Roosevelt became assistant secretary of the navy at 31 but eight years later was struck by polio.
It is just a small start, says Alexander Karsner, assistant secretary for energy efficiency andrenewable energy at the Department of Energy.
This is not to belittle the Pentagon, where I once served as an assistant secretary.
Compared with that, the agreement reached in Pyongyang by Christopher Hill, an assistant secretary of state, is vague indeed: part of it has been reached only verbally.
Besides, Mr Obama has yet to name his assistant secretary of state-the top appointment-for Africa; other assistant secretaries, for apparently higher-priority regions, have already been tipped.
Tong's many roles included assistant secretary for international trade in the California Trade and Commerce Agency.
The assistant secretary-general of the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conference has his office in Hong Kong.
