William Hunter Jr. (November 8, 1805 – July 22, 1886) was a politician and diplomat from

Rhode Island Rhode Island ( ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Is ...

. 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 Clayton (sportswriter) (1954–2022), American sportswriter and reporter *John Bell Clayton and Martha Clayton, Joh ...

in the

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

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 Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the District of Colu ...

. 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 opp ...

''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 On April 14, 1865, Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States, was shot by John Wilkes Booth while attending the play '' Our American Cousin'' at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C. Shot in the head as he watched the play, L ...

. 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 aff ...

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