United States Secretary of War

(Redirected from Secretary of war) Position in the United States Cabinet from 1789 to 1947 "Secretary of War" redirects here. For other uses, see Secretary of War (disambiguation).

United States Secretary of War
Official seal
Flag of the secretary
Longest serving Henry Dearborn March 5, 1801 – March 4, 1809
United States Department of War
Style	Mr. Secretary
Type	Secretary
Status	Abolished
Member of	Cabinet
Reports to	President of the United States
Seat	Washington, D.C.
Appointer	The President with Senate advice and consent
Term length	No fixed term
Precursor	Secretary at War
Formation	September 12, 1789
First holder	Henry Knox
Final holder	Kenneth C. Royall
Abolished	September 18, 1947
Superseded by	Secretary of Defense Secretary of the Army Secretary of the Air Force
Succession	6th in the line of succession

The secretary of war was a member of the U.S. president's Cabinet, beginning with George Washington's administration. A similar position, called either "Secretary at War" or "Secretary of War", had been appointed to serve the Congress of the Confederation under the Articles of Confederation between 1781 and 1789. Benjamin Lincoln and later Henry Knox held the position. When Washington was inaugurated as the first President under the Constitution, he appointed Knox to continue serving as Secretary of War.

The secretary of war was the head of the War Department. At first, he was responsible for all military affairs, including naval affairs. In 1798, the secretary of the Navy was created by statute, and the scope of responsibility for this office was reduced to the affairs of the United States Army. From 1886 onward, the secretary of war was in the line of succession to the presidency, after the vice president of the United States, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the President pro tempore of the Senate and the secretary of state.

In 1947, with the passing of the National Security Act of 1947, the secretary of war was replaced by the secretary of the Army and the secretary of the Air Force, which, along with the secretary of the Navy, have since 1949 been non-Cabinet subordinates under the secretary of defense. The secretary of the Army's office is generally considered the direct successor to the secretary of war's office although the secretary of defense took the secretary of war's position in the Cabinet, and the line of succession to the presidency.

List of secretaries

Secretary at War (1781–1789)

The office of Secretary at War was modeled upon Great Britain's secretary at war, who was William Barrington, 2nd Viscount Barrington, at the time of the American Revolution. The office of Secretary at War was meant to replace both the commander-in-chief and the Board of War, and like the president of the board, the secretary wore no special insignia. The inspector general, quartermaster general, commissary general, and adjutant general served on the secretary's staff. However, the Army itself under Secretary Henry Knox only consisted of 700 men.

Image	Name	Home State	Start	End	Appointer
	Benjamin Lincoln	Massachusetts	March 1, 1781	November 2, 1783	Congress of the Confederation
	Henry Knox	Massachusetts	March 8, 1785	September 12, 1789	Congress of the Confederation

Secretary of War (1789–1947)

Parties

Federalist (4) Democratic-Republican (8) Democratic (14) Whig (5) Republican (25)

