âused to express mild disappointment, gentle entreaty, or real or mock sympathy or sentiment.
The Secretary carries out the President's foreign policies through the State Department, which includes the Foreign Service, Civil Service, and U.S. Agency for International Development. On February 1, 2013, John Kerry was sworn in as the 68th Secretary of State of the United States.
Thomas Jefferson was the nation's first Secretary of State. Edmund Randolph and Timothy Pickering also served under Washington as Secretary of State. Prior to Jefferson's return to the U. S. from France, John Jay served as United States Secretary of Foreign Affairs from September 26, 1789 until March 22, 1790.