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