Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs

This article is about a junior ministerial role in Britain's Foreign & Commonwealth Office. For the senior civil servant in that department, see Permanent Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.

Granville Leveson-Gower,
2nd Earl Granville, Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs from 1840–1841

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs has been a junior position in the British government since 1782, subordinate to both the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and since 1945 also to the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs. The post has been based at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, which was created in 1968, by the merger of the Foreign Office, where the position was initially based, and the Commonwealth Office. Notable holders of the office include Granville Leveson-Gower, 2nd Earl Granville, John Wodehouse, 1st Earl of Kimberley, Edward Grey, 1st Viscount Grey of Fallodon, George Curzon, 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston and Anthony Eden. The current holders are Alistair Burt and Henry Bellingham.

Parliamentary Under-Secretaries of State for Foreign Affairs, 1782–1968

Name	Term (From – To)
Richard Brainsley Sheridan William Fraser	1782
William Fraser George Maddison	1782–1783
William Fraser St Andrew St John	1783–1789
James Bland Burgers Hon. Dudley Ryder	1789
James Bland Burgers	August 1789 – January 1796
George Canning	January 1796 – April 1799
John Hookham Frere	April 1799 – September 1800
Edward Fisher	September 1800 – February 1801
Lord Hervey	February 1801 – November 1803
Charles Arbuthnot	November 1803 – June 1804
William Eliot	June 1804 – February 1805
Robert Ward	February 1805 – February 1806
George Walpole Sir Francis Vincent	February 1806 – March 1807
Viscount FitzHarris	March 1807 – August 1807
Charles Bagot	August 1807 – December 1809
Culling Charles Smith	December 1809 – February 1812
Edward Cooke	February 1812 – 1817.
Joseph Planta	25 July 1817 – 22 January 1822
The Earl of Clanwilliam	January 1822 – January 1823
Lord Francis Conyngham	January 1823 – July 1824
Lord Francis Conyngham The Lord Howard de Walden	July 1824 – January 1826
The Lord Howard de Walden The Marquess of Clanricarde	January 1826 – 1827
The Lord Howard de Walden	1827 – June 1828
Lord Dunglass	June 1828 – November 1830
Sir George Shee	26 November 1830 – 13 November 1834
Viscount Fordwich	13 November 1834 – 17 December 1834
Viscount Mahon	17 December 1834 – 18 April 1835
William Fox-Strangways	18 April 1835 – 7 March 1840
Lord Leveson	7 March 1840 – 4 September 1841
The Viscount Canning	4 September 1841 – 27 January 1846
George Smythe	27 January 1846 – 6 July 1846
Edward Stanley	6 July 1846 – 12 February 1852
Austen Henry Layard	12 February 1852 – 18 May 1852
Lord Stanley	18 May 1852 – 28 December 1852
The Lord Wodehouse	28 December 1852 – 5 July 1856
Earl of Shelburne	5 July 1856 – 26 February 1858
William Vesey-FitzGerald	26 February 1858 – 19 June 1859
The Lord Wodehouse	19 June 1859 – 15 August 1861
Austen Henry Layard	15 August 1861 – 6 July 1866
Edward Christopher Egerton	6 July 1866 – 12 December 1868
Arthur Otway	12 December 1868 – 9 January 1871
Viscount Enfield	9 January 1871 – 23 February 1874
Robert Bourke	23 February 1874 – 28 April 1880
Sir Charles Dilke	28 April 1880 – 1 January 1883
Lord Edmond Fitzmaurice	1 January 1883 – 25 June 1885
Robert Bourke	25 June 1885 – 28 January 1886
James Bryce	7 February 1886 – 20 July 1886
Sir James Fergusson	4 August 1886 – 22 September 1891
James Lowther	22 September 1891 – 18 August 1892
Sir Edward Grey	18 August 1892 – 20 June 1895
George Curzon	20 June 1895 – 15 October 1898
St John Brodrick	15 October 1898 – 12 November 1900
Viscount Cranborne	12 November 1900 – 9 October 1903
Earl Percy	9 October 1903 – 18 December 1905
Lord Edmond Fitzmaurice (created Baron Fitzmaurice in January 1906)	18 December 1905 – 19 October 1908
Thomas McKinnon Wood	19 October 1908 – 23 October 1911
Francis Dyke Acland	23 October 1911 – 4 February 1915
Neil James Archibald Primrose	4 February 1915 – 30 May 1915
Lord Robert Cecil	30 May 1915 – 10 January 1919
Cecil Harmsworth	10 January 1919 – 31 October 1922
Ronald McNeill	31 October 1922 – 23 January 1924
Arthur Ponsonby	23 January 1924 – 11 November 1924
Ronald McNeill	11 November 1924 – 7 December 1925
Godfrey Locker-Lampson	7 December 1925 – 11 June 1929
Hugh Dalton	11 June 1929 – 3 September 1931
Anthony Eden	3 September 1931 – 18 January 1934
The Earl Stanhope	18 January 1934 – 18 June 1935
The Earl Stanhope Viscount Cranborne	18 June 1935 – 16 June 1936
Viscount Cranborne	16 June 1936 – 30 July 1936
Viscount Cranborne The Earl of Plymouth	30 July 1936 – 20 February 1938
The Earl of Plymouth	20 February 1938 – 25 February 1938
The Earl of Plymouth Rab Butler	25 February 1938 – 10 May 1940
The Earl of Plymouth	10 May 1940 – 12 May 1940
Rab Butler	15 May 1940 – 20 July 1941
Richard Law	20 July 1941 – 25 September 1943
George Henry Hall	25 September 1943 – 26 May 1945
Lord Dunglass The Lord Lovat	26 May 1945 – 26 July 1945
Hector McNeil	4 August 1945 – 4 October 1946
Christopher Mayhew	4 October 1946 – 7 June 1948
Christopher Mayhew The Lord Henderson	7 June 1948 – 2 March 1950
The Lord Henderson Ernest Davies	2 March 1950 – 26 October 1951
The Marquess of Reading Anthony Nutting	31 October 1951 – 11 November 1953
Anthony Nutting Douglas Dodds-Parker	11 November 1953 – 18 October 1954
Robin Turton Lord John Hope	18 October 1954 – 20 December 1955
Lord John Hope Douglas Dodds-Parker	20 December 1955 – 9 November 1956
Douglas Dodds-Parker David Ormsby-Gore	9 November 1956 – 9 January 1957
The Earl of Gosford Ian Harvey	18 January 1957 – 23 October 1958
Ian Harvey The Marquess of Lansdowne	23 October 1958 – 24 November 1958
The Marquess of Lansdowne	24 November 1958 – 28 November 1958
The Marquess of Lansdowne John Profumo	28 November 1958 – 16 January 1959
The Marquess of Lansdowne Robert Allan	16 January 1959 – 7 October 1960
The Marquess of Lansdowne	7 October 1960 – 28 October 1960
The Marquess of Lansdowne Joseph Godber	28 October 1960 – 27 June 1961
The Marquess of Lansdowne Peter Thomas	27 June 1961 – 20 April 1962
Peter Thomas	20 April 1962 – 16 July 1962
Peter Thomas Peter Smithers	16 July 1962 – 27 June 1963
Peter Smithers	27 June 1963 – 29 January 1964
Robert Mathew	30 January 1964 – 16 October 1964
The Lord Walston	20 October 1964 – 7 January 1967
Bill Rodgers	7 January 1967 – 3 July 1968
Maurice Foley	3 July 1968 – 17 October 1968

