Thomas A. Shannon Jr. | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 22nd Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs | |
| In office February 12, 2016 – June 4, 2018 | |
| President | Barack Obama Donald Trump |
| Preceded by | Wendy Sherman |
| Succeeded by | Stephen D. Mull (acting) |
| Acting July 28, 2011 – September 21, 2011 | |
| President | Barack Obama |
| Preceded by | William J. Burns |
| Succeeded by | Wendy Sherman |
| United States Deputy Secretary of State | |
Acting | |
| In office February 1, 2017 – May 24, 2017 | |
| President | Donald Trump |
| Preceded by | Antony Blinken |
| Succeeded by | John J. Sullivan |
| United States Secretary of State | |
Ad interim | |
| In office January 20, 2017 – February 1, 2017 | |
| President | Donald Trump |
| Preceded by | John Kerry |
| Succeeded by | Rex Tillerson |
| 31st Counselor of the United States Department of State | |
| In office December 24, 2013 – February 12, 2016 | |
| President | Barack Obama |
| Preceded by | Heather Higginbottom |
| Succeeded by | Kristie Kenney |
| United States Ambassador to Brazil | |
| In office February 4, 2010 – September 6, 2013 | |
| President | Barack Obama |
| Preceded by | Clifford M. Sobel |
| Succeeded by | Liliana Ayalde |
| 30th Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs | |
| In office October 17, 2005 – November 10, 2009 | |
| President | George W. Bush Barack Obama |
| Preceded by | Roger Noriega |
| Succeeded by | Arturo Valenzuela |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Thomas Alfred Shannon Jr. 1958 (age 65–66)[1] Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Education | College of William & Mary (BA) University College, Oxford (MPhil, DPhil) |
Thomas Alfred Shannon Jr. (born 1958) is an American diplomat who served as Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs from 2016 to 2018. In early 2017, Shannon served as acting United States Secretary of State until President Donald Trump's nominee, Rex Tillerson, was confirmed. He was also acting Deputy Secretary of State of the United States until the Senate confirmed President Trump's nominee, John J. Sullivan.
Since 1984, Shannon has worked in the United States Foreign Service, and he has served in embassies around the world. From 2005 to 2009, he was Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, and from 2010 to 2013 he was United States Ambassador to Brazil. From 2013 to 2016, he was Counselor of the United States Department of State, and was also acting Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs in 2011. On February 2, 2016, the Senate confirmed Shannon as Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs.[2] Just under two years later, the Associated Press reported that Shannon would be stepping down from the post pending the naming of a successor.[3]
After retirement, Shannon joined law firm Arnold & Porter as Senior International Policy Advisor.
Shannon is currently the Charles and Marie Robertson Visiting Professor at the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University, where he is also a Co-Director of the Program in History and the Practice of Diplomacy.[4][5]
Shannon currently serves as the Co-Chair of the Inter-American Dialogue's Board of Directors and is on the Board of Directors for the Global Americans think tank.[6]
- ^ "Thomas Alfred Shannon Jr. (1958–)". Office of the Historian. December 24, 2013. Retrieved November 16, 2015.
- ^ "Shannon, Thomas A., Jr". Retrieved February 2, 2018.
- ^ "Top diplomat stepping down, dealing blow to State Dept". Newsday. Retrieved February 1, 2018.
- ^ "Thomas Shannon". Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. July 26, 2019. Archived from the original on June 21, 2020. Retrieved May 31, 2020.
- ^ "People | History and the Practice of Diplomacy". hpd.princeton.edu. Retrieved May 31, 2020.
- ^ "Board of Directors". Global Americans. July 28, 2020. Retrieved December 3, 2020.