United States Secretary of Commerce

	Email		Print
	Bookmark		Link

United States Secretary of Commerce

The United States Secretary of Commerce is the head of the United States Department of Commerce

United States Department of Commerce

The United States Department of Commerce is the United States Cabinet department of the United States Federal government of the United States concerned with promoting economic growth....
concerned with business and industry; the Department states its mission to be "to foster, promote, and develop the foreign and domestic commerce." Until 1913 there was one Secretary of Commerce and Labor, uniting this department with the Department of Labor

United States Department of Labor

The United States Department of Labor is a United States Cabinet department of the United States government of the United States responsible for occupational safety, wage and hour standards, unemployment insurance benefits, re-employment services, and some economic statistics....
, which is now headed by a separate Secretary of Labor

United States Secretary of Labor

The United States Secretary of Labor is the head of the United States Department of Labor who exercises control over the department and enforces and suggests laws involving unions, the workplace and all other issues involving any form of business-person controversies....
.

The Office of the Secretary contains a Deputy Secretary of Commerce, a Chief of Staff, a Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy, an Assistant Secretary for Commerce and Intergovernmental Affairs, a Chief Financial Officer and Assistant Secretary for Administration, a Chief Information Officer, a General Counsel, an Inspector General, an Office of Business Liaison, an Office of Policy and Strategic Planning, an Office of Public Affairs, an Office of White House Liaison, and an International IPR Enforcement Coordinator.

The last Commerce Secretary was Carlos Gutierrez

Carlos Gutierrez

Carlos Miguel Gutierrez served as the United States Secretary of Commerce from 2005 to 2009. Gutierrez is a former Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of the Kellogg Company....
, whose January 20, 2009, resignation coincided with the end of President George W. Bush

George W. Bush

George Walker Bush served as the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States from 2001 to 2009. He was the 46th List of Governors of Texas from 1995 to 2000 before being United States presidential inauguration as President on January 20, 2001....
's administration.

Discussion

Ask a question about 'United States Secretary of Commerce'

Start a new discussion about 'United States Secretary of Commerce'

Answer questions from other users

Full Discussion Forum

Encyclopedia

The United States Secretary of Commerce is the head of the United States Department of Commerce

United States Department of Commerce

United States Department of Labor

United States Secretary of Labor

Carlos Gutierrez

George W. Bush

Barack Obama

Barack Hussein Obama II is the List of Presidents of the United States and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office....
's original appointee to the position, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, dropped out of consideration in early January 2009. Obama named Republican

Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major party contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party . It is often called the Grand Old Party or the GOP....
Senator Judd Gregg

Judd Gregg

Judd Alan Gregg is a former Governor of New Hampshire and current United States Senator serving as ranking member of the United States Senate Committee on the Budget....
from New Hampshire

New Hampshire

New Hampshire is a U.S. state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States United States of America. The state was named after the southern English Counties of England of Hampshire....
as the new Secretary of Commerce. Gregg withdrew his nomination in February 2009.

On Wednesday, February 25, 2009, President Barack Obama

Barack Obama

Barack Hussein Obama II is the List of Presidents of the United States and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office....
nominated former Washington

Washington

Washington is a U.S. state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. Washington was carved out of the western part of Washington Territory which had been ceded by Britain in 1846 by the Oregon Treaty as settlement of the Oregon Boundary Dispute....
Governor Gary Locke

Gary Locke

Gary Locke may refer to:*Gary Locke, a Chinese American politician, former Governor of Washington, nominee for Secretary of Commerce for President Barack Obama....
for the position; the office will remain vacant until confirmation of Locke by the United States Senate

United States Senate

The United States Senate is the upper house of the Bicameralism United States Congress, the lower house being the United States House of Representatives....
. Locke would become the first Chinese American

Chinese American

Chinese Americans are United States of Han Chinese descent. Chinese Americans constitute one group of Overseas Chinese and also a subgroup of East Asian Americans, which is further a subgroup of Asian Americans....
Secretary of Commerce, and the third Asian American

Asian American

Asian Americans are United States of Asian people. They include sub-ethnic groups such as Chinese Americans, Filipino Americans, Indian Americans, Vietnamese Americans, Korean Americans, Japanese Americans and others whose national origin is from the Asia....
in Obama's cabinet, joining Energy Secretary Steven Chu

Steven Chu

Steven Chu, Ph.D , is an United States Experimental physics and currently the 12th United States Secretary of Energy. As a scientist, Chu is known for his research in laser cooling, which won him the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1997....
and Veteran Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki

Eric Shinseki

Eric Ken Shinseki is a retired U.S. Army General who is currently serving as the 7th United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs. His final U.S....
, the most of any administration in United States

United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
history.

