In 1589, the four French Secretaries of State became specialized, with one of the secretaries responsible for foreign affairs. The Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs became a Minister of Foreign Affairs' in 1791. In 1794, all ministerial positions were briefly abolished by the National Convention, but was re-established in 1795 with the establishment of the Directory. For a brief period in the 1980s, the office was retitled Minister for External Affairs.

Foreign Ministers of France, 1589-present

Minister	Began	Ended
Louis de Revol	1 January 1589	17 September 1594
Nicolas de Neufville, seigneur de Villeroy	30 December 1594	9 August 1616
Armand Jean du Plessis de Richelieu, Bishop of Luçon	30 November 1616	24 April 1617
Pierre Brulart, vicomte de Puysieux	24 April 1617	11 March 1626
Raymond Phelypeaux, seigneur d'Herbault	11 March 1626	2 May 1629
Claude Bouthillier	2 May 1629	18 March 1632
Léon Bouthillier, comte de Chavigny	18 March 1632	23 June 1643
Henri-Auguste de Loménie, comte de Brienne	23 June 1643	3 April 1663
Hugues de Lionne	3 April 1663	1 September 1671
Simon Arnaud, marquis de Pomponne	1 September 1671	18 November 1679
Charles Colbert, marquis de Croissy	12 February 1680	28 July 1696
Jean-Baptiste Colbert, marquis de Torcy	28 July 1696	22 September 1715
Nicolas du Blé, marquis d'Huxelles	23 September 1715	1 September 1718
Guillaume Dubois	24 September 1718	10 August 1723
Charles Jean-Baptiste Fleuriau, comte de Morville	16 August 1723	19 August 1727
Germain Louis Chauvelin	23 August 1727	20 February 1737
Jean-Jacques Amelot de Chaillou	22 February 1737	26 April 1744
Adrien Maurice, duc de Noailles	26 April 1744	19 November 1744
René de Voyer de Paulmy, marquis d'Argenson	19 November 1744	10 January 1747
Louis Philogène Brûlart, vicomte de Puisieulx	27 January 1747	9 September 1751
François Dominique de Barberie de Saint-Contest	11 September 1751	24 July 1754
Antoine Louis Rouillé	24 July 1754	28 June 1757
François Joachim de Pierre de Bernis	28 June 1757	9 October 1758
Étienne François, duc de Choiseul	3 December 1758	13 October 1761
César Gabriel de Choiseul-Chevigny, duc de Praslin	13 October 1761	10 April 1766
Étienne François, duc de Choiseul	10 April 1766	24 December 1770
Louis Phélypeaux, duc de La Vrillère	24 December 1770	6 June 1771
Emmanuel Armand de Vignerot du Plessis de Richelieu, duc d'Aiguillon	6 June 1771	2 June 1774
Henri Léonard Jean Baptiste Bertin	2 June 1774	21 July 1774
Charles Gravier, comte de Vergennes	21 July 1774	13 February 1787
Armand Marc, comte de Montmorin Saint-Hérem	14 February 1787	13 July 1789
Paul François de Quelen, duc de la Vauguyon	13 July 1789	16 July 1789
Armand Marc, comte de Montmorin Saint-Hérem	16 July 1789	29 November 1791
Claude Antoine Valdec de Lessart	29 November 1791	15 March 1792
Charles Dumouriez	15 March 1792	13 June 1792
Pierre Paul de Méredieu, baron de Naillac	13 June 1792	18 June 1792
Scipion Victor, marquis de Chambonas	18 June 1792	23 July 1792
François Joseph de Gratet, vicomte Dubouchage	23 July 1792	1 August 1792
Claude Bigot de Sainte-Croix	1 August 1792	10 August 1792
Pierre Henri Hélène Marie Lebrun-Tondu	10 August 1792	21 June 1793
