William J. Burns
Career diplomat who served as ambassador to Jordan and Russia, Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs, Under Secretary and Deputy Secretary of State, and later Director of the CIA.
Service Record
| Born | April 11, 1956, Fort Bragg, North Carolina |
|---|---|
| Education | B.A., History, La Salle University, 1978; M.Phil. and D.Phil., International Relations, St. John's College, Oxford |
| Entered Foreign Service | 1982 |
| Executive Secretary of the Department of State | 1996 – 1998 |
| Ambassador to Jordan | 1998 – 2001 |
| Assistant Secretary of State, Near Eastern Affairs | 2001 – 2005 |
| Ambassador to Russia | 2005 – 2008 |
| Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs | 2008 – 2011 |
| Deputy Secretary of State | 2011 – 2014 |
| Later service | President, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 2014 – 2021; Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, 2021 – 2025 |
| Honors | Three Presidential Distinguished Service Awards; Foreign Policy Diplomat of the Year, 2013; American Academy of Diplomacy Annenberg Award, 2015 |
| Memoir | The Back Channel (2019) |
Overview
William Burns spent 32 years in the Foreign Service and became one of the most respected American diplomats of his generation. Much of that career ran through the Near East.
Early Life and Education
He was born at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, the son of an Army major general who later directed the U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency. He graduated from La Salle University in 1978 and earned his master's and doctoral degrees in international relations at St. John's College, Oxford, where his dissertation examined American economic aid to Egypt.
Career
He joined the Foreign Service in 1982. He served as the Department's Executive Secretary and then as ambassador to Jordan from 1998 to 2001. As Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs from 2001 to 2005 he led U.S. diplomacy across the region in the years after September 11. He was ambassador to Russia from 2005 to 2008 and then Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, briefly serving as Acting Secretary of State in January 2009.
Deputy Secretary
As Deputy Secretary of State from 2011 to 2014 he led the secret bilateral channel with Iran that produced the interim nuclear agreement. Foreign Policy named him its Diplomat of the Year in 2013.
Legacy
He retired from the Foreign Service in 2014, led the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and served as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency from 2021 to 2025. His memoir, The Back Channel, is widely read as a case for the enduring value of professional diplomacy.
Recognition
Envoys of Record recognizes William J. Burns as a Distinguished Ambassador, whose career set the standard for American diplomacy in its era.