Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs

The assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere affairs is the head of the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs within the United States Department of State, the foreign affairs department of the United States federal government. The assistant secretary of state guides operation of the U.S. diplomatic establishment in the countries of the Western Hemisphere and advises the secretary of state and the under secretary for political affairs.

The Department of State created the position of Assistant Secretary of State for American Republic Affairs during the general reorganization of December 20, 1944, after Congress had authorized an increase in the number of Assistant Secretaries of State from four to six. This reorganization was the first to assign substantive designations to specific Assistant Secretary positions. The position was temporarily discontinued between June 1947 and June 1949, when American Republic Affairs were handled by an Assistant Secretary for Political Affairs.

The Department re-established the position in June 1949 after the Commission on Organization of the Executive Branch of Government recommended that certain offices be upgraded to bureau level and after Congress increased the number of Assistant Secretaries of State from six to ten. On October 3, 1949, the Department by administrative action changed the incumbent's designation to Assistant Secretary for Inter-American Affairs. The Department of State had first established a Division of Latin American Affairs in 1909.

List of Assistant Secretaries of State for American Republic Affairs, 1944–1947 ImageNameAssumed officeLeft officePresident served underNelson RockefellerDecember 20, 1944August 17, 1945Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. TrumanSpruille BradenOctober 29, 1945June 27, 1947Harry S. Truman

List of Assistant Secretaries of State for Inter-American Affairs, 1949–2000 ImageNameAssumed officeLeft officePresident served underEdward G. Miller, Jr.June 28, 1949December 31, 1952Harry S. TrumanJohn M. CabotMarch 3, 1953March 1, 1954Dwight D. EisenhowerHenry F. HollandMarch 2, 1954September 13, 1956Roy R. Rubottom, Jr.June 18, 1957August 27, 1960Thomas C. MannAugust 28, 1960April 20, 1961Dwight D. Eisenhower and John F. KennedyWymberley D. Coerr (Acting)April 20, 1961July 17, 1961John F. KennedyRobert F. WoodwardJuly 17, 1961March 17, 1962Edwin M. MartinMay 18, 1962January 2, 1964John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. JohnsonThomas C. MannJanuary 3, 1964March 17, 1965Lyndon B. JohnsonJack Hood VaughnMarch 22, 1965February 28, 1966Lincoln GordonMarch 9, 1966June 30, 1967Covey T. OliverJuly 1, 1967December 31, 1968Charles A. MeyerApril 2, 1969March 2, 1973Richard NixonJack B. KubischMay 29, 1973September 4, 1974William D. RogersOctober 7, 1974June 18, 1976Gerald FordHarry W. ShlaudemanJuly 22, 1976March 14, 1977Terence TodmanApril 1, 1977June 27, 1978Jimmy CarterViron P. VakyJuly 21, 1978November 30, 1979William G. BowdlerJanuary 4, 1980January 16, 1981Thomas O. EndersJune 23, 1981June 27, 1983Ronald ReaganLanghorne A. MotleyJuly 12, 1983July 3, 1985Elliott AbramsJuly 17, 1985January 20, 1989Bernard W. AronsonJune 16, 1989July 2, 1993George H. W. Bush and Bill ClintonAlexander WatsonJuly 2, 1993March 29, 1996Bill ClintonJeffrey DavidowAugust 7, 1996July 6, 1998

List of Assistant Secretaries of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, 2000–present

ImageNameAssumed officeLeft officePresident served underPeter F. RomeroJanuary 4, 2001Served as Acting Assistant Secretary from July 7, 1999.June 4, 2001Bill Clinton and George W. BushOtto ReichJanuary 11, 2002July 22, 2004George W. BushRoger NoriegaJuly 31, 2004October 6, 2005Thomas A. Shannon, Jr.October 17, 2005November 10, 2009George W. Bush and Barack ObamaArturo ValenzuelaNovember 10, 2009July 31, 2011Barack Obama Roberta S. Jacobson July 31, 2011March 30, 2012 (acting)March 30, 2012May 5, 2016Mari Carmen Aponte (Acting)May 5, 2016January 20, 2017Francisco "Paco" Palmieri (Acting)January 20, 2017October 15, 2018Donald TrumpKimberly BreierOctober 15, 2018August 30, 2019Michael Kozak (Acting)September 13, 2019January 20, 2021Julie J. Chung (Acting)January 20, 2021August 3, 2021Joe BidenRicardo Zúñiga (Acting)August 3, 2021September 15, 2021Brian A. NicholsSeptember 15, 2021December 31, 2024Mark A. Wells(Acting)January 1, 2025January 20, 2025Michael Kozak (Acting)January 20, 2025August 14, 2026Donald TrumpJuan Pablo SeguraAugust 14, 2026PresentDonald Trump

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