François Louis Michel Chemin Deforgues	21 June 1793	2 April 1794
Jean Marie Claude Alexandre Goujon	5 April 1794	8 April 1794
Martial Joseph Armand Herman	8 April 1794	20 April 1794
none	20 April 1794	3 November 1795
Charles Delacroix	3 November 1795	15 July 1797
Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord	15 July 1797	20 July 1799
Karl Reinhard	20 July 1799	22 November 1799
Charles Maurice de Talleyrand, prince de Bénévent	22 November 1799	9 August 1807
Jean-Baptiste Nompère de Champagny, duc de Cadore	9 August 1807	17 April 1811
Hugues Bernard Maret, duc de Bassano	17 April 1811	20 November 1813
Armand Augustin Louis Caulaincourt, duc de Vicence	20 November 1813	1 April 1814
Antoine René Charles Mathurin, comte de Laforest	3 April 1814	13 May 1814
Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord, prince de Bénévent	13 May 1814	20 March 1815
Armand Augustin Louis Caulaincourt, duc de Vicence	20 March 1815	22 June 1815
Louis, baron Bignon	22 June 1815	7 July 1815
Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord, prince de Bénévent	9 July 1815	26 September 1815
Armand Emmanuel du Plessis, duc de Richelieu	26 September 1815	29 December 1818
Jean Joseph Paul Augustin, marquis Dessolles	29 December 1818	19 November 1819
Étienne Denis, baron Pasquier	19 November 1819	14 December 1821
Mathieu Jean Félicité, duc de Montmorency-Laval	14 December 1821	28 December 1822
François-René, vicomte de Chateaubriand	28 December 1822	4 August 1824
Ange Hyacinthe Maxence, baron de Damas	4 August 1824	4 January 1828
Auguste, comte de La Ferronays	4 January 1828	24 April 1829
Anne Pierre Adrien, duc de Montmorency-Laval	24 April 1829	14 May 1829
Joseph-Marie, comte Portalis	14 May 1829	8 August 1829
Jules Armand Auguste Marie, prince de Polignac	8 August 1829	29 July 1830
Victor Louis Victurnien, duc de Mortemart	29 July 1830	29 July 1830
Louis, baron Bignon	31 July 1830	1 August 1830
Jean-Baptiste, comte Jourdan	1 August 1830	11 August 1830
Louis, comte Molé	11 August 1830	2 November 1830
Nicolas Joseph, marquis Maison	2 November 1830	17 November 1830
Horace François Bastien, baron Sébastiani	17 November 1830	11 October 1832
Victor, duc de Broglie	11 October 1832	4 April 1834
Henri Gauthier, comte de Rigny	4 April 1834	10 November 1834
Charles Joseph, comte Bresson	10 November 1834	18 November 1834
Henri Gauthier, comte de Rigny	18 November 1834	12 March 1835
Victor, duc de Broglie	12 March 1835	22 February 1836
Adolphe Thiers	22 February 1836	6 September 1836
Louis, comte Molé	6 September 1836	31 March 1839
Napoléon Auguste Lannes, duc de Montebello	31 March 1839	12 May 1839
Nicolas Jean de Dieu Soult, duc de Dalmatie	12 May 1839	1 March 1840
Adolphe Thiers	1 March 1840	29 October 1840
François Guizot	29 October 1840	23 February 1848
Alphonse de Lamartine	24 February 1848	11 May 1848
Jules Bastide	11 May 1848	29 June 1848
Marie-Alphonse Bedeau	29 June 1848	17 July 1848
Jules Bastide	17 July 1848	20 December 1848
Édouard Drouyn de Lhuys	20 December 1848	2 June 1849
Alexis de Tocqueville	2 June 1849	31 October 1849
Alphonse de Rayneval	31 October 1849	17 November 1849
Jean-Ernest Ducos, vicomte de La Hitte	17 November 1849	9 January 1851
