Short answers, pulled from the story.
Thomas Jefferson was the first United States Secretary of State, appointed in 1789 when the office was created by the 1st United States Congress. He later became the third president of the United States.
The United States Secretary of State earns $250,600 per year. The position is classified as a Level I position in the Executive Schedule, which sets that salary.
The United States Secretary of State is fourth in the presidential line of succession, after the vice president, the speaker of the House of Representatives, and the president pro tempore of the Senate.
Six United States secretaries of state have gone on to be elected president: Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, John Quincy Adams, Martin Van Buren, and James Buchanan.
The United States Secretary of State is responsible for custody of the Great Seal, protocol functions for the White House, drafting certain proclamations, and negotiating extradition of fugitives to foreign countries. Under federal law, presidential and vice presidential resignations must be delivered in writing to the secretary of state's office.
The United States Secretary of State is nominated by the president and confirmed by the full Senate following a confirmation hearing before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations.