John Kerry

John Forbes Kerry is an American politician who served as the United States Secretary of State from 2013 to 2017 under President Barack Obama. In this position, he was popular for his powerful strategies to resolve many critical international challenges. He supported free trade, expansive foreign and military policy, and increasing spending on education. A lawyer by profession, he worked as an Assistant District Attorney in Massachusetts before pursuing a career in politics. Elected to the US Senate in 1984, he went on to serve as the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and resolved the nation's fiscal problems as a member of the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction. He thrived in his political career and eventually rose to the position of the Secretary of State. One of his most challenging tasks as the Secretary of State was to find a solution to the conflict between the rebels and Bashar al-Assad’s government in Syria, in which chemical weapons were used on the civilians. His diplomatic efforts with Iran paid off when the US reached an agreement with Iran and the latter had to pledge to curb its uranium program. Kerry not only received several honorary degrees for his services to the US, but also bagged a number of foreign honors.