen Weinmann October 31, 1991 January 20, 1993
26   Molly M. Raiser September 14, 1993 July 24, 1997 Bill Clinton
27 Mary Mel French November 13, 1997 January 20, 2001
28   Donald Ensenat June 6, 2001 February 18, 2007 George W. Bush
-   Raymond P. Martinez (acting) February 18, 2007 September 14, 2007
29   Nancy Brinker September 14, 2007 January 20, 2009
30   Capricia Marshall August 3, 2009 August 1, 2013 Barack Obama
-   Natalie Jones (acting) August 1, 2013 May 13, 2014
31   Peter A. Selfridge May 13, 2014 January 20, 2017
- Post vacant (January 20, 2017 – December 1, 2017)
32   Sean Lawler December 1, 2017 July 9, 2019 Donald Trump
-   Mary-Kate Fisher (acting) June 24, 2019 August 12, 2019
33   Cam Henderson August 12, 2019 January 20, 2021
-   Asel Roberts (acting) January 20, 2021 January 3, 2022 Joe Biden
34   Rufus Gifford January 3, 2022 July 28, 2023
-   Ethan Rosenzweig (acting) August 1, 2023 Incumbent

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Ethan Rosenzweig".
  2. ^ "Assistant Secretaries and Equivalent Rank". January 20, 2009. Retrieved November 15, 2015.
  3. ^ "Department Organization Chart". March 2014. Retrieved November 15, 2015.
  4. ^ "U.S. Department of State: Office of the Chief of Protocol". State.gov. Retrieved August 25, 2017.
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