Jump to content

United States Secretary of the Interior

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Orphan Wiki (talk | contribs) at 19:26, 11 September 2018 (Reverted edits by 174.79.41.188 (talk) (HG) (3.4.4)). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Secretary of the Interior of the United States
Seal of the U.S. Department of the Interior
Flag of the U.S. Secretary of the Interior
Incumbent
Ryan Zinke
since March 1, 2017
United States Department of the Interior
StyleMr. Secretary
Member ofCabinet
Reports toThe President
SeatWashington, D.C.
AppointerThe President
with Senate advice and consent
Term lengthNo fixed term
Constituting instrument43 U.S.C. § 1451
FormationMarch 3, 1849; 175 years ago (1849-03-03)
First holderThomas Ewing
SuccessionEighth[1]
DeputyDeputy Secretary of the Interior
SalaryExecutive Schedule, level 1
Websitewww.doi.gov

The United States Secretary of the Interior is the head of the United States Department of the Interior. The Department of the Interior in the United States is responsible for the management and conservation of most federal land and natural resources; it oversees such agencies as the Bureau of Land Management, the United States Geological Survey, and the National Park Service. The Secretary also serves on and appoints the private citizens on the National Park Foundation board. The Secretary is a member of the President's Cabinet. The U.S. Department of the Interior should not be confused with the Ministries of the Interior as used in many other countries. Ministries of the Interior in these other countries correspond primarily to the Department of Homeland Security in the U.S. Cabinet and secondarily to the Department of Justice.

Because the policies and activities of the Department of the Interior and many of its agencies have a substantial impact in the Western United States,[2] the Secretary of the Interior has typically come from a western state; only two of the individuals to hold the office since 1949 have not been from a state lying west of the Mississippi River. The current Interior Secretary is Ryan Zinke, who was nominated by President Donald Trump on December 13, 2016 [3] and approved by the Senate on March 1, 2017.

Line of succession

The line of succession for the Secretary of Interior is as follows:[4]

  1. Deputy Secretary of the Interior
  2. Solicitor of the Interior
  3. Assistant Secretary for Policy, Management and Budget
  4. Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management
  5. Assistant Secretary for Water and Science
  6. Assistant Secretary for Fish, Wildlife and Parks
  7. Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs
  8. Director, Security, Safety, and Law Enforcement, Bureau of Reclamation
  9. Central Region Director, US Geological Survey
  10. Intermountain Regional Director, National Park Service
  11. Region 6 (Mountain-Prairie Region) Director, US Fish and Wildlife Service
  12. Colorado State Director, Bureau of Land Management
  13. Regional Solicitor, Rocky Mountain Region

List of Secretaries of the Interior

Living former Secretaries of the Interior

See also: List of living former members of the United States Cabinet
The former flag of the United States Secretary of the Interior, which was used from 1917 to 1934

As of November 2024, eight former Secretaries of the Interior are alive (with all Secretaries that have served since 1985 still living), the oldest being Manuel Lujan, Jr. (served 1989–1993, born 1928). The most recent to die was Cecil D. Andrus (served 1977–1981, born 1931), on August 23, 2017. The most recently serving Secretary to die was William P. Clark Jr. (served 1983–1985, born 1931), on August 10, 2013.

Name Term of office Date of birth (and age)
James G. Watt 1981–1983 (1938-01-31) January 31, 1938 (age 86)
Donald P. Hodel 1985–1989 (1935-05-23) May 23, 1935 (age 89)
Manuel Lujan, Jr. 1989–1993 (1928-05-12) May 12, 1928 (age 96)
Bruce E. Babbitt 1993–2001 (1938-06-27) June 27, 1938 (age 86)
Gale A. Norton 2001–2006 (1954-03-11) March 11, 1954 (age 70)
Dirk Kempthorne 2006–2009 (1951-10-29) October 29, 1951 (age 73)
Ken Salazar 2009–2013 (1955-03-02) March 2, 1955 (age 69)
Sally Jewell 2013–2017 (1956-02-21) February 21, 1956 (age 68)

References

  1. ^ https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/3/19
  2. ^ Salazar, Vilsack: The West's New Land Lords Archived December 20, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ Vogel, Kenneth; Severns, Maggie (December 13, 2016). "Trump selects Zinke as interior secretary". Politico. Washington, DC. Retrieved December 13, 2016.
  4. ^ "Chapter 3: SECRETARIAL SUCCESSION (2) - Laserfiche WebLink". elips.doi.gov. Retrieved October 30, 2016.
  5. ^ "About Secretary Jewell". U.S. Department of the Interior. Archived from the original on June 8, 2013. Retrieved May 23, 2013. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded byas Attorney General Order of Precedence of the United States
as Secretary of the Interior 		Succeeded byas Secretary of Agriculture
U.S. presidential line of succession
Preceded by 8th in line Succeeded by
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=United_States_Secretary_of_the_Interior&oldid=859107738"