John Hanford

In May 2002, John V. Hanford III was sworn in as the second U.S. Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom. The Ambassador at Large is, by law, a principal advisor to the President and Secretary of State and serves as the United States' chief diplomat on issues of religious freedom worldwide. Ambassador Hanford was one of only four appointees at the Assistant Secretary level or above to serve in his position at the State Department through both terms of the Bush Administration.

The Office of International Religious Freedom and position of Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom were created under the provisions of the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998. Hanford was the second ambassador. He was appointed to the post in May 2002 by President George W. Bush and served until 2009.

In 1998, Hanford was the chief architect of the bipartisan Congressional effort that created the US Government's permanent structures for advancing religious freedom around the world. He led a team of Congressional offices in authoring the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) and, with the bill's lead sponsors, guided the Act through the legislative process to a unanimous vote in both houses of Congress. IRFA created an office at the State Department led by a high-level Ambassador at Large, the annual US Report on International Religious Freedom, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, and an annual process to designate and sanction the most severe violators of religious freedom. IRFA is regarded by many as one of Congress's most significant legislative achievements in the area of human rights.

John Van Hanford III (born c. 1954) was United States Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom from 2002 to 2009. As ambassador, Hanford led the Office of International Religious Freedom at the United States Department of State.