William J. Burns (diplomat)

William J. Burns
Official portrait, 2021
8th Director of the Central Intelligence Agency
Assumed office
March 19, 2021
PresidentJoe Biden
DeputyDavid S. Cohen
Preceded byGina Haspel
17th United States Deputy Secretary of State
In office
July 28, 2011 – November 3, 2014
PresidentBarack Obama
Preceded byJames Steinberg
Succeeded byAntony Blinken
United States Secretary of State
Acting
January 20, 2009 – January 21, 2009[1]
PresidentBarack Obama
Preceded byCondoleezza Rice
Succeeded byHillary Clinton
Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs
In office
May 13, 2008 – July 28, 2011
PresidentGeorge W. Bush
Barack Obama
Preceded byR. Nicholas Burns
Succeeded byWendy Sherman
United States Ambassador to Russia
In office
November 8, 2005 – May 13, 2008
PresidentGeorge W. Bush
Preceded byAlexander Vershbow
Succeeded byJohn Beyrle
Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs
In office
June 4, 2001 – March 2, 2005
PresidentGeorge W. Bush
Preceded byEdward S. Walker Jr.
Succeeded byDavid Welch
United States Ambassador to Jordan
In office
August 9, 1998 – June 4, 2001
PresidentBill Clinton
George W. Bush
Preceded byWesley Egan
Succeeded byEdward Gnehm
Executive Secretary of the United States Department of State
In office
January 16, 1996 – February 27, 1998
PresidentBill Clinton
Preceded byKenneth C. Brill
Succeeded byKristie Kenney
Personal details
Born
William Joseph Burns

(1956-04-04) April 4, 1956 (age 68)
Fort Bragg, North Carolina, U.S.
Political partyIndependent
SpouseLisa Carty
Children2
EducationLa Salle University (BA)
St John's College, Oxford (MPhil, DPhil)
Diplomatic service
AllegianceUnited States
ServiceU.S. Department of State
Years of service1982–2014
RankCareer Ambassador

William Joseph Burns (born April 11, 1956)[2] is an American diplomat who has served as director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in the Biden administration since March 19, 2021.[3] He previously served as U.S. deputy secretary of state from 2011 to 2014; in 2009 he served as acting secretary of state for a day, prior to the confirmation of Hillary Clinton. Burns retired from the U.S. Foreign Service in 2014 after a 32-year career. From 2014 to 2021, he served as president of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.[4][5]

Burns served as ambassador to Jordan from 1998 to 2001, Assistant Secretary of State for Near East Affairs from 2001 to 2005, ambassador to Russia from 2005 to 2008 and Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs from 2008 to 2011.[6]

In January 2021, President Joe Biden nominated Burns to become CIA director.[7] He was unanimously confirmed by voice vote in the Senate on March 18, 2021, sworn in officially as director on March 19,[3] as well as ceremonially sworn in by Vice President Kamala Harris on March 23.[8][9] In July 2023, Biden elevated Burns to a position in his cabinet, a largely symbolic action.[10]

  1. ^ "Biographies of the Secretaries of State: Condoleezza Rice (1954–)". U.S. Department of State – Office of the Historian. Retrieved March 29, 2021. Under Secretary for Political Affairs William J. Burns served as Acting Secretary of State, January 20–21, 2009.
  2. ^ https://www.intelligence.senate.gov/sites/default/files/documents/q-wburns-022421.pdf
  3. ^ a b "About CIA - Director of the CIA". www.cia.gov. Archived from the original on April 1, 2021. Retrieved April 6, 2021.
  4. ^ "Ambassador William J. Burns Named Next Carnegie President". National Endowment for Democracy (NEFD). October 28, 2014. Archived from the original on January 11, 2021. Retrieved July 26, 2016.
  5. ^ "US Senate confirms Biden's health and CIA chiefs". www.aljazeera.com. March 18, 2021. Retrieved April 6, 2021.
  6. ^ "William Burns to retire". POLITICO. Associated Press. April 11, 2014. Archived from the original on January 11, 2021. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
  7. ^ "Durbin Meets With William Burns, Biden Nominee For CIA Director". Retrieved January 21, 2021.
  8. ^ "Harris calls Boulder shooting 'absolutely tragic'". The Hill. March 23, 2021. Retrieved March 23, 2021.
  9. ^ "Bill Burns Sworn in as CIA Director - CIA". www.cia.gov. Archived from the original on April 6, 2021. Retrieved April 6, 2021.
  10. ^ Shear, Michael D. (July 21, 2023). "Biden Elevates C.I.A. Director to Become a Member of the Cabinet". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 21, 2023.

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