United States Secretary of Education

Template:Short description Template:Redirect Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox official post The United States secretary of education is the head of the United States Department of Education. The secretary serves as the principal advisor to the president of the United States, and the federal government, on policies, programs, and activities related to all education in the United States. As a member of the Cabinet of the United States, the secretary is sixteenth in the line of succession to the presidency.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The current secretary of education is Linda McMahon, serving in this role under President Donald Trump.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Function

The United States secretary of education is a member of the president's Cabinet and is the fifteenth in the United States presidential line of succession.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> This secretary deals with federal influence over education policy, and heads the United States Department of Education.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The secretary is advised by the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity, an advisory committee, on "matters related to accreditation and to the eligibility and certification process for institutions of higher education."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

List of secretaries

Prior to the creation of the Department of Education in 1979, Education was a division of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare.

Parties

Status

Health, Education, and Welfare

No.	Portrait	Name	State of residence	Took office	Left office	President(s)
style="background: Template:Party color;" |Template:Color	File:Hobby-Oveta-Culp.jpg	Template:Sortname	Texas	April 11, 1953	July 31, 1955	rowspan=3 style="background: Template:Party color;" |	Template:Sortname (1953–1961)
style="background: Template:Party color;" |Template:Color	File:Folsom.jpg	Template:Sortname	New York	August 2, 1955	July 31, 1958
style="background: Template:Party color;" |Template:Color	File:ArthurSFlemming.jpg	Template:Sortname	Ohio	August 1, 1958	January 19, 1961
style="background: Template:Party color;" |Template:Color	File:Ribicoff.jpg	Template:Sortname	Connecticut	January 21, 1961	July 13, 1962	rowspan=2 style="background: Template:Party color;" |	Template:Sortname (1961–1963)
rowspan=2 style="background: Template:Party color;" |Template:Color	File:Celebrez.jpg	Template:Sortname	Ohio	July 31, 1962	August 17, 1965
rowspan=3 style="background: Template:Party color;" |		Template:Sortname (1963–1969)
style="background: Template:Party color;" |Template:Color	File:John W. Gardner, U.S. Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare.jpg		Template:Sortname	California	August 18, 1965	March 1, 1968
style="background: Template:Party color;" |Template:Color	File:Wilburportrait.jpg		Template:Sortname	Michigan	May 16, 1968	January 20, 1969
style="background: Template:Party color;" |Template:Color	File:Robert Finch, 1967.jpg	Template:Sortname	California	January 21, 1969	June 23, 1970	rowspan=3 style="background: Template:Party color;" |	Template:Sortname (1969–1974)
style="background: Template:Party color;" |Template:Color	File:ElliotLeeRichardson.jpg	Template:Sortname	Massachusetts	June 24, 1970	January 29, 1973
rowspan=2 style="background: Template:Party color;" |Template:Color	File:Caspar Weinberger official photo.jpg	Template:Sortname	California	February 12, 1973	August 8, 1975
rowspan=2 style="background: Template:Party color;" |						Template:Sortname (1974–1977)
style="background: Template:Party color;" |Template:Color	File:F. David Mathews.jpg	Template:Sortname	Alabama	August 8, 1975	January 20, 1977
style="background: Template:Party color;" |Template:Color	File:JAC AR 2007.jpg	Template:Sortname	District of Columbia	January 25, 1977	August 3, 1979	rowspan=2 style="background: Template:Party color;" |	Template:Sortname (1977–1981)
style="background: Template:Party color;" |Template:Color	File:Patricia R. Harris.jpg	Template:Sortname		August 3, 1979	May 4, 1980<ref name="PatriciaHarris">Harris was Secretary on May 4, 1980, when the office changed names from Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare to Secretary of Health and Human Services. Because the department merely changed names, she did not need to be confirmed again, and her term continued uninterrupted.</ref>

