United States Under Secretary of State for Economic, Business, and Agricultural Affairs

Under Secretary for Economic, Business, and Agricultural Affairs is an undersecretary position within the United States Department of State. The Under Secretary for Economic, Business, and Agricultural Affairs serves as senior economic advisor at the State Department and advises the Secretary of State on international economic policy. The Under Secretary also leads the work of the Department on trade, agriculture, aviation, and bilateral trade relations with America's economic partners. The Bureau of Economic, Energy and Business Affairs (formerly the Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs) is the only bureau under the Under Secretary. The current Under Secretary is Robert Hormats, who was sworn in on September 23, 2009.

An Act of Congress first authorized an Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs on August 1, 1946, for a 2-year period as the third-ranking officer in the Department. The position was not renewed, however, and between 1947 and 1958 the ranking officer in the Department handling foreign economic matters was either a Deputy Under Secretary or an Assistant Secretary of State. On June 30, 1958, Congress re-established the position of Under Secretary for Economic Affairs in the Mutual Security Act. The following year, the Department of State Organization Act of July 30, 1959, authorized the President to appoint either an Under Secretary for Political Affairs or an Under Secretary for Economic Affairs.

Between 1959 and 1972, during periods when there was no...
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