United States
HISTORY

Secretaries of Defense

Most Popular Searches

Start Your Visit With Historical Timelines Chronological Eras Information Tables General Interest Maps Glossary History Quizzes

Travel and History Blog Share

A member of the president's cabinet, the secretary heads the Department of Defense, created in 1947. The departmental predecessor was the Secretary of War. A civilian, the secretary is appointed by the president with the advice and consent of the Senate. All activities in the department are accomplished under his or her supervision.

The secretary administers the national military budget and holds authority over personnel, supplies and other aspects of defense. He or she also is the main advisor to the president on all Department of Defense matters and related topics.

The secretary is a member of the National Security Council, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and other agencies. He or she also maintains close contact with the State Department and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. A deputy and several assistant secretaries are answerable to the secretary.

Term of Service	Secretary	Home State	Administration
1947 - 1949	James V. Forrestal	New York	Truman
1949 - 1950	Louis A. Johnson	West Virginia	Truman
1950 - 1951	George C. Marshall	Pennsylvania	Truman
1951 - 1953	Robert A. Lovett	New York	Truman
1953 - 1957	Charles E. Wilson	Michigan	Eisenhower
1957 - 1959	Neil H. McElroy	Ohio	Eisenhower
1959 - 1961	Thomas S. Gates Jr.	Pennsylvania	Eisenhower
1961 - 1963	Robert S. McNamara	Michigan	Kennedy
1963 - 1968	Robert S. McNamara	Michigan	L.B. Johnson
1968 - 1969	Clark M. Clifford	Maryland	L.B. Johnson
1969 - 1973	Melvin R. Laird	Wisconsin	Nixon
1973	Elliot L. Richardson	Massachusetts	Nixon
1973 - 1974	James R. Schlesinger	Virginia	Nixon
1974 - 1975	James R. Schlesinger	Virginia	Ford
1975 - 1977	Donald H. Rumsfeld	Illinois	Ford
1977 - 1981	Harold Brown	California	Carter
1981 - 1987	Caspar W. Weinberger	California	Reagan
1987 - 1989	Frank C. Carlucci	Pennsylvania	Reagan
1989 - 1993	Richard B. Cheney	Wyoming	G.H.W. Bush
1993 - 1994	Les Aspin	Wisconsin	Clinton
1994 - 1997	William J. Perry	California	Clinton
1997 - 2001	William Cohen	Maine	Clinton
2001 -	Donald H. Rumsfeld	Illinois	G.W. Bush

See cabinet officers sorted by administration.

top of page

- - - Books You May Like Include: ----

House of War: The Pentagon and the Disastrous Rise of American Power by James Carroll.
In House of War, the best-selling author James Carroll has created a history of the Pentagon that is both epic and personal. Through Carroll we see ho...