Hillary Clinton was confirmed on Wednesday as the new U.S. secretary of state, a day after hitting a temporary snag.

Hillary Clinton, seen at President Barack Obama's inauguration on Tuesday, was confirmed Wednesday as U.S. secretary of state. (Susan Walsh/Associated Press)

The U.S. Senate overwhelmingly endorsed Clinton in a 94-2 rollcall vote late in the afternoon. Clinton's confirmation was held up Tuesday when Republican John Cornyn of Texas objected to a unanimous voice vote in her case.

Cornyn has said he continues to have concerns over non-Americans who might be making large donations to the charitable foundation run by Clinton's husband, former president Bill Clinton.

Republican senators David Vitter of Louisiana and Jim DeMint of South Carolina were the only two senators who opposed Clinton's confirmation.

Immediately after Wednesday's vote, Clinton, who replaces Condoleezza Rice, was to be sworn in during a private ceremony at the Capitol.

Republicans and Democrats had said Clinton must be confirmed quickly so President Barack Obama could begin work on major foreign policy issues at hand, including two foreign wars and the recent violence in Israel.

"Hillary Clinton will do a tremendous job rebuilding our alliances, strengthening our international standing, and advancing America’s interests abroad," Democratic Senator John Kerry, chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said in a statement issued after the vote.

Last week, the committee voted 16-1 to endorse Clinton as the next secretary of state, with Vitter casting the only vote against her nomination.

Clinton was Obama's chief competitor during the Democratic presidential primaries. Obama's presidential rival, Arizona Senator John McCain, was among those who spoke in Clinton's favour.

"This nation has come together in a way that it has not for some time," McCain said on the Senate floor.

Clinton has said that the U.S. must use "smart power" diplomacy and seek global solutions to combat some of the many perils facing the world right now, including threats posed by terrorists, the spread of weapons of mass destruction, the dangers of climate change, financial meltdown and worldwide poverty.

The former first lady has pointed to the value of the United Nations in resolving disputes, but also warned that the U.S. would not be afraid to use military force to "protect our people and our interests when and where needed as a last resort."

Meanwhile Wednesday, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee endorsed Susan Rice as the next ambassador to the United Nations in a voice vote.

She must now be confirmed by a vote by the full Senate. Although a date has not been scheduled, it is expected to pass easily.

Rice, a former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, told the Senate committee last week that she would work to strengthen the UN as "an indispensable if imperfect" institution.

With files from the Associated Press