Name	Start	End	Duration		Home State
Henry Knox	September 12, 1789	December 31, 1794	5 years, 110 days	Federalist	Massachusetts	George Washington (1789–1797)
Timothy Pickering	January 2, 1795	December 10, 1795	342 days	Federalist	Pennsylvania
James McHenry	January 27, 1796	June 1, 1800	4 years, 125 days	Federalist	Maryland
James McHenry	January 27, 1796	June 1, 1800	4 years, 125 days	Federalist	Maryland	John Adams (1797–1801)
Samuel Dexter	June 1, 1800	January 31, 1801	244 days	Federalist	Massachusetts	John Adams (1797–1801)
Henry Dearborn	March 5, 1801	March 4, 1809	7 years, 364 days	Democratic-Republican	Massachusetts	Thomas Jefferson (1801–1809)
William Eustis	March 7, 1809	January 13, 1813	3 years, 312 days	Democratic-Republican	Massachusetts	James Madison (1809–1817)
John Armstrong Jr.	January 13, 1813	September 27, 1814	1 year, 257 days	Democratic-Republican	New York
John Monroe	September 27, 1814	March 2, 1815	156 days	Democratic-Republican	Virginia
William H. Crawford	August 1, 1815	October 22, 1816	1 year, 82 days	Democratic-Republican	Georgia
John C. Calhoun	October 8, 1817	March 4, 1825	7 years, 147 days	Democratic-Republican	South Carolina	James Monroe (1817–1825)
James Barbour	March 7, 1825	May 23, 1828	3 years, 77 days	Democratic-Republican	Virginia	John Quincy Adams (1825–1829)
Peter Buell Porter	May 23, 1828	March 9, 1829	290 days	Democratic-Republican	New York	John Quincy Adams (1825–1829)
John Eaton	March 9, 1829	June 18, 1831	2 years, 101 days	Democratic	Tennessee	Andrew Jackson (1829–1837)
Lewis Cass	August 1, 1831	October 5, 1836	5 years, 65 days	Democratic	Ohio	Andrew Jackson (1829–1837)
Joel Roberts Poinsett	March 7, 1837	March 4, 1841	3 years, 362 days	Democratic	South Carolina	Martin Van Buren (1837–1841)
John Bell	March 5, 1841	September 13, 1841	193 days	Whig	South Carolina	William Henry Harrison (1841)
John Bell	March 5, 1841	September 13, 1841	193 days	Whig	South Carolina	John Tyler (1841–1845)
John Canfield Spencer	October 12, 1841	March 4, 1843	1 year, 143 days	Whig	New York
James Madison Porter	March 8, 1843	February 14, 1844	347 days	Whig	Pennsylvania
William Wilkins	February 15, 1844	March 4, 1845	1 year, 17 days	Democratic	Pennsylvania
William Learned Marcy	March 6, 1845	March 4, 1849	3 years, 363 days	Democratic	New York	James K. Polk (1845–1849)
George W. Crawford	March 8, 1849	July 22, 1850	1 year, 136 days	Whig	Georgia	Zachary Taylor (1849–1850)
Charles Magill Conrad	August 15, 1850	March 4, 1853	2 years, 201 days	Whig	Louisiana	Millard Fillmore (1850–1853)
Jefferson Davis	March 7, 1853	March 4, 1857	3 years, 362 days	Democratic	Mississippi	Franklin Pierce (1853–1857)
John B. Floyd	March 6, 1857	December 29, 1860	3 years, 298 days	Democratic	Virginia	James Buchanan (1857–1861)
Joseph Holt	January 18, 1861	March 4, 1861	45 days	Republican	Kentucky	James Buchanan (1857–1861)
Simon Cameron	March 5, 1861	January 14, 1862	315 days	Republican	Pennsylvania	Abraham Lincoln (1861–1865)
Edwin M. Stanton	January 20, 1862 Suspended: August 12, 1867 – January 14, 1868	May 28, 1868	6 years, 129 days	Republican	Pennsylvania	Abraham Lincoln (1861–1865)
Edwin M. Stanton		May 28, 1868	6 years, 129 days	Republican	Pennsylvania	Andrew Johnson (1865–1869)
Ulysses S. Grant Acting	August 12, 1867	January 14, 1868	155 days	Republican	Pennsylvania
John McAllister Schofield	June 1, 1868	March 13, 1869	285 days	Republican	Illinois
