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Commandant of the Marine Corps
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The Commandant of the Marine Corps (CMC) is the highest ranking officer in the United States Marine Corps and is a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The CMC reports directly to the Secretary of the Navy but not to the Chief of Naval Operations. The CMC is responsible for ensuring the organization, policy, plans, and programs for the Marine Corps as well as advising the President, the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of the Navy on matters involving the Marine Corps.

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Encyclopedia
The Commandant of the Marine Corps (CMC) is the highest ranking officer in the United States Marine Corps and is a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The CMC reports directly to the Secretary of the Navy but not to the Chief of Naval Operations. The CMC is responsible for ensuring the organization, policy, plans, and programs for the Marine Corps as well as advising the President, the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of the Navy on matters involving the Marine Corps. Under the authority of the Secretary of the Navy, the CMC also designates Marine personnel and resources to the commanders of Unified Combatant Commands. The commandant also performs all other functions prescribed in Section 5043 in Title 10 of the United States Code or delegates those duties and responsibilities to other officers in his administration in his name. As with the other joint chiefs, the commandant is an administrative position and has no operational command authority over United States Marine Corps forces.
The Commandant is nominated by the President and must be confirmed by majority vote from the Senate. By statute, the commandant is appointed as a four-star general.
"The Commandant is directly responsible to the Secretary of the Navy for the total performance of the Marine Corps. This includes the administration, discipline, internal organization, training, requirements, efficiency, and readiness of the service. The Commandant also is responsible for the operation of the Marine Corps material support system."
Since 1801, the home of the Commandant is located in Marine Barracks, Washington, D.C.
Responsibilities
The responsibilities of the Commandant are outlined in Title 10, Section 5043 the U.S. Code of Law:
"Subject to the authority, direction, and control of the Secretary of the Navy, the Commandant shall —
- preside over the Headquarters, Marine Corps;
- transmit the plans and recommendations of the Headquarters, Marine Corps, to the Secretary and advise the Secretary with regard to such plans and recommendations;
- after approval of the plans or recommendations of the Headquarters, Marine Corps, by the Secretary, act as the agent of the Secretary in carrying them into effect;
- exercise supervision, consistent with the authority assigned to commanders of unified or specified combatant commands under chapter 6 of this title, over such of the members and organizations of the Marine Corps and the Navy as the Secretary determines;
- perform the duties prescribed for him by section 171 of this title and other provisions of law;
- perform such other military duties, not otherwise assigned by law, as are assigned to him by the President, the Secretary of Defense, or the Secretary of the Navy.
List of Commandants
As of 2008, there have been thirty-four (34) Marine Corps Commandants:
| # | Picture | Name | Rank | Start of Tenure | End of Tenure |
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| 1 | | NicholasSamuel Nicholas | 0304Captain / Major | 1775 November 28 | 1783 August 27 | | 2 | | BurrowsWilliam W. Burrows | 0405Major / Lieutenant Colonel | 1798 July 12 | 1804 March 6 | | 3.03 | | WhartonFranklin Wharton | 0500Lieutenant Colonel | 1804 March 7 | 1818 September 1 | | 3.5 | | Henderson1Archibald Henderson (acting) | 0500Lieutenant Colonel | 1818 September 16 | 1819 March 2 | | 4 | | GaleAnthony Gale | 0500Lieutenant Colonel | 1819 March 3 | 1820 October 8 | | 5 | | Henderson2Archibald Henderson | 050607Lieutenant Colonel / Colonel / Brevet Brigadier General | 1820 October 17 | 1859 January 6 | | 6 | | HarrisJohn Harris | 0606Colonel | 1859 January 7 | 1864 May 1 | | 7 | | ZeilinJacob Zeilin | 0607Colonel / Brigadier General | 1864 June 10 | 1876 October 31 | | 8 | | McCawleyCharles G. McCawley | 0600Colonel | 1876 November 1 | 1891 January 29 | | 9 | | HeywoodCharles Heywood | 0708Brigadier General / Major General | 1891 June 30 | 1903 October 2 | | 10 | | ElliottGeorge F. Elliott | 0708Brigadier General / Major General | 1903 October 3 | 1910 November 30 | | 11 | | BiddleWilliam P. Biddle | 0800Major General | 1911 February 3 | 1914 February 24 | | 12 | | BarnettGeorge Barnett | 0800Major General | 1914 February 25 | 1920 June 30 | | 13 | | LejeuneJohn A. Lejeune | 0800Major General | 1920 July 1 | 1929 March 4 | | 14 | | NevilleWendall C. Neville | 0800Major General | 1929 March 5 | 1930 July 8 | | 15 | | FullerBen H. Fuller | 0800Major General | 1930 July 9 | 1933 February 28 | | 16 | | RussellJohn H. Russell, Jr. | 0800Major General | 1934 March 1 | 1936 November 30 | | 17 | | HolcombThomas Holcomb | 0809Major General / Lieutenant General | 1936 December 1 | 1943 December 31 | | 18 | | VandegriftAlexander A. Vandegrift | 0910Lieutenant General / General | 1944 January 1 | 1947 December 31 | | 19 | | CatesClifton B. Cates | 10General | 1948 January 1 | 1951 December 31 | | 20 | | ShepherdLemuel C. Shepherd, Jr. | 10General | 1952 January 1 | 1955 December 31 | | 21 | | PateRandolph M. Pate | 10General | 1956 January 1 | 1959 December 31 | | 22 | | ShoupDavid M. Shoup | 10General | 1960 January 1 | 1963 December 31 | | 23 | | GreeneWallace M. Greene, Jr. | 10General | 1965 January 1 | 1967 December 31 | | 24 | | ChapmanLeonard F. Chapman, Jr. | 10General | 1968 January 1 | 1971 December 31 | | 25 | | CushmanRobert Everton Cushman, Jr. | 10General | 1972 January 1 | 1975 June 30 | | 26 | | WilsonLouis H. Wilson, Jr. | 10General | 1975 July 1 | 1979 June 30 | | 27 | | BarrowRobert H. Barrow | 10General | 1979 July 1 | 1983 June 30 | | 28 | | KelleyPaul X. Kelley | 10General | 1983 July 1 | 1987 June 30 | | 29 | | GrayAlfred M. Gray, Jr. | 10General | 1987 July 1 | 1991 June 30 | | 30 | | MundyCarl E. Mundy, Jr. | 10General | 1991 July 1 | 1995 June 30 | | 31 | | KrulakCharles C. Krulak | 10General | 1995 July 1 | 1999 June 30 | | 32 | | JonesJames L. Jones | 10General | 1999 July 1 | 2003 January 12 | | 33 | | HageeMichael W. Hagee | 10General | 2003 January 13 | 2006 November 13 | | 34 | | ConwayJames T. Conway | 10General | 2006 November 14 | Incumbent |
See also
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