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Surgeon General of the United States

The Surgeon General of the United States is in charge of the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps (PHSCC). They are the main spokesperson about things dealing with public health in the federal government. The Surgeon General's office and staff are known as the Office of the Surgeon General (OSG).

Surgeon General of the
United States
United States Public Health Service (seal).svg
Seal of the United States Public Health Service
Flag of the United States Surgeon General v1.svg
Flag of the United States surgeon general
Rear Admiral Denise Hinton (two-star).jpg
Incumbent
Rear Admiral Denise Hinton
Acting
since January 20, 2025
U.S. Public Health Service
Commissioned Corps
StyleSurgeon General
Vice Admiral
AbbreviationSG
VADM
Reports toUnited States Assistant Secretary for Health
SeatHubert H. Humphrey Building, United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Washington, D.C.
AppointerPresident of the United States
with United States Senate advice and consent
Term length4 years
Constituting instrument42 U.S.C. § 205 and
42 U.S.C. § 207
FormationMarch 29, 1871
First holderJohn M. Woodworth (as supervising surgeon)
DeputyDeputy Surgeon General
Websitewww.SurgeonGeneral.gov

Selection and current office-holder

The Surgeon General is chosen by the U.S. President and confirmed by the Senate. The Surgeon General serves for a four-year period of time. The Surgeon General is either the highest ranking or second highest ranking uniformed officer of the PHSCC. This depends on if the current Assistant Secretary for Health is a PHSCC commissioned officer or not. The position has the grade of a three-star vice admiral .[1]