John Aaron Rawlins	March 13, 1869	September 6, 1869	177 days	Republican	Illinois	Ulysses S. Grant (1869–1877)
William Sherman Acting	September 6, 1869	October 25, 1869	49 days	Republican	Ohio
William W. Belknap	October 25, 1869	March 2, 1876	6 years, 129 days	Republican	Iowa
Alphonso Taft	March 8, 1876	May 22, 1876	81 days	Republican	Ohio
J. Donald Cameron	May 22, 1876	March 4, 1877	286 days	Republican	Pennsylvania
George W. McCrary	March 12, 1877	December 10, 1879	2 years, 273 days	Republican	Iowa	Rutherford B. Hayes (1877–1881)
Alexander Ramsey	December 10, 1879	March 4, 1881	1 year, 84 days	Republican	Minnesota	Rutherford B. Hayes (1877–1881)
Robert Todd Lincoln	March 5, 1881	March 4, 1885	3 years, 364 days	Republican	Illinois	James A. Garfield (1881)
Robert Todd Lincoln	March 5, 1881	March 4, 1885	3 years, 364 days	Republican	Illinois	Chester A. Arthur (1881–1885)
William Crowninshield Endicott	March 5, 1885	March 4, 1889	3 years, 364 days	Democratic	Massachusetts	Grover Cleveland (1885–1889)
Redfield Proctor	March 5, 1889	November 5, 1891	2 years, 245 days	Republican	Vermont	Benjamin Harrison (1889–1893)
Stephen Benton Elkins	December 17, 1891	March 4, 1893	1 year, 77 days	Republican	West Virginia	Benjamin Harrison (1889–1893)
Daniel S. Lamont	March 5, 1893	March 4, 1897	3 years, 364 days	Democratic	New York	Grover Cleveland (1885–1889)
Russell A. Alger	March 5, 1897	August 1, 1899	2 years, 149 days	Republican	Michigan	William McKinley (1897–1901)
Elihu Root	August 1, 1899	January 31, 1904	4 years, 183 days	Republican	New York	William McKinley (1897–1901)
Elihu Root	August 1, 1899	January 31, 1904	4 years, 183 days	Republican	New York	Theodore Roosevelt (1901–1909)
William Howard Taft	February 1, 1904	June 30, 1908	4 years, 150 days	Republican	Ohio
Luke Edward Wright	July 1, 1908	March 4, 1909	246 days	Republican	Tennessee
Jacob M. Dickinson	March 12, 1909	May 21, 1911	2 years, 70 days	Democratic	Tennessee	William Howard Taft (1909–1913)
Henry L. Stimson	May 22, 1911	March 4, 1913	1 year, 286 days	Republican	New York	William Howard Taft (1909–1913)
Lindley Miller Garrison	March 5, 1913	February 10, 1916	2 years, 342 days	Democratic	New Jersey	Woodrow Wilson (1913–1921)
Newton D. Baker	March 9, 1916	March 4, 1921	4 years, 360 days	Democratic	Ohio	Woodrow Wilson (1913–1921)
John W. Weeks	March 5, 1921	October 13, 1925	4 years, 223 days	Republican	Massachusetts	Warren G. Harding (1921–1923)
John W. Weeks	March 5, 1921	October 13, 1925	4 years, 223 days	Republican	Massachusetts	Calvin Coolidge (1923–1929)
Dwight F. Davis	October 14, 1925	March 4, 1929	3 years, 141 days	Republican	Missouri	Calvin Coolidge (1923–1929)
James William Good	March 6, 1929	November 18, 1929	257 days	Republican	Iowa	Herbert Hoover (1929–1933)
Patrick J. Hurley	December 9, 1929	March 4, 1933	3 years, 85 days	Republican	Oklahoma	Herbert Hoover (1929–1933)
George Dern	March 4, 1933	August 27, 1936	3 years, 176 days	Democratic	Utah	Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933–1945)
Harry Hines Woodring	September 25, 1936	June 20, 1940	3 years, 298 days	Democratic	Kansas
Henry L. Stimson	July 10, 1940	September 21, 1945	5 years, 73 days	Republican	New York
Henry L. Stimson	July 10, 1940	September 21, 1945	5 years, 73 days	Republican	New York	Harry S. Truman (1945–1953)
Robert P. Patterson	September 27, 1945	July 18, 1947	1 year, 294 days	Republican	New York
Kenneth Royall	July 19, 1947	September 18, 1947	61 days	Democratic	North Carolina

