United States Secretary of Transportation
| United States Secretary of Transportation |
|
|---|---|
Flag of the United States Secretary of Transportation |
|
| Formation | October 15, 1966 |
| First holder | Alan Stephenson Boyd |
| Succession | Fourteenth |
| Website | www.dot.gov |
The United States Secretary of Transportation is the head of the U.S. Department of Transportation, a member of the President's Cabinet, and fourteenth in the Presidential line of succession.[1] The post was created with the formation of the Department of Transportation on October 15, 1966, by President Lyndon B. Johnson's signing of the Department of Transportation Act.[2] The Department's mission is "to develop and coordinate policies that will provide an efficient and economical national transportation system, with due regard for need, the environment, and the national defense."[2] The Secretary of Transportation oversees eleven agencies, including the Federal Aviation Administration, the Federal Highway Administration, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.[2] In April 2008, Mary Peters launched the official blog of the Secretary of Transportation called The Fast Lane.[3]
The first Secretary of Transportation was Alan Stephenson Boyd, nominated to the post by Democratic President Lyndon B. Johnson. Ronald Reagan's second Secretary of Transportation, Elizabeth Dole, was the first female holder, and Mary Peters was the second. Gerald Ford's nominee William Thaddeus Coleman, Jr. was the first African American to serve as Transportation Secretary, and Federico Peña, serving under Bill Clinton, was the first Hispanic to hold the position, subsequently becoming Secretary of Energy. Japanese American Norman Mineta, who had previously been Secretary of Commerce, is the longest-serving Secretary, holding the post for over five and a half years,[2] and Andrew Card is the shortest-serving Secretary, serving only eleven months. Neil Goldschmidt was the youngest secretary, taking office at age thirty-nine, while Norman Mineta was the oldest, retiring at age seventy-four.[4] On January 23, 2009, the sixteenth and current secretary Ray LaHood took office, serving under the administration of Democrat Barack Obama; he had previously been a Republican Congressman from Illinois for fourteen years.[5] The salary of the Secretary of Transportation is $199,700.[6]
Anthony Foxx, the current Mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina was nominated by President Barack Obama on April 29, 2013, to succeed Ray LaHood.
Contents |
Secretaries of Transportation [edit]
| # | Image | Name | State of residence | Took office | Left office | Party | President(s) served under |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ![]() |
Alan Stephenson Boyd | Florida | January 16, 1967 | January 20, 1969 | Democratic | Lyndon Johnson |
| 2 | John A. Volpe | Massachusetts | January 22, 1969 | February 2, 1973 | Republican | Richard Nixon | |
| 3 | ![]() |
Claude Brinegar | California | February 2, 1973 | February 1, 1975 | Republican | Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford |
| 4 | ![]() |
William Thaddeus Coleman, Jr. | Pennsylvania | March 7, 1975 | January 20, 1977 | Republican | Gerald Ford |
| 5 | Brock Adams | Washington | January 23, 1977 | July 20, 1979 | Democratic | Jimmy Carter | |
| 6 | ![]() |
Neil Goldschmidt | Oregon | August 15, 1979 | January 20, 1981 | Democratic | Jimmy Carter |
| 7 | Drew Lewis | Pennsylvania | January 23, 1981 | February 1, 1983 | Republican | Ronald Reagan | |
| 8 | Elizabeth Dole | Kansas | February 7, 1983 | September 30, 1987 | Republican | Ronald Reagan | |
| 9 | ![]() |
James H. Burnley IV | North Carolina | December 3, 1987 | January 30, 1989 | Republican | Ronald Reagan |
| 10 | ![]() |
Samuel K. Skinner | Illinois | February 6, 1989 | December 13, 1991 | Republican | George H. W. Bush |
| 11 | Andrew Card | Massachusetts | February 24, 1992 | January 20, 1993 | Republican | George H. W. Bush | |
| 12 | Federico Peña | Colorado | January 21, 1993 | February 14, 1997 | Democratic | Bill Clinton | |
| 13 | Rodney Slater | Arkansas | February 14, 1997 | January 20, 2001 | Democratic | Bill Clinton | |
| 14 | Norman Mineta | California | January 25, 2001 | August 7, 2006 | Democratic | George W. Bush | |
| 15 | Mary Peters | Arizona | October 17, 2006 | January 20, 2009 | Republican | George W. Bush | |
| 16 | Ray LaHood | Illinois | January 23, 2009 | Incumbent | Republican | Barack Obama |
Line of succession [edit]
The line of succession regarding who would act as Secretary of Transportation in the event of a vacancy or incapacitation is as follows:[7]
- Deputy Secretary of Transportation
- Under Secretary of Transportation for Policy
- General Counsel
- Assistant Secretary for Budget and Programs
- Assistant Secretary for Transportation Policy
- Assistant Secretary for Governmental Affairs.