The line of succession for the Secretary of Commerce is as follows:

Deputy Secretary of Commerce
General Counsel of the Department of Commerce
Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade
Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade

The Under Secretary for International Trade is a position within the United States Department of Commerce that leads the International Trade Administration....
Under Secretary of Commerce for Economic Affairs
Under Secretary of Commerce for Economic Affairs

The Under Secretary for Economic Affairs is the principal economic adviser to the United States Secretary of Commerce and the Administrator of the Economics and Statistics Administration....
Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere
Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere

The Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere is the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The Under Secretary oversees the day-to-day functions of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, as well as laying out its strategic and operational future....
and Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Under Secretary of Commerce for Technology
Under Secretary of Commerce for Export Administration
Chief Financial Officer of the Department of Commerce and Assistant Secretary of Commerce in charge of Administration
Assistant Secretary for Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs

List of Secretaries of Commerce

The following is a list of Secretaries of Commerce

No.	Secretary	Start of Term	End of Term	President(s) President of the United States The President of the United States is the head of state and head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in the United States by influence and recognition....
1	William C. Redfield William C. Redfield William Cox Redfield was a Democratic Party politician from New York. He served as the first United States Secretary of Commerce from 1913 to 1919 after the division of the United States Department of Commerce and Labor....	March 5, 1913	October 31, 1919	Woodrow Wilson Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States. A devout Presbyterianism and leading intellectual of the Progressive Era, he served as President of Princeton University of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913....
2	Joshua W. Alexander Joshua W. Alexander Joshua Willis Alexander was United States Secretary of Commerce from December 16, 1919 - March 4, 1921 in the administration of President Woodrow Wilson....	December 16, 1919	March 4, 1921
3	Herbert Hoover Herbert Hoover Herbert Clark Hoover was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States . Besides his political career, Hoover was a professional mining engineer and author....	March 5, 1921	August 21, 1928	Warren G. Harding Warren G. Harding Warren Gamaliel Harding was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States, serving from 1921 until his death from a heart attack or stroke, in 1923.... Calvin Coolidge Calvin Coolidge John Calvin Coolidge, Jr. was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States . A Republican Party lawyer from Vermont, Coolidge worked his way up the ladder of Massachusetts state politics, eventually becoming governor of that state....
4	William F. Whiting William F. Whiting William Fairfield Whiting was United States Secretary of Commerce August 22, 1928 to March 4, 1929, during the last months of the administration of Calvin Coolidge....	August 22, 1928	March 4, 1929	Calvin Coolidge Calvin Coolidge John Calvin Coolidge, Jr. was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States . A Republican Party lawyer from Vermont, Coolidge worked his way up the ladder of Massachusetts state politics, eventually becoming governor of that state....
5	Robert P. Lamont Robert P. Lamont Robert Patterson Lamont was United States Secretary of Commerce March 5, 1929 to August 7, 1932 during the administration of Herbert Hoover. He was commerce secretary during difficult times for commerce, as a result of the Great Depression....	March 5, 1929	August 7, 1932	Herbert Hoover Herbert Hoover Herbert Clark Hoover was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States . Besides his political career, Hoover was a professional mining engineer and author....
6	Roy D. Chapin Roy D. Chapin Roy Dikeman Chapin was an American industrialist and automaker. He also served as the United States Secretary of Commerce from August 8, 1932, to March 3, 1933, in the last months of the administration of President Herbert Hoover....	August 8, 1932	March 3, 1933
7	Daniel C. Roper	March 4, 1933	December 23, 1938	Franklin Roosevelt
8	Harry Hopkins Harry Hopkins Harry Lloyd Hopkins was one of Franklin Delano Roosevelt's closest advisers. He was one of the architects of the New Deal, especially the relief programs of the Works Progress Administration , which he directed and built into the largest employer in the country....	December 24, 1938	September 18, 1940
9	Jesse H. Jones	September 19, 1940	March 1, 1945
10	Henry A. Wallace Henry A. Wallace Henry Agard Wallace was the List of Vice Presidents of the United States Vice President of the United States , the 11th United States Secretary of Agriculture , and the tenth United States Secretary of Commerce ....	March 2, 1945	September 20, 1946	Franklin Roosevelt Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States . As the List of Vice Presidents of the United States Vice President of the United States, he succeeded Franklin D....
11	W. Averell Harriman W. Averell Harriman William Averell Harriman was an United States United States Democratic Party politician, businessman and diplomat. He was the son of railroad baron E....	October 7, 1946	April 22, 1948	Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States . As the List of Vice Presidents of the United States Vice President of the United States, he succeeded Franklin D....
12	Charles W. Sawyer Charles W. Sawyer Charles W. Sawyer was United States Secretary of Commerce from May 6, 1948 to January 20, 1953 in the administration of Harry Truman.Sawyer was born in Cincinnati, Ohio....	May 6, 1948	January 20, 1953
13	Sinclair Weeks Sinclair Weeks Charles Sinclair Weeks , better known as Sinclair Weeks, was United States Secretary of Commerce from January 21, 1953 to November 10, 1958 under Dwight D....	January 21, 1953	November 10, 1958	Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David ?Ike? Eisenhower was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States from 1953 until 1961 and a General of the Army in the United States Army....
-	Lewis Strauss (Acting Secretary)	1958	1959
14	Frederick H. Mueller	August 10, 1959	January 19, 1961
15	Luther H. Hodges Luther H. Hodges Luther Hartwell Hodges was the United States Democratic Party governor of the state of North Carolina from 1954 to 1961 and United States Secretary of Commerce from 1961 to 1965....	January 21, 1961	January 15, 1965	John F. Kennedy John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States, serving from 1961 until John F.... Lyndon Johnson
