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John R. Bass

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John Bass
Bass in 2024
Acting United States Secretary of State
In office
January 20, 2025[a]
PresidentDonald Trump
Preceded byAntony Blinken
Succeeded byLisa D. Kenna (acting)
Acting Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs
In office
March 22, 2024 – January 20, 2025
PresidentJoe Biden
Preceded byVictoria Nuland
Succeeded byLisa D. Kenna (acting)
16th Under Secretary of State for Management
In office
December 29, 2021 – January 20, 2025
PresidentJoe Biden
Preceded byBrian Bulatao
Succeeded byJason S. Evans
22nd United States Ambassador to Afghanistan
In office
December 12, 2017 – January 6, 2020
PresidentDonald Trump
Preceded byP. Michael McKinley
Succeeded byRoss Wilson (chargé d'affaires)
United States Ambassador to Turkey
In office
October 20, 2014 – October 15, 2017
PresidentBarack Obama
Donald Trump
DeputyPhilip Kosnett
Preceded byFrancis J. Ricciardone Jr.
Succeeded byDavid M. Satterfield
24th Executive Secretary of the United States Department of State
In office
October 8, 2012 – July 18, 2014
PresidentBarack Obama
Preceded byStephen Mull
Succeeded byJoseph Macmanus
United States Ambassador to Georgia
In office
October 16, 2009 – July 17, 2012
PresidentBarack Obama
Preceded byJohn F. Tefft
Succeeded byRichard Norland
Personal details
Born1964 (age 61–62)
New York, U.S.
SpouseHolly Holzer
EducationSyracuse University (BA)

John Rodney Bass II[3] (born 1964) is an American diplomat, who served as the under secretary of state for management from 2021 to 2025 and the acting under secretary of state for political affairs. Bass also served as the United States ambassador to Afghanistan from 2017 to 2020, the United States ambassador to Turkey from 2014 to 2017 and the United States ambassador to Georgia from 2009 to 2012.[4][5] Bass also served as Acting United States Secretary of State, in his capacity as Under Secretary of State for Management and Acting Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, for a few hours on January 20, 2025, pursuant to Department of State Delegation of Authority No. 513-1 titled “Delegation of the Authorities of the Secretary to Under Secretary John R. Bass” that was signed by Antony Blinken on December 21, 2022 and published in the Federal Register on January 6, 2023[6] and Department of State Delegation of Authority No. 553 titled “Delegation of Authority-Authorities of the Secretary” that was signed by Antony Blinken on March 29, 2024 and published in the Federal Register on April 10, 2024[7], from the time that Antony Blinken had formally resigned as United States Secretary of State at noon on January 20, 2025 until the time of the formal appointment of Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Intelligence and Research and Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Intelligence and Research Lisa D. Kenna as Acting United States Secretary of State a few hours later in the afternoon on January 20, 2025.

Career

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John Bass visited Kyiv, June 21, 2024

Bass is from upstate New York.[4] He graduated from Syracuse University in 1986 and was a newspaper editor and political campaign consultant before joining the Foreign Service in 1988. Shortly after, he was posted to Belgium, the Netherlands, and Chad.[8]

In 1998, he worked for deputy secretary of state Strobe Talbott, first as a special assistant for Europe and Eurasia including as part of the peace negotiations in the Kosovo War. He was later named as Talbott's chief of staff in 2000, coordinating policy on arms reduction with Russia.[8]

In 2005, Bass was named director of the State Department Operations Center. He was sent to Iraq in 2008 as the leader of a provincial reconstruction team.[8] He speaks Italian and French.[4]

Acting Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs John Bass with Ambassador Brink meeting Ukrainian officials in Kyiv on June 21, 2024

In October 2012, he was appointed Executive Secretary of the United States Department of State and served as the liaison between the State Department's many bureaus and the leadership offices of the Secretary, the Deputy Secretaries, and the Director of Policy Planning.

