Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry ’66 was easily confirmed by the Senate as the next secretary of state this afternoon.

Following a four-hour confirmation hearing held last week, Kerry was confirmed with a vote of 94-3, with only three Republicans voting against his confirmation, and will replace Hillary Clinton LAW ’73. Kerry, who has served as chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee since 2009, is the first person to be confirmed to President Barack Obama’s new national security team.

“John has earned the respect of leaders around the world and the confidence of Democrats and Republicans in the Senate, and I am confident he will make an extraordinary secretary of state,” President Barack Obama said in a statement this afternoon.

At Yale, Kerry majored in political science and served as president of the Yale Political Union his junior year. In his senior year, he became a member of the Skull and Bones society.

Kerry has served in the Senate since 1985.