16	John T. Connor	January 18, 1965	January 31, 1967	Lyndon Johnson
17	Alexander Trowbridge	June 14, 1967	March 1, 1968
18	C. R. Smith C. R. Smith File:CyrusRowlettSmith.jpgCyrus Rowlett Smith , known throughout his life as C. R. Smith, was the CEO of American Airlines from 1934 to 1968 and from 1973 to 1974....	March 6, 1968	January 19, 1969
19	Maurice Stans Maurice Stans Maurice Hubert Stans was the finance chairman for the Committee to Re-elect the President, working for the re-election of Richard Nixon. He was a peripheral figure in the ensuing Watergate Scandal....	January 21, 1969	February 15, 1972	Richard Nixon Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States and the only president to resign the office....
20	Peter Peterson Peter George Peterson Peter George Peterson is an American businessman, investment banker, Conservatism#Fiscal conservatism, author, and politician whose most prominent political position was as United States Secretary of Commerce from February 29, 1972 to February 1, 1973....	February 29, 1972	February 1, 1973
21	Frederick B. Dent Frederick B. Dent Frederick Baily Dent served from 1943 until 1946 in the United States Navy. From 1958 to 1972 he was the President of Mayfair Mills, Arcadia, South Carolina....	February 2, 1973	March 26, 1975	Richard Nixon Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States and the only president to resign the office.... Gerald Ford Gerald Ford Gerald Rudolph Ford, Jr. was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977, and the List of Vice Presidents of the United States Vice President of the United States serving from 1973 to 1974....
22	Rogers Morton Rogers Morton Rogers Clark Ballard Morton was an American politician who served as United States Secretary of the Interior and United States Secretary of Commerce under Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford, respectively....	May 1, 1975	February 2, 1976	Gerald Ford Gerald Ford Gerald Rudolph Ford, Jr. was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977, and the List of Vice Presidents of the United States Vice President of the United States serving from 1973 to 1974....
23	Elliot Richardson Elliot Richardson Elliot Lee Richardson was an United States lawyer and politician who was a member of the cabinet of Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford. As United States Attorney General, he was a prominent figure in the Watergate Scandal, and was controversially Saturday Night Massacre after refusing the President's order to fire special prosecutor Ar...	February 2, 1976	January 20, 1977
24	Juanita M. Kreps Juanita M. Kreps Juanita Morris Kreps was U.S. Secretary of Commerce from January 23, 1977 until October 31, 1979 under President of the United States Jimmy Carter and was the List of female United States Cabinet Secretaries to hold that position....	January 23, 1977	October 31, 1979	Jimmy Carter Jimmy Carter James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. served as the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States from 1977 to 1981 and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize....
25	Philip Klutznick	January 9, 1980	January 19, 1981
26	Howard M. Baldrige, Jr.	January 20, 1981	July 25, 1987	Ronald Reagan Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States and the 33rd Governor of California . Born in Illinois, Reagan moved to Los Angeles, California in the 1930s, where he was an actor, president of the Screen Actors Guild , and a spokesman for General Electric ....
27	William Verity, Jr.	October 19, 1987	January 30, 1989
28	Robert Mosbacher Robert Mosbacher Robert Adam Mosbacher, Sr. is a United States businessman. He was the United States Secretary of Commerce from 1989 to 1992.Born in Mount Vernon, New York to Emil Mosbacher and Gertrude Schwart Mosbacher, his father was a wealthy stock trader who cashed in most of his holdings before Wall Street crashed, so the family did not suffer duri...	January 31, 1989	January 15, 1992	George H. W. Bush George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker Bush served as the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States from 1989 to 1993. Bush held a variety of political positions prior to his presidency, including Vice President of the United States in the administration of Ronald Reagan and Director of Central Intelligence under Gerald R....
29	Barbara Franklin	February 27, 1992	January 20, 1993
30	Ron Brown Ron Brown (U.S. politician) Ronald Harmon Brown , was the United States Secretary of Commerce, serving during the first term of President of the United States Bill Clinton....	January 22, 1993	April 3, 1996	Bill Clinton Bill Clinton William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton served as the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He was the fifteenth Democrat elected to that office....
31	Mickey Kantor Mickey Kantor Michael "Mickey" Kantor is an United States politician and lawyer. After serving as the Bill Clinton-Al Gore campaign chair in U.S. presidential election, 1992, Kantor was appointed United States Trade Representative, holding that office from 1993 to 1997....	April 12, 1996	January 21, 1997
32	William M. Daley William M. Daley William Michael Daley served as United States Secretary of Commerce from 1997 to 2000 and is a lawyer and business executive. On November 5, 2008, Daley was named to the advisory board of the Obama-Biden Transition Project....	January 30, 1997	July 19, 2000
33	Norman Mineta Norman Mineta Norman Yoshio Mineta, is a United States politician of the Democratic Party . Mineta most recently served in the United States Cabinet of George W....	July 21, 2000	January 19, 2001
34	Donald Evans Donald Evans Donald Louis Evans was the 34th United States Secretary of Commerce. He was appointed by his longtime friend George W. Bush and sworn into office on January 20, 2001....	January 20, 2001	February 7, 2005	George W. Bush George W. Bush George Walker Bush served as the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States from 2001 to 2009. He was the 46th List of Governors of Texas from 1995 to 2000 before being United States presidential inauguration as President on January 20, 2001....
35	Carlos Gutierrez Carlos Gutierrez Carlos Miguel Gutierrez served as the United States Secretary of Commerce from 2005 to 2009. Gutierrez is a former Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of the Kellogg Company....	February 7, 2005	January 20, 2009
-	Otto Wolff Otto J. Wolff Otto J. Wolff is the current Acting United States Secretary of Commerce in the administration of President of the United States Barack Obama. Wolff previously served under President George W.... (Acting)	January 20, 2009	present	Barack Obama Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II is the List of Presidents of the United States and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office....

