United States Secretary of Labor

Secretary of Labor of the United States of America
Seal of the United States Department of Labor
Flag of the Secretary of Labor
Incumbent Thomas Perez since July 23, 2013
United States Department of Labor
Style	Mr. Secretary
Member of	Cabinet
Reports to	The President
Seat	Washington, D.C.
Appointer	The President with Senate advice and consent
Term length	No fixed term
Constituting instrument	29 U.S.C. § 551
Formation	March 4, 1913
First holder	William B. Wilson
Succession	Tenth in the United States Presidential Line of Succession
Deputy	Deputy Secretary of Labor
Salary	Executive Schedule, level 1
Website	www.dol.gov

The United States Secretary of Labor is a member of the Cabinet of the United States, and as the head of the U.S. Department of Labor, 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.

There used to be a U.S. Secretary of Commerce and Labor, who led this department with the U.S. Department of Commerce, which is now 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.

Thomas Perez is the current U.S. Secretary of Labor. He took office after being confirmed by the U.S. Senate on July 23, 2013.

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)
style="background: Template:Democratic Party (United States)/meta/color;" | 1		William B. Wilson	Pennsylvania	March 6, 1913	March 4, 1921	style="background: Template:Democratic Party (United States)/meta/color;" |	Woodrow Wilson
rowspan=3 style="background: Template:Republican Party (United States)/meta/color;" | 2		James J. Davis	Pennsylvania	March 5, 1921	November 30, 1930	style="background: Template:Republican Party (United States)/meta/color;" |	Warren G. Harding
style="background: Template:Republican Party (United States)/meta/color;" |						Calvin Coolidge
rowspan=2 style="background: Template:Republican Party (United States)/meta/color;" |						Herbert Hoover
style="background: Template:Republican Party (United States)/meta/color;" | 3		William N. Doak	Virginia	December 9, 1930	March 4, 1933
rowspan=2 style="background: Template:Democratic Party (United States)/meta/color;" | 4		Frances Perkins	New York	March 4, 1933	June 30, 1945	style="background: Template:Democratic Party (United States)/meta/color;" |	Franklin D. Roosevelt
rowspan=3 style="background: Template:Democratic Party (United States)/meta/color;" |						Harry S. Truman
style="background: Template:Democratic Party (United States)/meta/color;" | 5		Lewis B. Schwellenbach	Washington	July 1, 1945	June 10, 1948
style="background: Template:Democratic Party (United States)/meta/color;" | 6		Maurice J. Tobin	Massachusetts	August 13, 1948	January 20, 1953
style="background: Template:Democratic Party (United States)/meta/color;" | 7		Martin P. Durkin	Maryland	January 21, 1953	September 10, 1953	rowspan=2 style="background: Template:Republican Party (United States)/meta/color;" |	Dwight D. Eisenhower
style="background: Template:Republican Party (United States)/meta/color;" | 8		James P. Mitchell	New Jersey	October 9, 1953	January 20, 1961
style="background: Template:Democratic Party (United States)/meta/color;" | 9		Arthur J. Goldberg	Illinois	January 21, 1961	September 20, 1962	rowspan=2 style="background: Template:Democratic Party (United States)/meta/color;" |	John F. Kennedy
rowspan=2 style="background: Template:Democratic Party (United States)/meta/color;" | 10		W. Willard Wirtz	Illinois	September 25, 1962	January 20, 1969
style="background: Template:Democratic Party (United States)/meta/color;" |						Lyndon B. Johnson
style="background: Template:Republican Party (United States)/meta/color;" | 11		George P. Shultz	Illinois	January 22, 1969	July 1, 1970	rowspan=3 style="background: Template:Republican Party (United States)/meta/color;" |	Richard Nixon
style="background: Template:Republican Party (United States)/meta/color;" | 12		James D. Hodgson	California	July 2, 1970	February 1, 1973
rowspan=2 style="background: Template:Republican Party (United States)/meta/color;" | 13		Peter J. Brennan	New York	February 2, 1973	March 15, 1975
rowspan=3 style="background: Template:Republican Party (United States)/meta/color;" |						Gerald Ford
style="background: Template:Republican Party (United States)/meta/color;" | 14		John T. Dunlop	Massachusetts	March 18, 1975	January 31, 1976
style="background: Template:Republican Party (United States)/meta/color;" | 15		W. J. Usery Jr.	Georgia	February 10, 1976	January 20, 1977
style="background: Template:Democratic Party (United States)/meta/color;" | 16		F. Ray Marshall	Texas	January 27, 1977	January 20, 1981	style="background: Template:Democratic Party (United States)/meta/color;" |	Jimmy Carter
style="background: Template:Republican Party (United States)/meta/color;" | 17		Raymond J. Donovan	New Jersey	February 4, 1981	March 15, 1985	rowspan=3 style="background: Template:Republican Party (United States)/meta/color;" |	Ronald Reagan
style="background: Template:Republican Party (United States)/meta/color;" | 18		William E. Brock	Tennessee	April 29, 1985	October 31, 1987
style="background: Template:Republican Party (United States)/meta/color;" | 19	McLaughlin	Ann Dore McLaughlin	District of Columbia	December 17, 1987	January 20, 1989
style="background: Template:Republican Party (United States)/meta/color;" | 20		Elizabeth H. Dole	Kansas	January 25, 1989	November 23, 1990	rowspan=2 style="background: Template:Republican Party (United States)/meta/color;" |	George H. W. Bush
style="background: Template:Republican Party (United States)/meta/color;" | 21		Lynn M. Martin	Illinois	February 22, 1991	January 20, 1993
style="background: Template:Democratic Party (United States)/meta/color;" | 22		Robert Reich	Massachusetts	January 22, 1993	January 20, 1997	rowspan=2 style="background: Template:Democratic Party (United States)/meta/color;" |	Bill Clinton
style="background: Template:Democratic Party (United States)/meta/color;" | 23		Alexis M. Herman	Alabama	May 1, 1997	January 20, 2001
style="background: Template:Republican Party (United States)/meta/color;" | 24		Elaine L. Chao	Kentucky	January 29, 2001	January 20, 2009	style="background: Template:Republican Party (United States)/meta/color;" |	George W. Bush
style="background: Template:Democratic Party (United States)/meta/color;" | 25		Hilda L. Solis	California	February 24, 2009	January 22, 2013	rowspan=3 style="background: Template:Democratic Party (United States)/meta/color;" |	Barack Obama
style="background: Template:Democratic Party (United States)/meta/color;" | 26		Thomas Perez	Maryland	July 23, 2013	present

