楊甦棣的繼任人選原以曾任AIT理事主席、歐巴瑪競選團隊外交智囊的卜睿哲呼聲最高，但卜以家庭因素婉拒，史坦頓因而出線。
史坦頓擁有公使銜，北卡羅萊納大學英 國文學 博士。1989至90年間、95至98年間，他曾兩度出使北京，因此，天安門事件及台海飛彈危機期間，他都正好在北京大使館任職。此外，史坦頓也做過國務院東亞副助卿的特別助理。
華府外交界對此人事案反應不一。有位前美國官員即指出，史坦頓和台灣沒有淵源，而且被認為對北京態度較軟弱，有同情北京傾向，他接替楊甦棣對台灣似乎不是好消息。
一位曾與史共事的人士則透露，一九九五年當時參院外委會主席赫姆斯非常關切中國非法買賣人體器官問題，北京大使館官員為此訪問一個中國醫生，並寫了詳細的報告揭露買賣人體器官祕辛，但被時任大使館公使兼政治參事的史坦頓以傷害美中關係為由壓下來，未發回國務院，這說明史坦頓處理中國問題的態度。
一位史的老長官則說，他是在執行美國政府的政策，用「傾中派」形容並不公平。史坦頓曾在台學習一年中文，史妻凱倫也是職業外交官，可能和他一起到台北服務。
Bill Stanton assumed his position as Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul on August 14, 2006. He previously served as Deputy Chief of Mission to the U.S. Embassy in Canberra , Australia . During that three-year assignment, he served some 23 months as Charge d’Affaires ad interim, including over 18 months continuously from December 2004 to July 2006.
Mr. Stanton’s previous Asia experience included assignments as Minister Counselor for Political Affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing (1995-98); Deputy Director for the Office of Chinese and Mongolian Affairs (1994-95); Special Assistant for East Asia and Pacific Affairs for the Under Secretary for Political Affairs (1993-4); and political officer in Beijing (1987-90) where he also served as chief of internal political reporting (1989-90). Mr. Stanton received Mandarin- language training (1985-87).
Mr. Stanton has also served as Director of the Office of Egyptian and North African Affairs (2001-03); Director of the Office of UN Political Affairs (1999-01); political-military affairs officer in Embassy Islamabad (1991-93); Country Officer for Lebanon (1983-85); staff assistant for the Assistant Secretary for Near East and South Asian Affairs (1982-83); watch officer in the Department of State Operations Center (1981-82); and consular and political officer at Embassy Beirut (1979-81). His training assignments included participation in the Senior Seminar (1998-99) and senior training at the Hoover Institute (1990-91).
Mr. Stanton holds the rank of Minister Counselor. During his 30-year career as a Foreign Service Officer, he has received three Superior Honor Awards, one Superior Group Award, and several performance awards.
Mr. Stanton earned a B.A., magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa, from Fordham University in New York and an M.A. and a Ph.D. (1978) in English literature from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill , which he attended on a National Defense Education Act Fellowship. He also spent a year studying at Albert-Ludwigs University in Freiburg , Germany . He is married to a fellow Foreign Service Officer; they have two daughters.
