| United States Secretary of Labor | |
|---|---|
) Seal of the Department | |
) Flag of the Secretary | |
| United States Department of Labor | |
| Style | Mr. Secretary (informal) The Honorable (formal) |
| Member of | Cabinet |
| Reports to | President of the United States |
| Seat | Frances Perkins Building, Washington, D.C. |
| Appointer | The President with Senate advice and consent |
| Term length | No fixed term |
| Constituting instrument | 29 U.S.C. § 551 |
| Precursor | Secretary of Commerce and Labor |
| Formation | March 4, 1913 |
| First holder | William B. Wilson |
| Succession | Eleventh[1] |
| Deputy | Deputy Secretary of Labor |
| Salary | Executive Schedule, level I |
| Website | www |
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The United States Secretary of Labor is a member of the Cabinet of the United States, and as the head of the United States Department of Labor, controls the department, and enforces and suggests laws involving unions, the workplace, and all other issues involving any form of business-person controversies.
Formerly, there was a U.S. Secretary of Commerce and Labor, who led this department along with the U.S. Department of Commerce as one department. Since the two departments split in 1913, the Department of Commerce is now headed by a separate U.S. Secretary of Commerce.
The position is currently held by Al Stewart, who was appointed as acting secretary following the resignation of Eugene Scalia on January 20, 2021, at noon, in conjunction with the inauguration of Joe Biden.[2]
President Joe Biden has nominated Mayor Marty Walsh of Boston, Massachusetts, as the 29th United States Secretary of Labor.
List of Secretaries of Labor
- Parties
Democratic (12) Republican (16)
Status
Acting Secretary of Labor
Nominee for Secretary of Labor
| No. | Portrait | Name | State of residence | Took office | Left office | President(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ) | William B. Wilson | Pennsylvania | March 6, 1913 | March 4, 1921 | Woodrow Wilson | |
| 2 | ) | James J. Davis | Pennsylvania | March 5, 1921 | November 30, 1930 | Warren G. Harding | |
| Calvin Coolidge | |||||||
| Herbert Hoover | |||||||
| 3 | ) | William N. Doak | Virginia | December 9, 1930 | March 4, 1933 | ||
| 4 | ) | Frances Perkins | New York | March 4, 1933 | June 30, 1945 | Franklin D. Roosevelt | |
| Harry S. Truman | |||||||
| 5 | ) | Lewis B. Schwellenbach | Washington | July 1, 1945 | June 10, 1948 | ||
| 6 | ) | Maurice J. Tobin | Massachusetts | August 13, 1948 | January 20, 1953 | ||
| 7 | ) | Martin P. Durkin | Maryland | January 21, 1953 | September 10, 1953 | Dwight D. Eisenhower | |
| 8 | ) | James P. Mitchell | New Jersey | October 9, 1953 | January 20, 1961 | ||
| 9 | ) | Arthur Goldberg | Illinois | January 21, 1961 | September 20, 1962 | John F. Kennedy | |
| 10 | ) | W. Willard Wirtz | Illinois | September 25, 1962 | January 20, 1969 | ||
| Lyndon B. Johnson | |||||||
| 11 | ) | George P. Shultz | Illinois | January 22, 1969 | July 1, 1970 | Richard Nixon | |
| 12 | ) | James D. Hodgson | California | July 2, 1970 | February 1, 1973 | ||
| 13 | ) | Peter J. Brennan | New York | February 2, 1973 | March 15, 1975 | ||
| Gerald Ford | |||||||
| 14 | ) | John T. Dunlop | Massachusetts | March 18, 1975 | January 31, 1976 | ||
| 15 | ) | William Usery Jr. | Georgia | February 10, 1976 | January 20, 1977 | ||
| 16 | ) | Ray Marshall | Texas | January 27, 1977 | January 20, 1981 | Jimmy Carter | |
| 17 | ) | Raymond J. Donovan | New Jersey | February 4, 1981 | March 15, 1985 | Ronald Reagan | |
| 18 | ) | Bill Brock | Tennessee | April 29, 1985 | October 31, 1987 | ||
| 19 | ) | Ann Dore McLaughlin | District of Columbia | December 17, 1987 | January 20, 1989 | ||
| 20 | ) | Elizabeth Dole | Kansas | January 25, 1989 | November 23, 1990 | George H. W. Bush | |
| 21 | ) | Lynn M. Martin | Illinois | February 22, 1991 | January 20, 1993 | ||
| 22 | ) | Robert Reich | Massachusetts | January 22, 1993 | January 20, 1997 | Bill Clinton | |
| 23 | ) | Alexis Herman | Alabama | May 1, 1997 | January 20, 2001 | ||
| 24 | ) | Elaine Chao | Kentucky | January 29, 2001 | January 20, 2009 | George W. Bush | |
| – | ) | Howard Radzely | Pennsylvania | January 20, 2009 | February 2, 2009 | Barack Obama | |
| – | ) | Ed Hugler | Pennsylvania | February 2, 2009 | February 24, 2009 | ||
| 25 | ) | Hilda Solis | California | February 24, 2009 | January 22, 2013 | ||
| – | ) | Seth Harris | New York | January 22, 2013 | July 23, 2013 | ||
| 26 | .jpg')) | Tom Perez | Maryland | July 23, 2013 | January 20, 2017 | ||
| – | | Ed Hugler | Pennsylvania | January 20, 2017 | April 27, 2017 | Donald Trump | |
| 27 | .jpg')) | Alexander Acosta | Florida | April 28, 2017 | July 19, 2019 | ||
| – | .jpg')) | Patrick Pizzella | Virginia | July 20, 2019 | September 30, 2019 | ||
| 28 | .jpg')) | Eugene Scalia | Virginia | September 30, 2019 | January 20, 2021 | ||
| – | ) | Al Stewart | January 20, 2021 | Incumbent | Joe Biden | ||
| * | ) | Marty Walsh | Massachusetts | Nominee | — | ||
Living former Secretaries of Labor
As of February 2021, there are 13 living former Secretaries of Labor, with all Secretaries that have served since 1977 still living, the oldest being Ray Marshall (served 1977–1981, born 1928). The most recently serving Secretary of Labor to die was William Usery Jr. (served 1976–1977, born 1923), on December 10, 2016. The most recent former Secretary of Labor to die was George Shultz (served 1969–1970, born 1920) on February 6, 2021.
