Thomas Alfred Shannon Jr. ( born Thomas A. Shannon Jr .; born 1958) is an American politician and diplomat . Deputy Secretary of State for Political Affairs at the State Department since February 12, 2016 .
| Thomas Shannon | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | |||||||
| |||||||
| Vice President | Joe Biden Mike Pence | ||||||
| The president | Barack Obama Donald Trump | ||||||
| |||||||
| The president | Barack Obama | ||||||
| Predecessor | William Burns | ||||||
| Successor | Wendy Sherman | ||||||
| |||||||
| The president | Donald Trump | ||||||
| Predecessor | John Kerry | ||||||
| Successor | Rex Tillerson | ||||||
| Birth | 1958 | ||||||
| The consignment | US Democratic Party | ||||||
| Education | College of William and Mary Oxford University | ||||||
| Academic degree | Bachelor of Arts , Master of Philosophy and Doctor of Philosophy | ||||||
Acting Secretary of State of the United States (from January 20 to February 1, 2017 ).
Biography
Shannon graduated from college with honors in 1980. He graduated from Oxford University (1982), where he received a doctorate in political science (1983).
In 1984 he entered the US diplomatic service. He was a consultant at the US Embassy in Guatemala from 1984 to 1986. He was also an employee at the U.S. Embassies in Cameroon , Gabon , and Principe from 1987 to 1989, and was Special Assistant to the US Ambassador to Brazil from 1989 to 1992.
He served as an attache for the US Consulate General in Johannesburg , South Africa, from 1992 to 1996; Political Advisor, US Embassy in Caracas , Venezuela, from 1996 to 1999; and as director of inter-American affairs at the National Security Council from 1999 to 2000.
From 2005 to 2009, he was the Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, overseeing relations with Latin American countries.
In 2010-2013, the US ambassador to Brazil.
In December 2013, Shannon was appointed adviser to the US Department of State.
Shannon was Acting Secretary of State from January 20 to February 1, 2017.
Currently, the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs at the U.S. Department of State since February 12, 2016.