United States Secretary of Education

{{Short description|Head of the United States Department of Education}}

{{redirect|Secretary of education|other uses|Secretary of Education}}

{{Infobox official post

| post = United States Secretary of Education

| body =

| flag = Flag of the United States Secretary of Education.svg

| flagborder = yes

| flagcaption = Flag of the secretary

| insignia = Seal of the United States Department of Education.svg

| insigniacaption = Seal of the Department of Education

| image = File:Linda McMahon first day at the office, 2025 (cropped).jpg

| incumbent = Linda McMahon

| incumbentsince = March 3, 2025

| acting = no

| department = Department of Education

| style = Madam Secretary (informal)
The Honorable (formal)

| reports_to = President of the United States

| seat = Lyndon Baines Johnson Department of Education Building
Washington, D.C.

| appointer = President of the United States

| appointer_qualified = with advice and consent from the Senate

| termlength = No fixed term

| constituting_instrument = {{UnitedStatesCode|20|3411}}

| formation = {{start date and age|1979|11|30}}

| first = Shirley Hufstedler

| succession = Sixteenth{{cite web |title=3 U.S. Code § 19 - Vacancy in offices of both President and Vice President; officers eligible to act |url=https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/3/19 |website=Legal Information Institute |access-date=31 July 2021 |language=English }}

| deputy = Deputy Secretary

| salary = Executive Schedule, Level I

| website = {{URL|https://www.ed.gov/|ed.gov}}

}}

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.{{Cite web |title=Order of presidential succession |url=https://www.usa.gov/presidential-succession |access-date=15 September 2023 |website=www.usa.gov |language=en |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230915062750/https://www.usa.gov/presidential-succession |archive-date=15 September 2023}}

The current secretary of education is Linda McMahon, serving in this role under President Donald Trump.{{Cite news |last=Schultz |first=Brooke |date=2025-01-20 |title=Trump Names Acting Education Secretary Ahead of Linda McMahon's Confirmation |url=https://www.edweek.org/policy-politics/trump-names-acting-education-secretary-ahead-of-linda-mcmahons-confirmation/2025/01 |access-date=2025-01-21 |work=Education Week |language=en |issn=0277-4232}}

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.{{cite news|last1=Wilson |first1=Reid|title=The Presidential order of succession |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/govbeat/wp/2013/10/20/the-presidential-order-of-succession/|access-date=December 28, 2016|newspaper=The Washington Post |date=October 20, 2013}} This secretary deals with federal influence over education policy, and heads the United States Department of Education.{{cite web |title=US Department of Education Principal Office Functional Statements |url=http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/om/fs_po/osods/intro.html|publisher=United States Department of Education |archive-date=10 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230410180435/https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/om/fs_po/osods/intro.html |url-status=dead |access-date=December 28, 2016}}

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."{{cite web |author=NACIQI Staff |date=November 23, 2016 |title=Welcome |location=Washington, D.C. |publisher=U.S. Department of Education, National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity (NACIQI) |url=https://sites.ed.gov/naciqi/ |access-date=November 23, 2016}}

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

{{legend2|{{party color|Democratic Party (United States)}}|Democrat|border=1px solid #AAAAAA}}

{{legend2|{{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}|Republican|border=1px solid #AAAAAA}}

