In the United States, the Secretary of the Navy is the civilian head of the Department of the Navy. He was a member of the President's Cabinet until 1947, when the Navy, Army, and newly created Air Force were placed in the Department of Defense and the Secretary of the Navy was placed under the Secretary of Defense.

Naval and Marine personnel informally refer to The Secretary of the Navy as "SECNAV".

The Secretary of the Navy is responsible for, and has the authority under Title 10 of the United States Code, to conduct all the affairs of the Department of the Navy, including: recruiting, organizing, supplying, equipping, training, mobilizing, and demobilizing. The Secretary also oversees the construction, outfitting, and repair of naval ships, equipment and facilities. SECNAV is responsible for the formulation and implementation of policies and programs that are consistent with the national security policies and objectives established by the President and the Secretary of Defense. The Department of the Navy consists of two uniformed Services: the United States Navy and the United States Marine Corps.

Secretaries of the Navy (Cabinet)

Name Term of Office Served under
Benjamin Stoddert June 18, 1798 - March 31, 1801 J. Adams
Robert Smith July 27, 1801 - March 4, 1809 Jefferson
Paul Hamilton May 15, 1809 - December 31, 1812 Madison
William Jones January 19, 1813 - December 1, 1814 Madison
Benjamin W. Crowninshield January 16, 1815 - September 30, 1818 Madison, Monroe
Smith Thompson January 1, 1819 - August 31, 1823 Monroe
Samuel L. Southard September 16, 1823 - March 4, 1829 Monroe, J.Q. Adams
John Branch March 9, 1829 - May 12, 1831 Jackson
Levi Woodbury May 23, 1823 - June 30, 1834 Jackson
Mahlon Dickerson July 1, 1834 - June 30, 1838 Jackson, Van Buren
James K. Paulding July 1, 1838 - March 4, 1841 Van Buren
George E. Badger March 6, 1841 - September 11, 1841 W.H. Harrison, Tyler
Abel P. Upshur October 11, 1841 - July 23, 1843 Tyler
David Henshaw (acting) July 24, 1843 - February 18, 1844 Tyler
Thomas W. Gilmer February 19, 1844 - February 28, 1844 Tyler
John Y. Mason (first time) March 26, 1844 - March 4, 1845 Tyler
George Bancroft March 11, 1845 - September 9, 1846 Polk
John Y. Mason (second time) September 10, 1846 - March 4, 1849 Polk
William B. Preston March 8, 1849 - July 22, 1850 Taylor
William A. Graham August 2, 1850 - July 25, 1852 Fillmore
John P. Kennedy July 26, 1852 - March 4, 1853 Fillmore
James C. Dobbin March 8, 1853 - March 4, 1857 Pierce
Isaac Toucey March 7, 1857 - March 4, 1861 Buchanan
Gideon Welles March 7, 1861 - March 4, 1869 Lincoln, A. Johnson
Adolph E. Borie March 9, 1869 - June 25, 1869 Grant
George M. Robeson June 26, 1869 - March 4, 1877 Grant
Richard W. Thompson March 13, 1877 - December 20, 1880 Hayes
Nathan Goff, Jr January 7, 1881 - March 4, 1881 Hayes
William H. Hunt March 7, 1881 - April 16, 1882 Garfield, Arthur
William E. Chandler April 16, 1882 - March 4, 1885 Arthur
William C. Whitney March 7, 1885 - March 4, 1889 Cleveland
Benjamin F. Tracy March 6, 1889 - March 4, 1893 B. Harrison
Hilary A. Herbert March 7, 1893 - March 4, 1897 Cleveland
John D. Long March 6, 1897 - April 30, 1902 McKinley, T. Roosevelt
William H. Moody May 1, 1902 - June 30, 1904 T. Roosevelt
Paul Morton July 1, 1904 - June 30, 1905 T. Roosevelt
Charles J. Bonaparte July 1, 1905 - December 16, 1906 T. Roosevelt
Victor H. Metcalf December 17, 1906 - November 30, 1908 T. Roosevelt
Truman Handy Newberry December 1, 1908 - March 4, 1909 T. Roosevelt
George von Lengerke Meyer March 6, 1909 - March 4, 1913 Taft
Josephus Daniels March 5, 1913 - March 4, 1921 Wilson
Edwin C. Denby March 6, 1921 - March 10, 1924 Harding, Coolidge
Curtis D. Wilbur March 19, 1924 - March 4, 1929 Coolidge
Charles Francis Adams March 5, 1929 - March 4, 1933 Hoover
Claude A. Swanson March 4, 1933 - July 7, 1939 F.D. Roosevelt
Charles Edison January 2, 1940 - June 24, 1940 F.D. Roosevelt
Frank Knox July 11, 1940 - April 28, 1944 F.D. Roosevelt
James V. Forrestal May 19, 1944 - September 17, 1947 F.D. Roosevelt, Truman

Secretaries of the Navy (Department of Defense)

Name Term of Office
John L. Sullivan September 18, 1947 - May 24, 1949

Francis P. Matthews May 25, 1949 - July 31, 1951

Dan A. Kimball July 31, 1951 - January 20, 1953
Robert B. Anderson February 4, 1953 - March 3, 1954
Charles S. Thomas May 3, 1954 - April 1, 1957
Thomas S. Gates April 1, 1957 - June 8, 1959
William B.Franke June 8, 1959 - January 19, 1961
John B. Connally, Jr January 25, 1961 - December 20, 1961
Fred Korth January 4, 1962 - November 1, 1963
Paul B. Fay (acting) November 2, 1963 - November 28, 1963
Paul H. Nitze November 29, 1963 - June 30, 1967
Charles F. Baird (acting) July 1, 1967 - August 31, 1967
Paul R. Ignatius September 1, 1967 - January 24, 1969
John H. Chafee January 31, 1969 - May 4, 1972
John W. Warner May 4, 1972 - April 8, 1974
J. William Middendorf April 8, 1974 - January 20, 1977
W. Graham Claytor, Jr February 14, 1977 - August 24, 1979
Edward Hidalgo October 24, 1979 - January 20, 1981
John Lehman February 5, 1981 - April 10, 1987
James H. Webb May 1, 1987 - February 23, 1988
William L. Ball March 28, 1988 - May 15, 1989
Henry L. Garrett III May 15, 1989 - June 26, 1992
Daniel Howard (acting) June 26, 1992 - July 7, 1992
Sean O'Keefe October 2, 1992 - January 20, 1993
Admiral Frank B. Kelso, II (acting) January 2, 1993 - July 21, 1993
John H. Dalton July 22, 1993 - November 16, 1998
Richard Danzig November 16, 1998 - January 20, 2001
Robert B. Pirie, Jr (acting) January 20, 2001 - May 24, 2001
Gordon R. England May 24, 2001 - January 30, 2003
Susan Livingstone (acting) January 30, 2003 - February 7, 2003
Hansford T. Johnson (acting) February 7, 2003 - present

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