Parliamentary Under-Secretaries of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 1968–present

Name	Term (From – To)
Maurice Foley William Whitlock	17 October 1968 – 13 October 1969
Maurice Foley Evan Luard	13 October 1969 – 19 June 1970
The Marquess of Lothian Anthony Royle	24 June 1970 – 15 October 1970
The Marquess of Lothian Anthony Royle Anthony Kershaw	15 October 1970 – 9 April 1972
Anthony Royle Anthony Kershaw	9 April 1972 – 5 June 1973
Anthony Royle	5 June 1973 – 8 January 1974
Peter Blaker	8 January 1974 – 4 March 1974
Joan Lestor The Lord Goronwy-Roberts	8 March 1974 – 12 June 1975
The Lord Goronwy-Roberts Ted Rowlands	12 June 1975 – 4 December 1975
Ted Rowlands	4 December 1975 – 17 March 1976
Ted Rowlands John Tomlinson	17 March 1976 – 14 April 1976
John Tomlinson Evan Luard	14 April 1976 – 4 May 1979
Richard Luce	6 May 1979 – 14 September 1981
The Lord Trefgarne	14 September 1981 – 6 April 1982
Malcolm Rifkind	6 April 1982 – 13 June 1983
Ray Whitney	13 June 1983 – 11 September 1984
Tim Renton	11 September 1984 – 2 September 1985
Timothy Eggar	2 September 1985 – 24 July 1989
Tim Sainsbury	24 July 1989 – 24 July 1990
Hon. Mark Lennox-Boyd	24 July 1990 – 20 July 1994
vacant
Liam Fox	23 July 1996 – 1 May 1997
Elizabeth Symons	2 May 1997 – 2005
Meg Munn	29 June 2007 – 5 October 2008
Gillian Merron	5 October 2008 – 9 June 2009
Chris Bryant	9 June 2009 – 11 May 2010
Alistair Burt	14 May 2010 – 7 Oct 2013
Henry Bellingham	14 May 2010 – 5 Sep 2012
Mark Simmonds	5 Sep 2012-11 August 2014

incomplete

References

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