Édouard Drouyn de Lhuys	9 January 1851	24 January 1851
Anatole, baron Brénier de Renaudière	24 January 1851	10 April 1851
Jules Baroche	10 April 1851	26 October 1851
Louis Félix Étienne, marquis de Turgot	26 October 1851	28 July 1852
Édouard Drouyn de Lhuys	28 July 1852	7 May 1855
Alexandre Colonna, comte Walewski	7 May 1855	4 January 1860
Jules Baroche	4 January 1860	24 January 1860
Édouard Thouvenel	24 January 1860	15 October 1862
Édouard Drouyn de Lhuys	15 October 1862	1 September 1866
Charles, marquis de La Valette	1 September 1866	2 October 1866
Lionel, marquis de Moustier	2 October 1866	17 December 1868
Charles, marquis de La Valette	17 December 1868	17 July 1869
Henri, prince de La Tour d'Auvergne	17 July 1869	2 January 1870
Napoléon, comte Daru	2 January 1870	14 April 1870
Émile Ollivier	14 April 1870	15 May 1870
Agenor, duc de Gramont	15 May 1870	10 August 1870
Henri, prince de La Tour d'Auvergne	10 August 1870	4 September 1870
Jules Favre	4 September 1870	2 August 1871
Charles, comte de Rémusat	2 August 1871	25 May 1873
Albert, duc de Broglie	25 May 1873	26 November 1873
Louis Decazes, duc de Glucksberg	29 November 1873	23 November 1877
Gaston-Robert, marquis de Banneville	23 November 1877	13 December 1877
William Henry Waddington	13 December 1877	28 December 1879
Charles de Freycinet	28 December 1879	23 September 1880
Jules Barthélemy-Saint-Hilaire	23 September 1880	14 November 1881
Léon Gambetta	14 November 1881	30 January 1882
Charles de Freycinet	30 January 1882	7 August 1882
Charles Duclerc	7 August 1882	29 January 1883
Armand Fallières	29 January 1883	21 February 1883
Paul-Armand Challemel-Lacour	21 February 1883	20 November 1883
Jules Ferry	20 November 1883	6 April 1885
Charles de Freycinet	6 April 1885	11 December 1886
Émile Flourens	11 December 1886	3 April 1888
René Goblet	3 April 1888	22 February 1889
Eugène Spuller	22 February 1889	17 March 1890
Alexandre Ribot	17 March 1890	11 January 1893
Jules Develle	11 January 1893	3 December 1893
Jean Casimir-Perier	3 December 1893	30 May 1894
Gabriel Hanotaux	30 May 1894	1 November 1895
Marcellin Berthelot	1 November 1895	28 March 1896
Léon Bourgeois	28 March 1896	29 April 1896
Gabriel Hanotaux	29 April 1896	28 June 1898
Théophile Delcassé	28 June 1898	6 June 1905
Maurice Rouvier	6 June 1905	13 March 1906
Léon Bourgeois	14 March 1906	25 October 1906
Stéphen Pichon	25 October 1906	2 March 1911
Jean Cruppi	2 March 1911	27 June 1911
Justin de Selves	27 June 1911	9 January 1912
Raymond Poincaré	14 January 1912	22 January 1913
Charles Jonnart	22 January 1913	22 March 1913
Stéphen Pichon	22 March 1913	9 December 1913
Gaston Doumergue	9 December 1913	9 June 1914
Léon Bourgeois	9 June 1914	13 June 1914
René Viviani	13 June 1914	3 August 1914
Gaston Doumergue	3 August 1914	26 August 1914
Théophile Delcassé	26 August 1914	13 October 1915
René Viviani	13 October 1915	29 October 1915
Aristide Briand	29 October 1915	20 March 1917
Alexandre Ribot	20 March 1917	23 October 1917
Louis Barthou	23 October 1917	16 November 1917
Stéphen Pichon	16 November 1917	20 January 1920
Alexandre Millerand	20 January 1920	24 September 1920
Georges Leygues	24 September 1920	16 January 1921
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