Before they united, each of the American colonial states had their own ambassador to London. Benjamin Franklin began by representing Pennsylvania by the late 1750s, then moved on to Massachusetts, Georgia, and New Jersey within a decade. American diplomatic contacts abroad helped to win the Revolutionary War, and the new American republic continued that tradition with the creation of a Department of Foreign Affairs. The department’s duties were not limited to maintaining ties with foreign countries and the domestic aspect triggered a name change for the cabinet.

On this day, September 15, in 1789, Congress passed “An Act to provide for the safe keeping of the Acts, Records, and Seal of the United States, and for other purposes,” establishing the Department of State from the former Department of Foreign Affairs.

Thomas Jefferson was selected as the first Secretary of State (a surprising choice, given that Jefferson counseled willful isolation from foreign entanglements), and was assigned a staff of six. Under Jefferson’s leadership, the chief clerk would write out all the correspondence, assisted by three other clerks. A messenger would carry the missives to their destination, and a translator was on hand to interpret the documents.