Footnote: Under Secretary of Commerce Luther H. Hodges Jr served as Interim Secretary of Commerce October 31, 1979 to January 9, 1980.
From July 25, 1987 to October 19, 1987, Clarence J. Brown Jr. was Acting Secretary of Commerce.

Living former Secretaries of Commerce

Peter Peterson
Peter George Peterson

Peter George Peterson is an American businessman, investment banker, Conservatism#Fiscal conservatism, author, and politician whose most prominent political position was as United States Secretary of Commerce from February 29, 1972 to February 1, 1973....
Frederick B. Dent
Frederick B. Dent

Frederick Baily Dent served from 1943 until 1946 in the United States Navy. From 1958 to 1972 he was the President of Mayfair Mills, Arcadia, South Carolina....
Juanita M. Kreps
Juanita M. Kreps

Juanita Morris Kreps was U.S. Secretary of Commerce from January 23, 1977 until October 31, 1979 under President of the United States Jimmy Carter and was the List of female United States Cabinet Secretaries to hold that position....
Robert Mosbacher
Robert Mosbacher

Robert Adam Mosbacher, Sr. is a United States businessman. He was the United States Secretary of Commerce from 1989 to 1992.Born in Mount Vernon, New York to Emil Mosbacher and Gertrude Schwart Mosbacher, his father was a wealthy stock trader who cashed in most of his holdings before Wall Street crashed, so the family did not suffer duri...
Barbara Hackman Franklin
Barbara Hackman Franklin

Barbara Hackman Franklin was the 29th United States Secretary of Commerce and was the List of female United States Cabinet Secretaries in the Administration of President George H.W....
Mickey Kantor
Mickey Kantor

Michael "Mickey" Kantor is an United States politician and lawyer. After serving as the Bill Clinton-Al Gore campaign chair in U.S. presidential election, 1992, Kantor was appointed United States Trade Representative, holding that office from 1993 to 1997....
William M. Daley
William M. Daley

William Michael Daley served as United States Secretary of Commerce from 1997 to 2000 and is a lawyer and business executive. On November 5, 2008, Daley was named to the advisory board of the Obama-Biden Transition Project....
Norman Mineta
Norman Mineta

Norman Yoshio Mineta, is a United States politician of the Democratic Party . Mineta most recently served in the United States Cabinet of George W....
Donald Evans
Donald Evans

Donald Louis Evans was the 34th United States Secretary of Commerce. He was appointed by his longtime friend George W. Bush and sworn into office on January 20, 2001....
Carlos Gutierrez
Carlos Gutierrez

Carlos Miguel Gutierrez served as the United States Secretary of Commerce from 2005 to 2009. Gutierrez is a former Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of the Kellogg Company....

United States Secretary of Commerce

List of Secretaries of Commerce

Living former Secretaries of Commerce

See also