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United States Secretary of Commerce

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United States
Secretary of Commerce
Official Seal
Incumbent
Gary Locke
since March 26, 2009[1]
FormationMarch 15, 1913
First holderWilliam Cox Redfield
SuccessionTenth
Websitewww.commerce.gov
The Commerce Secretary's office as it looked in the mid-20th century.

The United States Secretary of Commerce is the head of the United States Department of Commerce concerned with business and industry; the Department states its mission to be "to foster, promote, and develop the foreign and domestic commerce."[2] Until 1913 there was one Secretary of Commerce and Labor, uniting this department with the Department of Labor, which is now headed by a separate Secretary of Labor.[3]

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.[4]

The current Secretary of Commerce is former Washington Governor Gary Locke, who was nominated for the post by President Barack Obama on February 25, 2009, and was confirmed by the United States Senate by unanimous consent on March 24, 2009.[5]

Locke is President Obama's third choice for the post following New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, who dropped out of consideration in early January 2009, and Republican Senator Judd Gregg from New Hampshire, who withdrew his nomination in February 2009.

Locke is the first Chinese American Secretary of Commerce, and the third Asian American in Obama's cabinet, joining Energy Secretary Steven Chu and Veteran Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki, the most of any administration in United States history.

Prior to Locke's confirmation, the most-recent Senate confirmed Commerce Secretary was Carlos Gutierrez, whose January 20, 2009, resignation coincided with the end of President George W. Bush's administration.

The line of succession for the Secretary of Commerce is as follows:[6]

  1. Deputy Secretary of Commerce
  2. General Counsel of the Department of Commerce
  3. Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade
  4. Under Secretary of Commerce for Economic Affairs
  5. Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
  6. Under Secretary of Commerce for Technology
  7. Under Secretary of Commerce for Export Administration
  8. Chief Financial Officer of the Department of Commerce and Assistant Secretary of Commerce in charge of Administration
  9. Assistant Secretary for Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs

List of Secretaries of Commerce

  Denotes acting Commerce Secretary
No. Picture Secretary State of residence Start of Term End of Term President(s)
1 William C. Redfield New York March 5, 1913 October 31, 1919 Woodrow Wilson
2 Joshua W. Alexander Missouri December 16, 1919 March 4, 1921
3 Herbert Hoover California March 5, 1921 August 21, 1928 Warren G. Harding
Calvin Coolidge
4 William F. Whiting Massachusetts August 22, 1928 March 4, 1929 Calvin Coolidge
5 Robert P. Lamont Illinois March 5, 1929 August 7, 1932 Herbert Hoover
6 Roy D. Chapin Michigan August 8, 1932 March 3, 1933
7 Daniel C. Roper South Carolina March 4, 1933 December 23, 1938 Franklin Roosevelt
8 Harry Hopkins New York December 24, 1938 September 18, 1940
9 Jesse H. Jones Texas September 19, 1940 March 1, 1945
10 Henry A. Wallace Iowa March 2, 1945 September 20, 1946 Franklin Roosevelt
Harry S. Truman
11 W. Averell Harriman New York October 7, 1946 April 22, 1948 Harry S. Truman
12 Charles W. Sawyer Ohio May 6, 1948 January 20, 1953
13 Sinclair Weeks Massachusetts January 21, 1953 November 10, 1958 Dwight D. Eisenhower
- Lewis Strauss
(Acting Secretary) 		November 13, 1958 June 30, 1959
14 Frederick H. Mueller Michigan June 30, 1959 August 10, 1959
August 10, 1959 January 19, 1961
15 Luther H. Hodges North Carolina January 21, 1961 January 15, 1965 John F. Kennedy
Lyndon Johnson
16 John T. Connor New Jersey January 18, 1965 January 31, 1967 Lyndon Johnson
17 Alexander Trowbridge New York January 31, 1967 June 14, 1967
June 14, 1967 March 1, 1968
18 C. R. Smith New York March 6, 1968 January 19, 1969
19 Maurice Stans New York January 21, 1969 February 15, 1972 Richard Nixon
20 Peter Peterson Illinois February 29, 1972 February 1, 1973
21 Frederick B. Dent South Carolina February 2, 1973 March 26, 1975 Richard Nixon
Gerald Ford
22 Rogers Morton Maryland May 1, 1975 February 2, 1976 Gerald Ford
23 Elliot Richardson Massachusetts February 2, 1976 January 20, 1977
24 Juanita M. Kreps North Carolina January 23, 1977 October 31, 1979 Jimmy Carter
- Luther H. Hodges, Jr.(Acting) October 31, 1979 January 9, 1980
25 Philip Klutznick Illinois January 9, 1980 January 19, 1981
26 Howard M. Baldrige, Jr. Connecticut January 20, 1981 July 25, 1987 Ronald Reagan
- Clarence J. Brown Jr. (Acting) Ohio July 25, 1987 October 19, 1987
27 William Verity, Jr. Ohio October 19, 1987 January 30, 1989
28 Robert Mosbacher Texas January 31, 1989 January 15, 1992 George H. W. Bush
- Rockwell A. Schnabel (Acting) January 15, 1992 February 27, 1992
29 Barbara Franklin Pennsylvania February 27, 1992 January 20, 1993
30 Ron Brown New York January 22, 1993 April 3, 1996 Bill Clinton
31 Mickey Kantor California April 12, 1996 January 21, 1997
32 William M. Daley Illinois January 30, 1997 July 19, 2000
- Robert L. Mallett (Acting) July 19, 2000 July 21, 2000
33 Norman Mineta California July 21, 2000 January 19, 2001
34 Donald Evans Texas January 20, 2001 February 7, 2005 George W. Bush
35 Carlos Gutierrez Florida February 7, 2005 January 20, 2009
- Otto Wolff (Acting) January 20, 2009 March 26, 2009 Barack Obama
36 Gary Locke Washington March 26, 2009 Present

Source:[7]

Living former Secretaries of Commerce

See also

References

  1. ^ O'Keefe, Ed (2009-03-27). "Locke Officially Leading Commerce". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2009-04-06.
  2. ^ ""US Department of Commerce, Directives Management Program"". Retrieved September 22, 2007.
  3. ^ ""Department of Commerce - Milestones"". Retrieved September 22, 2007.
  4. ^ ""Department of Commerce - Commerce Organization"". Retrieved September 22, 2007.
  5. ^ "Senate confirms Locke to Commerce". CNN. Retrieved May 27, 2010.
  6. ^ ""Executive Order on Succession at the Department of Commerce"". Retrieved September 22, 2007.
  7. ^ ""Department of Commerce Home Page --"". Archived from the original on June 26, 2007. Retrieved September 22, 2007.
U.S. presidential line of succession
Preceded by 10th in line Succeeded by
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