My tri-partisan (Two Democrats! Two Republicans! One Democratic-Republican!) top five Secretaries of State of all time.

5. William Henry SEWARD (1861-1869) [Republican]
Seward, a close second to Lincoln for the Republican nomination in 1860, was made Secretary of State as a gesture to his supporters. He had little experience in foreign affairs and it showed: as the US prepared for a civil war, Seward publicly threatened war with Britain, France, Spain, and Russia, on the grounds that a war would unite the country. Lincoln told him to back off: “Ëœone war at a time…’

But in the end, Seward’s quixotic understanding of power politics had a tremendous impact on the United States today. He purchased Alaska from Russia for $7,200,000 (approximately 2 cents per acre, or US$86.7 million 2002 dollars). At the time it was ridiculed as “Seward’s Icebox,” but even without the resources ultimately found there, Seward said that Alaska “put the room on the American house.” Indeed—imagine if the USSR had a large chunk North America during the Cold War!

4. General George C. MARSHALL (1947-1949) [Democrat]
The author of the Marshall Plan, which gave funds to Europe to rebuild in the aftermath of World War II. Marshall can also be credited for being the number one advocate of engagement after the war. Whereas most Americans wanted the country to return to its introspective ways, Marshall spoke out against the growing danger of communism. He left after just two years to become our third Secretary of Defense (which replaced the Secretary of War).

3. Dean ACHESON (1949-1953) [Democrat]
To quote the Wikipedia entry: “It has often been said that Acheson was more responsible for the Truman Doctrine than Harry Truman and the Marshall Plan than George Marshall.” As Under Secretary of State from 1945-1949, he implemented many of the policies that Marshall and Truman proposed after World War II.

When Marshall resigned in 1949, Acheson was the obvious choice, but his belief in a Christian destiny to rid the world of communism didn’t ingratiate him with the right wing. In fact, Acheson was excoriated by McCarthy and Nixon after he took Truman’s side in the row with General Douglas MacArthur over the Korean War, which MacArthur wanted to extend to communist China. He wrote four books after leaving politics, most notably Power and Diplomacy Present at the Creation (1970)—thank you Saru.

2. John Quincy ADAMS (1817-1825) [Democrat Republican]
The unrecognized boy genius of 19th century American diplomacy, Adams’ outstanding tenure as Secretary of State is overshadowed by his lackluster presidency. After serving as Minister to Russia (1809 to 1814), negotiating the Treaty of Ghent in 1814, and Minister to Great Britain from 1815 to 1817,
President James Monroe appointed Adams to head the State Department in 1817.

Adams authored the Monroe Doctrine, which stated that America would oppose European intervention in the Western hemisphere (although the credit goes to the president). His legacy wasn’t just doctrinal. On the practical level, he negotiated the Adams-Onis Treaty with Spain. Not only did he purchase the peninsula of Florida for the bargain price of US$5 million, but America also agreed to renounce any claims on Texas—which we quickly forgot as soon as Mexico became independent.

1. Henry KISSINGER (1973-1977) [Republican]
Everyone hates Kissinger. From the peacenik liberals to anti-Communist hawks to pro-democracy neoconservatives, the man is reviled everywhere. I think his critics overlook one stunning achievement: the US was losing a war against guerillas when he began as National Security Advisor in 1969. Our credibility with our allies and neutral nations was in tatters. Yet Kissinger managed to negotiate from a position of strength, turning America’s “defeat” in Vietnam to victories in the Middle East and East Asia.

To achieve this goal, he was ruthless in his methods. He approved covert CIA intervention and opened relations with Communist China (infuriating many future neoconservatives). Yet he was a devotee of realpolitik, pioneered the policy of détente with the USSR, and tops my list of Secretaries of State for bring the US from the depths of despair and political defeat in the late 1960s to a near check mate in the Cold War.

NOTE #1: Notice a trend? All of these figures were criticized by both the “left” and the “right” of their day. But they all thought hard about national, strategic interests. That’s a hard thing to achieve in a democratic environment because numerous groups have interests at stake with interests only relevant to them, not the nation as a whole. Sage advice for all you up and coming policymakers out there.

NOTE #2: Marshall and Kissinger both recieved the Nobel Peace Prize. The two other Secretaries of State to recieve the prize were Elihu Root (1905-1909) and Frank Kellog (1925-1929).

NOTE #3: US history and foreign policy buffs! Would you agree, reorder my list, or suggest other candidates? Specifically I’m asking the boys over at Liberals Against Terror, Hisologion, Daily Demarche, and any other interested bloggers or freelance netizens. Make your own list and tell us about it in the comments section.

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