Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs

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United States
Assistant Secretary of State
for African Affairs
U.S. Department of State official seal.svg
Seal of the United States Department of State
Flag of the United States Assistant Secretary of State.svg
Flag of an Assistant Secretary of State
Troy Damian Fitrell, U.S. Ambassador.jpg
Incumbent
Troy Fitrell
Acting  
since January 20, 2025
Reports to Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs
Nominator President of the United States
Inaugural holder Joseph C. Satterthwaite
FormationSeptember 1958
Website Official Website

The assistant secretary of state for African affairs is the head of the Bureau of African Affairs, within the United States Department of State, who guides operation of the U.S. diplomatic establishment in the countries of sub-Saharan Africa and advises the Secretary of State and the Under Secretary for Political Affairs. [1]

On July 18, 1958, Congress authorized an 11th assistant secretary of state, enabling the Department of State to create a bureau to deal with relations with the newly independent nations of Africa. At first, when the Department of State established three geographical divisions in 1909, African affairs were the responsibility of the Divisions of Near Eastern and Western European Affairs. Department Order No. 692 of June 15, 1937, transferred responsibility for all African territories except Algeria and the Union of South Africa to the Division of Near Eastern Affairs. A Division of African Affairs was created in the office of Near Eastern Affairs in January 1944. When the Bureau of Near Eastern, South Asian, and African Affairs was created, there continued to be a Division of African Affairs within that bureau. [2]

List of assistant secretaries of state for African affairs

Source: [2]

#PortraitNameAssumed officeLeft office President served under
1 JosephSattherwaite.jpg Joseph C. Satterthwaite September 2, 1958January 31, 1961 Dwight D. Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy
2 G. Mennen Williams 1961.png G. Mennen Williams February 1, 1961March 23, 1966 John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson
3 Joseph Palmer II April 11, 1966July 7, 1969 Lyndon B. Johnson
4 Newsom 1975.png David D. Newsom July 17, 1969January 13, 1974 Richard Nixon
5 Donald B. Easum March 18, 1974March 26, 1975 Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford
6 Nathaniel Davis April 2, 1975July 19, 1975 [3] Gerald Ford
7 Schaufele.JPG William E. Schaufele, Jr. December 19, 1975July 17, 1977 Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter
8 Richard M. Moose, State 1993-12- Iss 372 (IA sim state-magazine 1993-12 372) (page 14 crop).jpg Richard M. Moose July 6, 1977January 16, 1981 Jimmy Carter
9 Chester Crocker 2006.jpg Chester Crocker June 9, 1981April 21, 1989 Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush
10 Herman Jay Cohen May 12, 1989February 26, 1993 George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton
11 George Moose, State 1993-12- Iss 372 (IA sim state-magazine 1993-12 372) (page 14 crop).jpg George Moose April 2, 1993August 22, 1997 Bill Clinton
12 Susan Rice, official State Dept photo portrait, 2009.jpg Susan E. Rice October 9, 1997January 20, 2001
- Nancy Jo Powell.jpg Nancy Jo Powell (Acting)January 21, 2001June 3, 2001 George W. Bush
13 Walter Kansteiner 0702.jpg Walter H. Kansteiner, III June 4, 2001November 1, 2003
- Charles R. Snyder.jpg Charles R. Snyder (Acting) [4] November 1, 2003July 24, 2004
14 Constance Berry Newman.jpg Constance Berry Newman July 24, 2004August 26, 2005
15 Wwwjambfrazer.jpg Jendayi Frazer August 29, 2005January 20, 2009
-Philip Carter (Acting)January 20, 2009May 7, 2009 Barack Obama
16 Johnnie carson africom 2009.jpg Johnnie Carson May 7, 2009March 30, 2013
- Donald Y Yamamoto.jpg Donald Yamamoto (Acting)March 30, 2013August 5, 2013
17 Linda Thomas-Greenfield 2013.jpg Linda Thomas-Greenfield August 6, 2013March 10, 2017 Barack Obama and Donald Trump
- Donald Y Yamamoto.jpg Donald Yamamoto (Acting)September 5, 2017July 22, 2018 Donald Trump
18 Tibor P. Nagy, Jr. official photo (cropped).jpg Tibor P. Nagy, Jr. July 23, 2018January 20, 2021
- Robert F. Godec.jpg Robert F. Godec (Acting)January 20, 2021September 30, 2021 Joe Biden
19 Mary Catherine Phee.jpg Mary Catherine Phee September 30, 2021January 20, 2025
- Troy Damian Fitrell, U.S. Ambassador.jpg Troy Fitrell (Acting)January 20, 2025Present Donald Trump

References

  1. "Bureau of African Affairs" . Retrieved September 21, 2007.
  2. 1 2 "Assistant Secretaries of State for African Affairs" . Retrieved September 21, 2007.
  3. Nathaniel Davis. The Angola Decision of 1975: A Personal Memoir. Foreign Affairs 57, no. 1 (1978): 109-24. https://doi.org/10.2307/20040055
  4. "Snyder, Charles R." 2001-2009.state.gov. Retrieved June 12, 2017.