Living former Secretaries of Labor

As of November 2024, there are twelve living former Secretaries of Labor, the oldest being George P. Shultz (served 1969–1970, born 1920). The most recent Secretary of Labor to die was James D. Hodgson (served 1970–1973, born 1915), on November 28, 2012. The most recently serving Secretary to die was John Thomas Dunlop (served 1975-1976, born 1914) on October 2, 2003.

Name	Term of office	Date of birth (and age)
George P. Shultz	1969–1970	(1920-12-13) December 13, 1920
William Usery, Jr.	1976–1977	(1923-12-21) December 21, 1923
Ray Marshall	1977–1981	(1928-08-22) August 22, 1928
Raymond J. Donovan	1981–1985	(1930-08-31) August 31, 1930
Bill Brock	1985–1987	(1930-11-23) November 23, 1930
Ann Dore McLaughlin	1987–1989	(1941-11-16) November 16, 1941
Elizabeth H. Dole	1989–1990	(1936-07-29) July 29, 1936
Lynn Morley Martin	1991–1993	(1939-12-26) December 26, 1939
Robert Reich	1993–1997	(1946-06-24) June 24, 1946
Alexis Herman	1997–2001	(1947-07-16) July 16, 1947
Elaine Chao	2001–2009	(1953-03-26) March 26, 1953
Hilda Solis	2009–2013	(1957-10-20) October 20, 1957

See also

• United States Deputy Secretary of Labor
• List of living former members of the United States Cabinet

External links

• Hall of the Secretaries of Labor: Portraits and Biographies