- Assistant Secretary for Aviation and International Affairs
- Assistant Secretary for Administration
- Administrator of the Federal Highway Administration
- Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration
- Administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
- Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration
- Administrator of the Federal Transit Administration
- Administrator of the Maritime Administration
- Administrator of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
- Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Administrator of the Research and Innovative Technology Administration
- Administrator of the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation
- Regional Administrator, Southern Region, Federal Aviation Administration
- Director, Resource Center, Lakewood, Colorado, Federal Highway Administration
- Regional Administrator, Northwest Mountain Region, Federal Aviation Administration
References [edit]
- General
- "Biographical Sketches of the Secretaries of Transportation". U.S. Department of Transportation. August 14, 2009. Retrieved January 2, 2010.
- Specific
- ^ "3 U.S.C. § 19 - Vacancy in offices of both President and Vice President; officers eligible to act". Legal Information Institute. Cornell University Law School.
- ^ a b c d Grinder, R. Dale. "The United States Department of Transportation: A Brief History". U.S. Department of Transportation. Retrieved January 2, 2010.
- ^ "A Chronology of Dates Significant in the Background, History and Development of the Department of Transportation". U.S. Department of Transportation. August 14, 2009. Retrieved January 3, 2010.
- ^ "Biographical Sketches of the Secretaries of Transportation". U.S. Department of Transportation. August 14, 2009. Retrieved January 3, 2010.
- ^ "Ray LaHood—Secretary of Transportation". U.S. Department of Transportation. July 22, 2009. Retrieved January 3, 2010.
- ^ "Salary Table No. 2010—Ex". U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Retrieved January 3, 2010.
"5 U.S.C. § 5312 - Positions at level I". Legal Information Institute. Cornell University Law School. - ^ Obama, Barack (January 14, 2009). "Executive Order 13485: Providing an Order of Succession Within the Department of Transportation". NASA Online Directives Information System. Retrieved January 2, 2010.
The order of succession of the U.S. Department of Transportation is as follows (see http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/pdf/E8-5543.pdf):
(1) Deputy Secretary. (2) Under Secretary of Transportation for Policy. (3) General Counsel. (4) Assistant Secretary for Budget and Programs. (5) Assistant Secretary for Transportation Policy. (6) Assistant Secretary for Governmental Affairs. (7) Assistant Secretary for Aviation and International Affairs. (8) Assistant Secretary for Administration. (9) Administrator of the Federal Highway Administration (10) Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (11) Administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (12) Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration (13) Administrator of the Federal Transit Administration (14) Administrator of the Maritime Administration (15) Administrator of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (16) Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (17) Administrator of the Research and Innovative Technology Administration (18) Administrator of the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation (19) Regional Administrator, Southern Region, Federal Aviation Administration (20) Director, Resource Center, Lakewood, Colorado, Federal Highway Administration (21) Regional Administrator, Northwest Mountain Region, Federal Aviation Administration [edit]
External links [edit]
- Department of Transportation
- The Fast Lane, the official blog of the Secretary
| United States presidential line of succession | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Secretary of Housing and Urban Development |
14th in line | Succeeded by Secretary of Energy |
|
|||||||
|
||||||||