United States Secretary of Education

Source<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

No.	Portrait	Name	State of residence	Took office	Left office	President
style="background: Template:Party color;" |Template:Color	File:United States Secretary of Education Shirley Hufstedler at Miami-Dade Community College 1980-02-07 (cropped 2).jpg	Template:Sortname	California	November 30, 1979	January 20, 1981	style="background: Template:Party color;" |	Template:Sortname (1977–1981)
style="background: Template:Party color;" |Template:Color	File:TerrelBell.jpg	Template:Sortname	Utah	January 22, 1981	January 20, 1985	rowspan=4 style="background: Template:Party color;" |	Template:Sortname (1981–1989)
style="background: Template:Party color;" |	File:Bill Bennett by Gage Skidmore.jpg	Template:Sortname	North Carolina	February 6, 1985	September 20, 1988
style="background: Template:Party color;" |Template:Color
rowspan=2 style="background: Template:Party color;" |Template:Color	File:Cavazos.jpg	Template:Sortname	Texas	September 20, 1988	December 12, 1990
rowspan=3 style="background: Template:Party color;" |						Template:Sortname (1989–1993)
–	File:Portrait gray.png	Template:Sortname Template:Small	Illinois	December 12, 1990	March 22, 1991
style="background: Template:Party color;" |Template:Color	File:Lamar Alexander black and white photo.jpg	Template:Sortname	Tennessee	March 22, 1991	January 20, 1993
style="background: Template:Party color;" |Template:Color	File:Richard Riley Official Department of Education Photo.jpg	Template:Sortname	South Carolina	January 21, 1993	January 20, 2001	style="background: Template:Party color;" |	Template:Sortname (1993–2001)
style="background: Template:Party color;" |Template:Color	File:Rod Paige.jpg	Template:Sortname	Texas	January 20, 2001	January 20, 2005	rowspan=2 style="background: Template:Party color;" |	Template:Sortname (2001–2009)
style="background: Template:Party color;" |Template:Color	File:Margaret Spellings, official ed photo 3.jpg	Template:Sortname		January 20, 2005	January 20, 2009
style="background: Template:Party color;" |Template:Color	File:Arne Duncan official photo (cropped).jpg	Template:Sortname<ref name=DuncanKing_WP151002>Template:Cite web</ref>	Illinois	January 21, 2009	January 1, 2016	rowspan=3 style="background: Template:Party color;" |	Template:Sortname (2009–2017)
rowspan=2 style="background: Template:Party color;" |Template:Color	File:John B. King official portrait (cropped2).jpg	Template:Sortname<ref name=DuncanKing_WP151002/>	New York	January 1, 2016	March 14, 2016
March 14, 2016				January 20, 2017
–	File:Phil Rosenfelt (cropped).jpg	Template:Sortname Template:Small	Virginia	January 20, 2017	February 7, 2017	rowspan=3 style="background: Template:Party color;" |	Template:Sortname (2017–2021)
style="background: Template:Party color;" |Template:Color	File:Betsy DeVos official portrait (cropped).jpg	Template:Sortname	Michigan	February 7, 2017	January 8, 2021
–	File:Mick Zais official photo (cropped).jpg	Template:Sortname Template:Small	South Carolina	January 8, 2021	January 20, 2021
–	File:Phil Rosenfelt (cropped).jpg	Template:Sortname Template:Small	Virginia	January 20, 2021	March 2, 2021	rowspan=2 style="background: Template:Party color;" |	Template:Sortname (2021–2025)
style="background: Template:Party color;" |Template:Color	File:Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, official portrait (cropped).jpg	Template:Sortname	Connecticut	March 2, 2021	January 20, 2025
–	File:Denise L. Carter.png	Template:Sortname Template:Small		January 20, 2025	March 3, 2025	rowspan=2 style="background: Template:Party color;" |	Template:Sortname (2025–present)
style="background: Template:Party color;" |Template:Color	File:Linda McMahon 2025 (cropped).jpg	Template:Sortname	Connecticut	March 3, 2025	present

See also

• Education in the United States
• Special education in the United States

External links

• Template:Official website

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