References

Footnotes

Unknown
"Papers of the War Department". Wardepartmentpapers.org. Archived from the original on December 29, 2018. Retrieved May 15, 2012.
From August 12, 1867 until January 14, 1868, Stanton was suspended from office, and Ulysses S. Grant served as Acting Secretary of War. For more on President Johnson's attempts to remove Stanton from office, see impeachment of Andrew Johnson.
From August 12, 1867 until January 14, 1868, Stanton was suspended from office, and Ulysses S. Grant served as Acting Secretary of War. For more on President Johnson's attempts to remove Stanton from office, see impeachment of Andrew Johnson.

Bell, William Gardner (2005). Commanding Generals and Chiefs of Staff 1775-2005: Portraits and Biographical Sketches. Washington, D.C.: United States Army Center of Military History. Archived from the original on April 10, 2021. Retrieved July 9, 2013.
Grossman, Mark (2010). Encyclopedia of the United States Cabinet 1789-2010. Armenia, New York: Greyhouse Publishing.
King, Archibald (1960) . Command of the Army (PDF). Military Affairs. Charlottesville, Virginia: The Judge Advocate General's School, U.S. Army.

United States secretaries of war and the Army

Department
of War
(1789–1947)

Secretaries of war	B. Lincoln Knox Pickering McHenry Dexter Dearborn Eustis Armstrong Monroe W. Crawford Calhoun Barbour P. Porter Eaton Cass Poinsett Bell Spencer J. Porter Wilkins Marcy G. Crawford Conrad J. Davis Floyd Holt S. Cameron Stanton Schofield Rawlins Belknap A. Taft J. Cameron McCrary Ramsey R. Lincoln Endicott Proctor Elkins Lamont Alger Root W. Taft Wright Dickinson Stimson Garrison Baker Weeks D. Davis Good Hurley Dern Woodring Stimson Patterson Royall
Assistant secretaries of war	Scott Watson Tucker Wolcott Dana Eckert Grant Doe Meiklejohn Sanger Oliver Breckinridge Ingraham Crowell Williams Wainwright D. Davis MacNider Robbins Hurley Payne Woodring L. Johnson Patterson McCloy Petersen
Under secretaries of war	Patterson Royall Draper

Department
of the Army
(1947–present)

Secretaries of the Army	Royall Gray Pace Stevens Brucker Stahr Vance Ailes Resor Froehlke Callaway Hoffmann C. Alexander Marsh Stone West Caldera White Harvey Geren McHugh Fanning Esper McCarthy Wormuth
Under secretaries of the Army	Draper Gray Voorhees A. Alexander Bendetsen E. Johnson Slezak Finucane Milton Ailes Ignatius Resor McGiffert Beal BeLieu Staudt Augustine LaBerge Ambrose Stone Shannon Reeder Walker Rostker Dahlberg Brownlee Geren Ford Westphal Carson Murphy McCarthy McPherson Camarillo

v t e Leaders of the United States federal executive departments
Current	Agriculture Commerce Defense Education Energy Health and Human Services Homeland Security Housing and Urban Development Interior Justice Labor State Transportation Treasury Veterans Affairs
Past	Commerce and Labor Health, Education, and Welfare Navy Post Office War

v t e Government of the United States under the Articles of Confederation
Congresses	Second Continental Congress Confederation Congress Delegates Committee of the States
Congressional Officers	President Secretary
Civil Offices/Officers	Postmaster General Superintendent of Finance Agent of the Marine Secretary at War Secretary of Foreign Affairs Court of Appeals
Military	Board of War Continental Army Commander in Chief Continental Navy Continental Marines
Meeting sites	Independence Hall (1779–1783) Nassau Hall (1783) Maryland State House (1783–1784) French Arms Tavern (1784) Federal Hall (1785–1789)
Related	Confederation period Perpetual Union Proclamation of 1783 Ratification Day 1784 Land Ordinance 1785 Land Ordinance Northwest Ordinance Journals of the Continental Congress

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