United States Secretary of Homeland Security

United States Secretary of Homeland Security
Official Seal
Incumbent Janet Napolitano since January 21, 2009
Department	United States Department of Homeland Security
Formation	January 24, 2003
First holder	Tom Ridge
Succession	18th
Website	www.dhs.gov

The United States Secretary of Homeland Security is the head of the United States Department of Homeland Security, the body concerned with protecting the American homeland and the safety of American citizens. The Secretary is a member of the President's Cabinet. The position was created by the Homeland Security Act following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. The new department consisted primarily of components transferred from other cabinet departments because of their role in homeland security, such as the Coast Guard, Federal Protective Service, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (which includes the Border Patrol), Secret Service, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). It did not, however, include the FBI or the CIA.

On January 20, 2009, the Senate confirmed Barack Obama's appointment of Janet Napolitano to be the third Secretary of Homeland Security. To assure a smooth transition however, Michael Chertoff was asked not to resign until the morning of January 21, 2009.

Inclusion in the presidential line of succession

Traditionally, the order of the presidential line of succession is determined (after the Vice President, Speaker of the House, and President pro tempore of the Senate) by the order of the creation of the cabinet positions, and the list as mandated under 3 U.S.C. § 19 follows this tradition.

On March 9, 2006, President Bush signed H.R. 3199 as Pub.L. 109–177, which renewed the Patriot Act and amended the Presidential Succession Act to include the Secretary of Homeland Security in the line of succession after the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (§ 503). In the 109th Congress, legislation was introduced to place the Secretary of Homeland Security into the line of succession after the Attorney General but that bill expired at the end of the 109th Congress and has not been re-introduced.

List of Secretaries of Homeland Security

Prior to the establishment of the Department of Homeland Security, there existed an Assistant to the President for the Office of Homeland Security, which was created following the September 11, 2001, attacks.

Parties

      Republican       Democratic       No party

Status

  Denotes acting Secretary of Homeland Security

No.	Portrait	Name	State of Residence	Took Office	Left Office	President(s)
1		Tom Ridge	Pennsylvania	January 24, 2003	February 1, 2005		George W. Bush
–		James Loy (acting)	Pennsylvania	February 1, 2005	February 15, 2005
2		Michael Chertoff	New Jersey	February 15, 2005	January 21, 2009
3		Janet Napolitano	Arizona	January 21, 2009	Incumbent		Barack Obama

¹ James Loy served as acting secretary in his capacity as Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security February 1—February 15, 2005.

Living former Secretaries of Homeland Security

As of January 2009, two regular and one acting former Secretaries of Homeland Security were alive, the oldest being James Loy (2005 (acting); born 1942).

Name	Secretarial term	Date of birth
Tom Ridge	2003–2005	(1945-08-26) August 26, 1945
James Loy	2005 (acting)	(1942-08-10) August 10, 1942
Michael Chertoff	2005-2009	(1953-11-28) November 28, 1953

Order of succession

The order of succession for the Secretary of Homeland Security is as follows:

1. Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security
2. Under Secretary of Homeland Security for National Protection and Programs
3. Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Management
4. Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security for Policy (acting as Under Secretary-equivalent)
5. Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Science and Technology
6. General Counsel of the Department of Homeland Security
7. Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security (Transportation Security Administration)
8. Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency
9. Commissioner of Customs and Border Protection
10. Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security for Immigration and Customs Enforcement
11. Director of Citizenship and Immigration Services
12. Chief Financial Officer
13. Regional Administrator, Region V, Federal Emergency Management Agency
14. Regional Administrator, Region VI, Federal Emergency Management Agency
15. Regional Administrator, Region VII, Federal Emergency Management Agency
16. Regional Administrator, Region IX, Federal Emergency Management Agency
17. Regional Administrator, Region I, Federal Emergency Management Agency

References

United States presidential line of succession
Preceded by Secretary of Veterans Affairs	18th in line	Last