The legal adviser of the Department of State is a position within the United States Department of State. The legal adviser provides legal advice on all issues (domestic and international) arising in the course of the department's activities. The legal adviser heads the State Department's Office of the Legal Adviser. As such, the legal adviser has the rank of Assistant Secretary.
History From 1870 to 1891, the examiner of claims had been the chief legal officer of the department. The solicitor, a Department of Justice employee, had functioned as the Department of State's chief legal officer from 1891 to 1931. Solicitors and examiners of claims were by statute officials of the Department of Justice. The position of Legal Advisor was created by an Act of Congress on February 23, 1931 (P.L. 71-715; 46 Stat. 1214). The first legal adviser was Green Hackworth, who served until 1946 and then became a judge on the International Court of Justice.
List of legal advisers of the Department of State
#NameAssumed officeLeft officePresident served under1Green HackworthJuly 1, 1931Initially commissioned during a Senate recess; subsequently confirmed and re-commissioned on December 17, 1931.March 1, 1946Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman2Charles H. FahyJune 19, 1946August 15, 1947Harry S. Truman3Ernest A. GrossAugust 16, 1947March 3, 19494Adrian S. FisherJune 28, 1949January 27, 19535Herman PhlegerFebruary 2, 1953April 1, 1957Dwight D. Eisenhower6Loftus E. Becker Sr.June 13, 1957August 15, 19597Eric H. HagerSeptember 9, 1959January 20, 19618Abram ChayesFebruary 6, 1961June 27, 1964John F. Kennedy9Leonard C. MeekerMay 18, 1965July 13, 1969Lyndon B. Johnson10John Reese StevensonJuly 14, 1969January 1, 1973Richard Nixon11Carlyle E. MawNovember 27, 1973July 9, 197412Monroe LeighJanuary 21, 1975January 20, 1977Gerald Ford13Herbert J. HansellApril 8, 1977September 20, 1979Jimmy Carter14Roberts Bishop OwenOctober 4, 1979February 16, 198115Davis Rowland RobinsonJuly 30, 1981February 27, 1985Ronald Reagan16Abraham David SofaerJune 10, 1985June 15, 1990Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush17Edwin D. WilliamsonSeptember 20, 1990January 20, 1993George H. W. Bush18Conrad K. HarperMay 24, 1993June 30, 1996Bill Clinton19David AndrewsSeptember 2, 1997April 25, 200020William Howard Taft IVApril 16, 2001March 1, 2005George W. Bush21John B. Bellinger IIIApril 6, 2005March 23, 2009George W. Bush, Barack Obama -Joan E. Donoghue (acting)March 23, 2009June 25, 2009Barack Obama22Harold Hongju KohJune 25, 2009January 22, 2013 -Mary McLeod (acting)January 23, 2013February 1, 201623Brian EganFebruary 2, 2016January 20, 2017 -Richard C. Visek (acting)January 20, 2017January 22, 2018 Donald Trump 24 Jennifer Gillian Newstead January 22, 2018 May 31, 2019 - Marik String (acting) June 1, 2019 January 20, 2021 - Richard C. Visek (acting) January 20, 2021 September 24, 2024 Joe Biden25 Margaret L. Taylor September 24, 2024 January 20, 2025 - Richard C. Visek (acting) January 20, 2025 March 29, 2025 Donald Trump - Joshua Simmons (acting) March 29, 2025 May 26, 202526 Reed D. Rubinstein May 26, 2025 June 15, 202627 Brock Dahl June 15, 2026 Present
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