List of Deputy Ministers for Foreign Affairs of the United States (The Co-Presidency)

United States; Deputy Minister; of Foreign Affairs ;
	Incumbent; Roy Cooper; since January 20th, 2021
Style	The Honorable (formal)
Residence	Peter Parker House, Washington, D.C.
Term length	Two years, renewable indefinitely
Inaugural holder	John Foster Dulles
Formation	January 20, 1955

The United States Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, commonly referred to as Deputy Foreign Minister is the modern-day equivalent of the former Vice Presidency. The office serves as the most important advisor to the Foreign Minister.

Appointment[]

Ministerial candidates nominate a Deputy Minister their respective conventions. Deputy Ministers, unlike their Ministerial counterparts, are able to be renominated as many times as they please as long as they're re-elected alongside a nominated Ministerial candidate, although, no Deputy Minister has done so outside the traditional three terms.

Background[]

The Deputy Minister position has provided an opportunity in recent years for politicians outside of the major parties to serve. Since 2007, three out of seven deputy ministers have served as independents, either unaffiliated or loosely affiliated with any party. This streak started in 2000 when Republican John McCain chose his close ally and Democratic Senator Joseph Lieberman as his running mate. Six years after the end of Lieberman's term, Senator Bernard Sanders was elected to be Deputy Minister after being chosen by Democratic nominee Dennis Kucinich to be his running mate. The ticket was elected in an upset, and as a result was easily defeated by Republican nominee Jon Huntsman Jr; who himself had chosen General James Mattis, an independent, as his running mate. He served all three terms under Huntsman and retired after the expiration of his term in 2021.

Deputy Ministers, as is the case with Ministers, can be impeached. This has happened only once, as Deputy Minister Donald Trump had been impeached for bribery and other high crimes in late 2011 and was removed from office in early 2012. He was later replaced with former Utah Governor, Ambassador, and future Minister himself Jon Huntsman.

Succession[]

Portrait of George Smathers — George Smathers was the first Deputy Minister to constitutionally succeed a Minister following the assassination of John Kennedy.

The line of succession for both Ministerial offices is the same, with the Deputy Minister taking office in the case of a Minister's death, resignation, removal from office, or incapacity. This first happened in 1963, when Deputy Minister George Smathers succeeded John F. Kennedy, who was assassinated.

In electoral politics, five Deputy Foreign Ministers have attempted to succeed to the Foreign Ministership. Three Deputy Ministers, Charles Percy, John McCain and Jon Huntsman Jr. were successfully elected as Foreign Minister for three terms each, with McCain and Percy being direct successors. Two other Deputy Ministers, John Glenn and Joe Lieberman, the latter of whom ran an Independent campaign, ran for the Ministership but lost in a general election. Additionally, Bernard Sanders served as Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and was later elected as Domestic Minister.