Executive Order 10839 Constitutional Fidelity (+0.33)

Executive Order 10839—Designating Certain Officers To Act as Secretary of State

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Wednesday, September 30, 1959

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1 min read (291 words)

Plain-English Translation & Framers' Constitutional Analysis

Early Statesman synthesis distilling legal jargon into practical meaning, statutory anchors, and structural constitutional impacts.

This executive order, signed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower on 1959-09-30, establishes federal administrative policy concerning "Designating Certain Officers To Act as Secretary of State." It outlines operative directives for executive department officers, delegating enforcement responsibilities and establishing official governance guidelines.

Constitutional Assessment: Reviewed under the Tenth Amendment and the principle of dual federalism, this order touches upon domains traditionally reserved to the sovereign States. The Framers would caution against any attempt to commandeer state officers or displace local police powers through federal executive fiat.

Key Directives & Operative Actions

▪ The President may at any time, in pursuance of law but without regard to the foregoing provisions of this order, direct that an officer specified by the President shall act as Secretary of State.

▪ 10791 of November 28, 1958, is hereby superseded.

Constitutional & Societal Entities Impacted

🏛️ Sovereign State Governments & Localities 🏛️ Executive Departments & Federal Civil Servants

Total Words

291

1,657 characters

Estimated Read Time

1 min

@ 200 words / min

Flesch-Kincaid

16.3

Post-Grad reading level

Constitutional Polarity

+0.33

Framers' Alignment index

📜

Scholarly & Legal Citations

Exec. Order No. 10839, Dwight D. Eisenhower (Sep 30, 1959). Available at https://executiveordersarchive.org/orders/app-executive-order-10839-designating-certain-officers-act-secretary-state.

Official Document Text

Source: The American Presidency Project (UCSB Archive)

Original Source →

By virtue of authority vested in me by section 179 of the Revised Statutes (5 U.S.C. 6), and as President of the United States, it is ordered as follows: In case of the death, resignation, absence, or sickness of the Secretary of State and the Under Secretary of State, the following-designated officers of the Department of State shall, in the order of succession indicated, act as Secretary of State until a successor is appointed or until the absence or sickness of the incumbent shall cease: 1. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs or Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs, as may be designated by the President pursuant to the act of July 30, 1959, 73 Stat. 266. 2. Deputy Under Secretaries of State, (a) in such order of succession as the Secretary of State (or the Under Secretary of State when acting as Secretary) may by order designate from time to time, or (b) if no such designation order is in effect at the time, in the order of the lengths of service as Deputy Under Secretaries. 3. Assistant Secretaries of State, (a) in such order of succession as the Secretary of State (or the Under Secretary of State when acting as Secretary) may by order designate from time to time, or (b) if no such designation order is in effect at the time, in the order of the lengths of service as Assistant Secretaries. The President may at any time, in pursuance of law but without regard to the foregoing provisions of this order, direct that an officer specified by the President shall act as Secretary of State. Executive Order No. 10791 of November 28, 1958, is hereby superseded. DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER THE WHITE HOUSE, September 30, 1959.