Peter Tarnoff (April 19, 1937 – November 1, 2023) was an American politician who served as the under secretary of state for political affairs during the first term of President Bill Clinton, from 1993 to 1997.

[2][3] Before taking up that position, he served as executive director of the World Affairs Council of Northern California[4] and President of the International Advisory Corporation.

During his career as a Foreign Service officer, Tarnoff served as executive secretary of the Department of State and special assistant to secretaries of state Edmund Muskie and Cyrus Vance (1977–1981); director, Office of Research and Analysis for Western Europe (1975–76); special assistant to Ambassador-at-Large Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. (1967); and Nigerian analyst in the Bureau of Intelligence and Research (1966–67).

His Foreign Service assignments abroad included deputy chief of mission at the American embassy in Luxembourg (1973–75); one year's study (1970) at the National School of Administration in Paris, followed by an assignment as principal officer at the American consulate general in Lyon, France (1971–73); special assistant to the U.S. ambassador to the Federal Republic of Germany (1969); special assistant to the chief of the American delegation to the Paris talks on Vietnam (1968); special assistant to the deputy U.S. ambassador (1964–65) and the U.S. ambassador (1965–66), Saigon, Vietnam; and political officer at the U.S. embassy in Lagos, Nigeria (1962–64).

[1] He lived in San Francisco, California with his wife, Mathea Falco, and had three sons: Nicholas, Alexander, and Benjamin.