;Status

=Health, Education, and Welfare=

class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
No. !class=unsortable \|Portrait !Name !State of residence !Took office !Left office !colspan=2 \|President(s)
style="background: {{party color\|Republican Party (United States)}};" \|{{color\|white\|1}} \|75px \|{{sortname\|Oveta Culp\|Hobby}} \|rowspan=1 \|Texas \|April 11, 1953 \|July 31, 1955 \|rowspan=3 style="background: {{party color\|Republican Party (United States)}};" \| \|rowspan=3 \|{{sortname\|Dwight D.\|Eisenhower}} (1953–1961)
style="background: {{party color\|Republican Party (United States)}};" \|{{color\|white\|2}} \|75px \|{{sortname\|Marion B.\|Folsom}} \|New York \|August 2, 1955 \|July 31, 1958
style="background: {{party color\|Republican Party (United States)}};" \|{{color\|white\|3}} \|75px \|{{sortname\|Arthur\|Flemming\|Arthur Sherwood Flemming}} \|Ohio \|August 1, 1958 \|January 19, 1961
style="background: {{party color\|Democratic Party (United States)}};" \|{{color\|white\|4}} \|75px \|{{sortname\|Abraham A.\|Ribicoff}} \|Connecticut \|January 21, 1961 \|July 13, 1962 \|rowspan=2 style="background: {{party color\|Democratic Party (United States)}};" \| \|rowspan=2 \|{{sortname\|John F.\|Kennedy}} (1961–1963)
rowspan=2 style="background: {{party color\|Democratic Party (United States)}};" \|{{color\|white\|5}} \|rowspan=2 \|75px \|rowspan="2;" nowrap="" \|{{sortname\|Anthony J.\|Celebrezze}} \|rowspan=2 \|Ohio \|rowspan=2 \|July 31, 1962 \|rowspan=2 \|August 17, 1965
rowspan=3 style="background: {{party color\|Democratic Party (United States)}};" \| \|rowspan=3 \|{{sortname\|Lyndon B.\|Johnson}} (1963–1969)
style="background: {{party color\|Republican Party (United States)}};" \|{{color\|white\|6}} \|75px \|{{sortname\|John W.\|Gardner}} \|California \|August 18, 1965 \|March 1, 1968
style="background: {{party color\|Democratic Party (United States)}};" \|{{color\|white\|7}} \|75px \|{{sortname\|Wilbur J.\|Cohen}} \|Michigan \|May 16, 1968 \|January 20, 1969
style="background: {{party color\|Republican Party (United States)}};" \|{{color\|white\|8}} \|75px \|{{sortname\|Robert\|Finch\|dab=American politician}} \|California \|January 21, 1969 \|June 23, 1970 \|rowspan=3 style="background: {{party color\|Republican Party (United States)}};" \| \|rowspan=3 \|{{sortname\|Richard\|Nixon}} (1969–1974)
style="background: {{party color\|Republican Party (United States)}};" \|{{color\|white\|9}} \|75px \|{{sortname\|Elliot L.\|Richardson}} \|Massachusetts \|June 24, 1970 \|January 29, 1973
rowspan=2 style="background: {{party color\|Republican Party (United States)}};" \|{{color\|white\|10}} \|rowspan=2 \|75px \|rowspan=2 \|{{sortname\|Caspar\|Weinberger}} \|rowspan=2 \|California \|rowspan=2 \|February 12, 1973 \|rowspan=2 \|August 8, 1975
rowspan=2 style="background: {{party color\|Republican Party (United States)}};" \| \|rowspan=2 \|{{sortname\|Gerald\|Ford}} (1974–1977)
style="background: {{party color\|Independent (politician)}};" \|{{color\|black\|11}} \|75px \|{{sortname\|F. David\|Mathews}} \|Alabama \|August 8, 1975 \|January 20, 1977
style="background: {{party color\|Democratic Party (United States)}};" \|{{color\|white\|12}} \|75px \|{{sortname\|Joseph A.\|Califano Jr.}} \|rowspan=2 \|District of Columbia \|January 25, 1977 \|August 3, 1979 \|rowspan=2 style="background: {{party color\|Democratic Party (United States)}};" \| \|rowspan=2 \|{{sortname\|Jimmy\|Carter}} (1977–1981)
style="background: {{party color\|Democratic Party (United States)}};" \|{{color\|white\|13}} \|75px \|{{sortname\|Patricia Roberts\|Harris}} \|August 3, 1979 \|May 4, 1980Harris 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.

class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"

No.

!class=unsortable |Portrait

!Name

!State of residence

!Took office

!Left office

!colspan=2 |President(s)

style="background: {{party color|Republican Party (United States)}};" |{{color|white|1}}

United States Secretary of Education

Function

List of secretaries

=Health, Education, and Welfare=

= United States Secretary of Education =

See also

References

External links