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Preston Wells Griffith III

From EverybodyWiki Bios & Wiki

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Preston Wells Griffith III
File:Ambassador-Griffith.jpg
Representative of the United States to the International Atomic Energy Agency
Assumed office
September 5, 2026
PresidentDonald Trump
Preceded byLaura Holgate
Representative of the United States to the Vienna Office of the United Nations
Assumed office
September 3, 2026
PresidentDonald Trump
Preceded byLaura Holgate
Under Secretary of Energy
In office
July 10, 2025 – October 20, 2025
PresidentDonald Trump
Preceded byDavid W. Crane
Succeeded byKyle Haustveit
Managing Director and Senior Adviser to the Chief Executive Officer of the United States International Development Finance Corporation
PresidentDonald Trump
Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Energy and Environment, National Security Council and National Economic Council
PresidentDonald Trump
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Energy for International Affairs
In office
January 20, 2017 – April 2019
PresidentDonald Trump
Vice Chair of the Governing Board of the International Energy Agency
In office
2017–2019
Personal details
BornMobile, Alabama, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
EducationVirginia Military Institute (BA)
Mississippi College School of Law (JD)
OccupationDiplomat

Preston Wells Griffith III is an American diplomat who has served as the Representative of the United States to the International Atomic Energy Agency and to the Vienna Office of the United Nations since 2026 with the rank of ambassador.[1][2]

He previously served as the under secretary of energy and as the senior director on the National Security Council of the White House Office during the first and second Trump administrations.[3][4]

Early life and education

Griffith is a native of Mobile, Alabama.[5] He earned a Bachelor of Arts in history with a minor in modern languages from the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Virginia, and a Juris Doctor from the Mississippi College School of Law in Jackson, Mississippi.[1][6]

Political career

Griffith worked on United States House and Senate campaigns across the Southeast. He served as executive director of the Mississippi Republican Party during the governorship of Haley Barbour.[4][5][6][7]

He sought the Republican nomination for Alabama's 1st congressional district in the 2013 special election called after the resignation of Jo Bonner. He finished fifth in the September 24, 2013 primary with 5,758 votes, or 11 percent.[6][7][8]

He went on to serve as deputy political director of Scott Walker's presidential campaign. He then went on to serve as director for battleground states for Donald J. Trump for President, and as deputy chief of staff and senior adviser to Reince Priebus at the Republican National Committee.[4][6]

First Trump administration

Griffith joined the Department of Energy on January 20, 2017 as a senior White House adviser and subsequently served as principal deputy assistant secretary and acting assistant secretary in the Office of International Affairs.[4][1][6] During this period, he concurrently served as the Vice Chair of the Governing Board of the International Energy Agency.[1]

Griffith transferred to the White House Office in April 2019, where he was special assistant to the president and senior director for energy and environment on the National Security Council and the National Economic Council.[4][6][9] He later became managing director and senior adviser to the chief executive officer of the United States International Development Finance Corporation.[1][3]

Under Secretary of Energy

Trump announced on January 16, 2025 that he would nominate Griffith as Under Secretary of Energy.[8][7] The Senate confirmed him on July 9, 2025 by 54 votes to 43.[3][10]

In October 2025, E&E News reported, citing lobbyists and department staff, that Griffith had been placed on paid leave and was no longer on the job, without having resigned or been formally dismissed.[11]

On October 17, 2025, Energy Secretary Chris Wright named Alex Fitzsimmons, then head of the department's Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response, as acting under secretary.[12][13]

Ambassador to international organizations in Vienna

Trump submitted Griffith's name to the Senate on March 2, 2026, nominating him to serve concurrently as Representative of the United States to the Vienna Office of the United Nations and as Representative of the United States to the International Atomic Energy Agency, with the rank of ambassador.[5][14][15]

On August 7, 2026, the Senate approved Griffith's nomination in a vote of 51 votes in favor to 47 against.[2][16][17]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 "Ambassador Preston Wells Griffith III". U.S. Mission to International Organizations in Vienna. August 31, 2026. Retrieved September 20, 2026.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Nominations Confirmed (Civilian)". United States Senate. Retrieved September 20, 2026.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Jordan, David (July 9, 2025). "Senate confirms Griffith as Energy undersecretary". Roll Call. Retrieved September 20, 2026.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 "Preston Wells Griffith". Trump Town. ProPublica. Retrieved September 20, 2026.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Taylor, Caleb (March 3, 2026). "Trump nominates Mobile native Wells Griffith for ambassador roles". 1819 News. Retrieved September 20, 2026.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 "Wells Griffith: National Security Council official defies request to testify Tuesday in impeachment probe". CNN. November 5, 2019. Retrieved September 20, 2026.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Monger, Craig (January 16, 2025). "Mobile native Wells Griffith to join Trump team as Under Secretary of Energy". 1819 News. Retrieved September 20, 2026.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Wells Griffith". Ballotpedia. Retrieved September 20, 2026.
  9. ↑ Jamison, Miles (July 11, 2025). "Preston Griffith Confirmed as Under Secretary of Energy". ExecutiveGov. Retrieved September 20, 2026.
  10. ↑ "Roll Call Vote 119th Congress, 1st Session, Vote Number 375". United States Senate. July 9, 2025. Retrieved September 20, 2026.
  11. ↑ Dabbs, Brian; Brugger, Kelsey (October 14, 2025). "Insiders: Top DOE official Wells Griffith sidelined". E&E News. Retrieved September 20, 2026.
  12. ↑ "Secretary Wright Names Alex Fitzsimmons New Acting Under Secretary of Energy". United States Department of Energy. October 17, 2025. Retrieved September 20, 2026.
  13. ↑ Dabbs, Brian (October 20, 2025). "Wright names undersecretary replacement in DOE shakeup". E&E News. Retrieved September 20, 2026.
  14. ↑ "Trump nominates Wells Griffith as representative to IAEA". ExchangeMonitor. March 3, 2026. Retrieved September 20, 2026.
  15. ↑ "Nominations Sent to the Senate". The White House. March 2, 2026. Retrieved September 20, 2026.
  16. ↑ Zengerle, Patricia; Lewis, Simon (August 7, 2026). "US Senate confirms dozens of Trump nominees, filling gaps in diplomatic corps". Reuters. Retrieved September 20, 2026.
  17. ↑ "Senate confirms package of 74 Trump nominees: 'Best confirmation track'". The Washington Times. August 7, 2026. Retrieved September 20, 2026.

Further reading


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