| Name | Term of office | Date of birth (and age) |
|---|---|---|
| Ray Marshall | 1977–1981 | August 22, 1928 |
| Raymond J. Donovan | 1981–1985 | August 31, 1930 |
| Bill Brock | 1985–1987 | November 23, 1930 |
| Ann Dore McLaughlin | 1987–1989 | November 16, 1941 |
| Elizabeth H. Dole | 1989–1990 | July 29, 1936 |
| Lynn Morley Martin | 1991–1993 | December 26, 1939 |
| Robert Reich | 1993–1997 | June 24, 1946 |
| Alexis Herman | 1997–2001 | July 16, 1947 |
| Elaine Chao | 2001–2009 | March 26, 1953 |
| Hilda Solis | 2009–2013 | October 20, 1957 |
| Thomas Perez | 2013–2017 | October 7, 1961 |
| Alexander Acosta | 2017–2019 | January 16, 1969 |
| Eugene Scalia | 2019–2021 | August 14, 1963 |
Line of succession
The line of succession for the Secretary of Labor is as follows:[3]
- Deputy Secretary of Labor
- Solicitor of Labor
- Assistant Secretary for Administration and Management
- Assistant Secretary for Policy
- Assistant Secretary for Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs
- Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training
- Assistant Secretary for Employee Benefits Security
- Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health
- Assistant Secretary for Mine Safety and Health
- Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs
- Chief Financial Officer
- Administrator, Wage and Hour Division
- Assistant Secretary for Veterans' Employment and Training
- Assistant Secretary for Disability Employment Policy
- Deputy Solicitor of Labor (First Assistant of the Solicitor of Labor)
- Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy (First Assistant of the Assistant Secretary for Policy)
- Deputy Assistant Secretary for Congressional Affairs (First Assistant of the Assistant Secretary for Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs)
- Deputy Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training (First Assistant of the Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training)
- Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy (First Assistant of the Assistant Secretary for Employee Benefits Security)
- Deputy Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health (First Assistant of the Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health)
- Deputy Assistant Secretary for Mine Safety and Health (First Assistant of the Assistant Secretary for Mine Safety and Health)
- Regional Solicitor—Dallas
- Regional Administrator for the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Administration and Management—Region VI/Dallas
Designated Secretarial Designee
If none of the above officials are available to serve as Acting Secretary of Labor, the Designated Secretarial Designee assumes interim operational control over the Department, except the Secretary's non-delegable responsibilities.
- Director, Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs
- Director of the Women's Bureau
- Regional Administrator, Employment and Training Administration—Dallas
- Regional Administration, Occupational Safety and Health Administration—Dallas
See also
- United States Deputy Secretary of Labor
- List of living former members of the United States Cabinet
- United States Department of Labor Office of Inspector General
References
- ^ 3 U.S.C. § 19, Vacancy in offices of both President and Vice President; officers eligible to act
- ^ Quinn, Melissa; Segers, Grace (January 20, 2021). "Who is leading federal agencies until Senate confirms Biden's nominees". CBS News. Retrieved January 20, 2021.
- ^ "Order of Succession to the Secretary of Labor in Periods of Vacancy, Continuity of Executive Direction, Repositioning and Devolution of Departmental Governance, and Emergency Planning Under Circumstances of Extreme Disruption". Federal Register. January 19, 2017. Retrieved June 2, 2017.
External links
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by TBD as Secretary of Commerce | Order of Precedence of the United States as Secretary of Labor | Succeeded by TBD as Secretary of Health and Human Services |
| U.S. presidential line of succession | ||
| Preceded by Secretary of Commerce TBD | 11th in line | Succeeded by Secretary of Health and Human Services TBD |