United States Secretary of Labor

United States Secretary of Labor
Flag of the U.S. Secretary of Labor
Incumbent Seth Harris since January 22, 2013 Acting
Formation	March 4, 1913
First holder	William B. Wilson
Succession	11th
Website	www.DOL.gov

The United States Secretary of Labor is the head of the U.S. 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.

Previously there was one U.S. Secretary of Commerce and Labor, uniting this department with the U.S. Department of Commerce, which is headed by a separate U.S. Secretary of Commerce. Seven women have served as Secretary of Labor, which is more than any other cabinet position.

Hilda Solis is the most recent U.S. Secretary of Labor. She took office after being confirmed by the U.S. Senate on February 24, 2009. On January 23, 2013, she resigned from office; Seth Harris currently serves as acting Secretary of Labor.

The former flag of the U.S. Secretary of Labor, used from 1915 to 1960.

List of Secretaries of Labor

Parties

      Democratic       Republican

No.	Portrait	Name	State of Residence	Took Office	Left Office	President(s)
1		William B. Wilson	Pennsylvania	March 6, 1913	March 4, 1921		Woodrow Wilson
2		James J. Davis	Pennsylvania	March 5, 1921	November 30, 1930		Warren G. Harding
							Calvin Coolidge
							Herbert Hoover
3		William N. Doak	Virginia	December 9, 1930	March 4, 1933
4		Frances Perkins	New York	March 4, 1933	June 30, 1945		Franklin D. Roosevelt
							Harry S. Truman
5		Lewis B. Schwellenbach	Washington	July 1, 1945	June 10, 1948
6		Maurice J. Tobin	Massachusetts	August 13, 1948	January 20, 1953
7		Martin P. Durkin	Maryland	January 21, 1953	September 10, 1953		Dwight D. Eisenhower
8		James P. Mitchell	New Jersey	October 9, 1953	January 20, 1961
9		Arthur Goldberg	Illinois	January 21, 1961	September 20, 1962		John F. Kennedy
10		W. Willard Wirtz	Illinois	September 25, 1962	January 20, 1969
							Lyndon B. Johnson
11		George Shultz	Illinois	January 22, 1969	July 1, 1970		Richard Nixon
12		James D. Hodgson	California	July 2, 1970	February 1, 1973
13		Peter J. Brennan	New York	February 2, 1973	March 15, 1975
							Gerald Ford
14		John Thomas Dunlop	Massachusetts	March 18, 1975	January 31, 1976
15		W. J. Usery Jr.	Georgia	February 10, 1976	January 20, 1977
16		Ray Marshall	Texas	January 27, 1977	January 20, 1981		Jimmy Carter
17		Raymond J. Donovan	New Jersey	February 4, 1981	March 15, 1985		Ronald Reagan
18		William E. Brock	Tennessee	April 29, 1985	October 31, 1987
19		Ann Dore McLaughlin	District of Columbia	December 17, 1987	January 20, 1989
20		Elizabeth Dole	Kansas	January 25, 1989	November 23, 1990		George H. W. Bush
21		Lynn Morley Martin	Illinois	February 22, 1991	January 20, 1993
22		Robert Reich	Massachusetts	January 22, 1993	January 20, 1997		Bill Clinton
23		Alexis Herman	Alabama	May 1, 1997	January 20, 2001
24		Elaine Chao	Kentucky	January 29, 2001	January 20, 2009		George W. Bush
25		Hilda Solis	California	February 24, 2009	January 22, 2013		Barack Obama
26		Seth Harris (acting)	New York	January 22, 2013	present

Living former Secretaries of Labor

• George Shultz
• W. J. Usery Jr.
• Ray Marshall
• Raymond J. Donovan
• William E. Brock
• Ann McLaughlin
• Elizabeth Dole
• Lynn Martin
• Robert Reich
• Alexis Herman
• Elaine Chao
• Hilda Solis

See also

• United States Deputy Secretary of Labor
• Living former members of the United States Cabinet

External links

• Hall of the Secretaries of Labor: Portraits and Biographies

United States presidential line of succession
Preceded by Secretary of Commerce	11th in line	Succeeded by Secretary of Health and Human Services