Since 1973, there have been 12 Secretaries of State of the USA.  Henry Kissinger may be the most famous and most accomplished Secretary of State over that time period.  His accomplishments in getting a deal to end the US involvement in the Vietnam war, normalized regulations with China, and the agreement to end the Yom Kippur war were only part of his accomplishments.

During the Carter years, Cyrus Vance pushed for negotiations and economic ties with the Soviet Union.  He was heavily involved in the Camp David accords, which brought about longstanding agreements between Israel and Egypt.

Under Ronald Reagan, George Schultz negotiated deals that ensured the safety of Taiwan yet kept improving relations with China.  When  Gorbachev came to power in 1985, Shultz advocated that Reagan pursue a personal dialogue with him, which led to Intermediate Range Nuclear Froces treaty being signed in 1987.  That treaty eliminated an entire class of missiles in Europe and was a turning point in the cold war.

Jim Baker was Secretary of State for George H. W. Bush.  Baker helped to construct the thirty four nation alliance that fought alongside the United States in the Gulf War.

Warren Christopher was probably the best Secretary of State during the Clinton years.  He worked to establish peace between Israel and its neighbors, worked to expand NATO in Eastern Europe, and pushed to use economic pressures to force improved human rights in China.

Under George W. Bush, Condi Rice pushed for the expansion of Democratic governments and she traveled all over the world representing the USA and the George W. Bush administration in diplomatic efforts.

It is admittedly early for Hillary Clinton, but her first official task as Secretary of State was to travel to communist China to sell bonds to play for the “stimulus.”  Secretaries of State for previous administrations have stood up to communists and pushed for human rights.  It appears that Obama sees his Secretary of State as a bond seller so he can go about his record spending on pork projects.  It would be interesting to know whether he made that clear to Hillary when he offered her the job.