William Hunter, Jr. (1805– July 22, 1886) was a politician and diplomat from

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area and the seventh-least populous, with slightly fewer than 1.1 million residents as of 2020, but it ...

. He was a confidential clerk to Secretary of State

John Clayton John Clayton may refer to: Arts and entertainment Writing *John Clayton (architect) (died 1861), English architect and writer *John Bell Clayton and Martha Clayton, John Bell Clayton (c. 1907–1955), American writer *John Clayton (sportswriter) ( ...

in the

United States Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government responsible for the country's fore ...

from 1849 to 1850, serving with

George P. Fisher George Purnell Fisher (October 13, 1817 – February 10, 1899) was Attorney General of Delaware, Secretary of State of Delaware, a United States representative from Delaware and an United States federal judge, Associate Justice of the Supreme Co ...

. He had served as acting Secretary of State on three occasions, once in 1853, again in 1860, and to temporarily substitute for Secretary

William H. Seward William Henry Seward (May 16, 1801 – October 10, 1872) was an American politician who served as United States Secretary of State from 1861 to 1869, and earlier served as governor of New York and as a United States Senator. A determined oppon ...

''The Daily Age'', "Official Announcement of the Induction of President Johnson," Philadelphia, April 17, 1865, p. 1 after his injury in a carriage accident and subsequent wounding in an attack concurrent with the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. He also served as Chief Clerk of the State Department from 1852 to 1855,

Assistant Secretary of State Assistant Secretary of State (A/S) is a title used for many executive positions in the United States Department of State, ranking below the under secretaries. A set of six assistant secretaries reporting to the under secretary for political affairs ...

in 1855 and Second Assistant Secretary of State from 1866 until his death in 1886.

References

1805 births 1886 deaths United States Assistant Secretaries of State Rhode Island politicians Chief Clerks of the United States Department of State Acting United States Secretaries of State {{RhodeIsland-politician-stub