In October 2017, after the U.S. decided to suspend non-immigrant visa services within Turkey, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said the Turkish government would no longer recognize Bass's authority as a U.S. ambassador. The cancellation of visitor visas came after a Turkish court ordered the arrest of an employee of the U.S. Consulate in Istanbul.[9][10]

After the suspension of visa services in Turkey, Bass published a statement on YouTube.[11]

President Donald Trump named him as his choice to become the United States ambassador to Afghanistan on July 20, 2017.[12] On September 28, 2017, his nomination was confirmed by the Senate.[13] Bass left the position on January 6, 2020.[14]

On July 21, 2021, President Joe Biden nominated him to serve as Under Secretary of State for Management.[15] On December 18, 2021, he was confirmed by the Senate.[16]

Bass was appointed as acting Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs in March 2024, following the resignation of Victoria Nuland.[17]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ↑ Bass served as Acting United States Secretary of State, in his capacity as Under Secretary of State for Management and Acting Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, for a few hours on January 20, 2025, pursuant to Department of State Delegation of Authority No. 513-1 titled “Delegation of the Authorities of the Secretary to Under Secretary John R. Bass” that was signed by Antony Blinken on December 21, 2022 and published in the Federal Register on January 6, 2023[1] and Department of State Delegation of Authority No. 553 titled “Delegation of Authority-Authorities of the Secretary” that was signed by Antony Blinken on March 29, 2024 and published in the Federal Register on April 10, 2024[2], from the time that Antony Blinken had formally resigned as United States Secretary of State at noon on January 20, 2025 until the time of the formal appointment of Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Intelligence and Research and Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Intelligence and Research Lisa D. Kenna as Acting United States Secretary of State a few hours later in the afternoon on January 20, 2025.

References

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  1. ↑ "Delegation of the Authorities of the Secretary to Under Secretary John R. Bass". Federal Register. January 6, 2023. Retrieved May 31, 2026.
  2. ↑ "Delegation of Authority-Authorities of the Secretary". Federal Register. April 10, 2024. Retrieved May 31, 2026.
  3. ↑ "PN962 — Foreign Service". U.S. Congress. April 27, 1988. Retrieved July 3, 2018.
  4. 1 2 3 "Ambassador Biography". Embassy of the United States Ankara, Turkey. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 14, 2014.
  5. ↑ "Former Ambassadors". U.S. Embassy & Consulates in Turkey. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
  6. ↑ "Delegation of the Authorities of the Secretary to Under Secretary John R. Bass". Federal Register. January 6, 2023. Retrieved May 31, 2026.
  7. ↑ "Delegation of Authority-Authorities of the Secretary". Federal Register. April 10, 2024. Retrieved May 31, 2026.
  8. 1 2 3 "U.S. Ambassador to Turkey: Who Is John R. Bass?". ALLGOV. August 10, 2014.
  9. ↑ Tuysuz, Gul; Koran, Laura (October 10, 2017). "Erdogan: Turkey does not recognize US ambassador after visa spat". CNN. Retrieved July 6, 2018.
  10. ↑ Cunningham, Erin; Fahim, Kareen (October 8, 2017). "U.S. and Turkey announce tit-for-tat travel restrictions, a sign of deteriorating alliance". Washington Post. Retrieved July 6, 2018.
  11. ↑ "Ambassador John Bass' statement on the suspension of visa services in Turkey". October 9, 2017 – via www.youtube.com.
  12. ↑ Bowden, John (July 20, 2017). "Trump to nominate Turkey envoy for ambassador to Afghanistan". The Hill. Retrieved July 21, 2017.
  13. ↑ Lardner, Richard. "Senate confirms Huntsman as US ambassador to Russia". ABC News. Associated Press. Retrieved September 28, 2017.
  14. ↑ Jakes, Lara (January 6, 2020). "John Bass, U.S. Envoy to Afghanistan, Steps Down on Cusp of New Peace Deal". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 6, 2020.
  15. ↑ "President Biden Announces Four Key Foreign Policy Nominations". The White House. July 21, 2021.
  16. ↑ "PN922 - Nomination of John R. Bass for Department of State, 117th Congress (2021-2022)". US Congress. December 18, 2021. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
  17. ↑ "On the Retirement of Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland". U.S. Department of State. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
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