United States Secretary of Transportation

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United States Secretary of Transportation of
Official Seal
Incumbent Ray LaHood since January 23, 2009
Formation	October 15, 1966
Succession	Fourteenth
Website	www.dot.gov

The United States Secretary of Transportation is the head of the United States Department of Transportation, a member of the President's Cabinet, and fourteenth in the Presidential line of succession. 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.^[1] 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."^[1] The Secretary of Transportation oversees eleven agencies, including the Federal Aviation Administration, the Federal Highway Administration, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.^[1] In April 2008, Mary Peters launched the official blog of the Secretary of Transportation called The Fast Lane.^[2] The salary of the Secretary of Transportation is $199,700.^[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, and he would subsequently be Secretary of Energy. Japanese American Norman Mineta, who had previously been Secretary of Commerce, is the longest-serving Secretary, serving for over five and a half years,^[1] 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, at age sixty-nine.^[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]

Contents 1 Secretaries of Transportation 2 Line of succession 3 References 4 External links

[edit] Secretaries of Transportation

No.	Image	Name	State of residence	Took office	Left office	President(s) served under
1		Boyd, Alan StephensonAlan Stephenson Boyd	Florida	01967-01-16 January 16, 1967	01969-01-20 January 20, 1969	Johnson, LyndonLyndon Johnson
2		Volpe, John A.John A. Volpe	Massachusetts	01969-01-22 January 22, 1969	01973-02-02 February 2, 1973	Nixon, RichardRichard Nixon
3		Brinegar, ClaudeClaude Brinegar	California	01973-02-02 February 2, 1973	01975-02-01 February 1, 1975	Nixon, RichardRichard Nixon, Gerald Ford
4		Coleman, Jr., William ThaddeusWilliam Thaddeus Coleman, Jr.	Pennsylvania	01975-03-07 March 7, 1975	01977-01-20 January 20, 1977	Ford, GeraldGerald Ford
5		Adams, BrockBrock Adams	Washington	01977-01-23 January 23, 1977	01979-07-20 July 20, 1979	Carter, JimmyJimmy Carter
6		Goldschmidt, NeilNeil Goldschmidt	Oregon	01979-08-15 August 15, 1979	01981-01-20 January 20, 1981	Carter, JimmyJimmy Carter
7		Lewis, DrewDrew Lewis	Pennsylvania	01981-01-23 January 23, 1981	01983-02-01 February 1, 1983	Reagan, RonaldRonald Reagan
8		Dole, ElizabethElizabeth Dole	Kansas	01983-02-07 February 7, 1983	01987-09-30 September 30, 1987	Reagan, RonaldRonald Reagan
9		Burnley IV, James H.James H. Burnley IV	North Carolina	01987-12-03 December 3, 1987	01989-01-30 January 30, 1989	Reagan, RonaldRonald Reagan
10		Skinner, Samuel K.Samuel K. Skinner	Illinois	01989-02-06 February 6, 1989	01991-12-13 December 13, 1991	Bush, George H. W.George H. W. Bush
11		Card, AndrewAndrew Card	Massachusetts	01992-02-24 February 24, 1992	01993-01-20 January 20, 1993	Bush, George H. W.George H. W. Bush
12		Peña, FedericoFederico Peña	Colorado	01993-01-21 January 21, 1993	01997-02-14 February 14, 1997	Clinton, BillBill Clinton
13		Slater, RodneyRodney Slater	Arkansas	01997-02-14 February 14, 1997	02001-01-20 January 20, 2001	Clinton, BillBill Clinton
14		Mineta, NormanNorman Mineta	California	02001-01-25 January 25, 2001	02006-08-07 August 7, 2006	Bush, George W.George W. Bush
15		Peters, MaryMary Peters	Arizona	02006-10-17 October 17, 2006	02009-01-20 January 20, 2009	Bush, George W.George W. Bush
16		LaHood, RayRay LaHood	Illinois	02009-01-23 January 23, 2009	present	Obama, BarackBarack Obama

[edit] Line of succession

The line of succession regarding who would act as Secretary of Transportation in the event of a vacancy or incapacitation is as follows:^[6]

1. Deputy Secretary of Transportation
2. Under Secretary of Transportation for Policy
3. Administrator of the Federal Highway Administration
4. Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration
5. Administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
6. Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration
7. Administrator of the Federal Transit Administration
8. Administrator of the Maritime Administration
9. Administrator of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
10. Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
11. Administrator of the Research and Innovative Technology Administration
12. Administrator of the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation
13. Regional Administrator, Southern Region, Federal Aviation Administration
14. Director, Resource Center, Lakewood, Colorado, Federal Highway Administration
15. Regional Administrator, Northwest Mountain Region, Federal Aviation Administration

[edit] References

General

• "Biographical Sketches of the Secretaries of Transportation". U.S. Department of Transportation. 8/14/2009. http://dotlibrary.dot.gov/Historian/bios.htm. Retrieved 2 January 2010. 

Specific

[edit] External links

• 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

v • d • e United States Secretaries of Transportation Boyd • Volpe • Brinegar • Coleman • Adams • Goldschmidt • Lewis • Dole • Burnley • Skinner • Card • Peña • Slater • Mineta • Peters • LaHood

v • d • e Leaders of the United States federal executive departments Agriculture • Commerce • Defense • Education • Energy • Health and Human Services • Homeland Security • Housing and Urban Development • Interior • Justice • Labor • State • Transportation • Treasury • Veterans Affairs Past department leaders: Commerce and Labor • Health, Education, and Welfare • Navy • Post Office • War

v • d • e Agencies of the United States Department of Transportation Secretary of Transportation · Inspector General Deputy Secretary of Transportation Federal Aviation Administration · Federal Highway Administration · Federal Railroad Administration · Federal Transit Administration · U.S. Maritime Administration · Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration · National Highway Traffic Safety Administration · Research and Innovative Technology Administration · Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration · Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation · Surface Transportation Board · Office of Drug and Alcohol Policy and Compliance Under Secretary of Transportation for Policy Office of Aviation and International Affairs · Office of Transportation Policy