List of surgeons general of the United States

No. Portrait Name
(Birth–Death) 		Term of office Appointed by
(term) 		Ref.
Took office Left office Time in office
1 John M. Woodworth.jpg John M. Woodworth
(1837–1879) 		March 29, 1871 March 14, 1879 7 years, 350 days Ulysses S. Grant
(1869–1877)
2 Surgeon General John B. Hamilton.jpg Commodore
John B. Hamilton
(1847–1898) 		April 3, 1879 June 1, 1891 12 years, 59 days Rutherford B. Hayes
(1877–1881)
3 Walter Wyman, ca. 1898 (B026910).jpg Commodore
Walter Wyman
(1848–1911) 		June 1, 1891 November 21, 1911 20 years, 173 days Benjamin Harrison
(1889–1893)
4 Rupert Blue 3.jpg Commodore
Rupert Blue
(1868–1948) 		January 13, 1912 March 3, 1920 8 years, 50 days William Howard Taft
(1909–1913)
5 Hugh S. Cumming.jpg Rear Admiral
Hugh S. Cumming
(1869–1948) 		March 3, 1920 January 31, 1936 15 years, 334 days Woodrow Wilson
(1913–1921)
6 Thomas Parran, Jr., photo portrait as surgeon general.jpg Rear Admiral
Thomas Parran Jr.
(1892–1968) 		April 6, 1936 April 6, 1948 12 years, 0 days Franklin D. Roosevelt
(1933–1945)
7 Rear Admiral Leonard Scheele.jpg Rear Admiral
Leonard A. Scheele
(1907–1993) 		April 6, 1948 August 8, 1956 8 years, 124 days Harry S. Truman
(1945–1953)
8 Leroy Edgar Burney, photo portrait as surgeon general.jpg Rear Admiral
Leroy E. Burney
(1906–1998) 		August 8, 1956 January 29, 1961 4 years, 174 days Dwight D. Eisenhower
(1953–1961)
9 Luther Terry photo portrait as surgeon general.jpg Luther Terry
(1911–1985) 		March 2, 1961 October 1, 1965 4 years, 213 days John F. Kennedy
(1961–1963)
10 William H. Stewart, photo portrait as surgeon general.jpg William H. Stewart
(1921–2008) 		October 1, 1965 August 1, 1969 3 years, 304 days Lyndon B. Johnson
(1963–1969)
– Rear Admiral
Richard A. Prindle
(c. 1926–2001)
Acting 		August 1, 1969 December 18, 1969 139 days Richard Nixon
(1969–1974) 		[2][3]
11 Jesse Leonard Steinfeld, photo portrait as surgeon general.jpg Jesse L. Steinfeld
(1927–2014) 		December 18, 1969 January 30, 1973 3 years, 43 days [4][5]
– Rear Admiral S. Paul Ehrlich, Jr.jpg Rear Admiral
S. Paul Ehrlich Jr.
(1932–2005)
Acting 		January 31, 1973 July 13, 1977 4 years, 163 days [6]
12 Julius Richmond, Surgeon General official photo.jpg Vice Admiral
Julius B. Richmond
(1916–2008) 		July 13, 1977 January 20, 1981 3 years, 191 days Jimmy Carter
(1977–1981) 		[7]
– 1980 John C Greene in Official United States Rear Admiral Uniform.jpg Rear Admiral
John C. Greene
(1936–2016)
Acting 		January 21, 1981 May 14, 1981 113 days Ronald Reagan
(1981–1989)
– Edward Brandt Jr.
(1933–2007)
Acting 		May 14, 1981 January 21, 1982 252 days
13 C. Everett Koop, 1980s.jpg Vice Admiral
C. Everett Koop
(1916–2013) 		January 21, 1982 October 1, 1989 7 years, 253 days
– James O. Mason USPHS.jpg Admiral
James O. Mason
(1930–2019)
Acting 		October 1, 1989 March 9, 1990 159 days George H. W. Bush
(1989–1993)
14 VADM Antonia Novello.jpg Vice Admiral
Antonia Novello
(born 1944) 		March 9, 1990 June 30, 1993 3 years, 113 days
– RADM Robert A Whitney Jr.jpg Rear Admiral
Robert A. Whitney
(born 1935)
Acting 		July 1, 1993 September 8, 1993 69 days Bill Clinton
(1993–2001)
15 Joycelyn Elders official photo portrait.jpg Vice Admiral
Joycelyn Elders
(born 1933) 		September 8, 1993 December 31, 1994 1 year, 114 days
– Audrey Manley, DHHS official bw photo.jpg Rear Admiral
Audrey F. Manley
(born 1934)
Acting 		January 1, 1995 July 1, 1997 2 years, 180 days
– J. Jarrett Clinton Portrait.jpg Rear Admiral
J. Jarrett Clinton
(1938–2023)
Acting 		July 2, 1997 February 12, 1998 226 days
16 David Satcher official photo portrait.jpg Admiral[a]
David Satcher
(born 1941) 		February 13, 1998 February 12, 2002 3 years, 364 days [8][9][10]
– RADM Kenneth P. Moritsugu, USPHSCC.jpg Rear Admiral
Kenneth P. Moritsugu
(born 1945)
Acting 		February 13, 2002 August 4, 2002 172 days George W. Bush
(2001–2009) 		[11]
17 Richard carmona.jpg Vice Admiral
Richard Carmona
(born 1949) 		August 5, 2002 July 31, 2006 3 years, 360 days [12][13]
– RADM Kenneth P. Moritsugu, USPHSCC.jpg Rear Admiral
Kenneth P. Moritsugu
(born 1945)
Acting 		August 1, 2006 September 30, 2007 1 year, 60 days [11]
– Steven K Galson.jpg Rear Admiral
Steven K. Galson
(born 1956)
Acting 		October 1, 2007 October 1, 2009 2 years, 0 days [14]
– Donald L. Weaver official portrait.jpg Rear Admiral
Donald L. Weaver
Acting 		October 1, 2009 November 3, 2009 33 days Barack Obama
(2009–2017) 		[15]
18 Regina Benjamin official portrait.jpg Vice Admiral
Regina Benjamin
(born 1956) 		November 3, 2009 July 16, 2013 3 years, 255 days [16][15][17][18]
– RADM Boris Lushniak acting Surgeon General.jpg Rear Admiral
Boris Lushniak
Acting 		July 17, 2013 December 18, 2014 1 year, 154 days [19]
19 Vice Admiral Vivek H. Murthy, USPHS.jpg Vice Admiral
Vivek Murthy
(born 1977) 		April 22, 2015 April 21, 2017 1 year, 364 days [20][21]
– Sylvia Trent-Adams Official Portrait.jpg Rear Admiral
Sylvia Trent-Adams
(born 1965)
Acting 		April 21, 2017 September 5, 2017 137 days Donald Trump
(2017–2021) 		[22]
20 Jerome Adams 2019.jpg Vice Admiral
Jerome Adams
(born 1974) 		September 5, 2017 January 20, 2021 3 years, 137 days [23][24]
– RADM Susan Orsega (two-star).jpg Rear Admiral
Susan Orsega
Acting 		January 20, 2021 March 24, 2021 62 days Joe Biden
(2021–2025) 		[25]
21 Vivek Murthy, Surgeon General (profile).jpg Vice Admiral
Vivek Murthy
(born 1977) 		March 25, 2021 January 20, 2025 3 years, 301 days [26][27]
– Rear Admiral Denise Hinton (two-star).jpg Rear Admiral
Denise Hinton
Acting 		January 20, 2025 Incumbent 320 days Donald Trump
(2025–present)
Nominee Casey Means.png Casey Means
(born 1987) 		TBD Awaiting confirmation

Surgeon General Of The United States Media

  • The landmark 1964 Surgeon General's report on Smoking and Health.

Notes

  1. ↑ Reverted to the rank of vice admiral in 2001, for the remainder of his term as surgeon general, when he no longer held the office of Assistant Secretary for Health.

References

  1. ↑ Public Health, Commissioned Corps Uniforms and Ranks Archived 2008-05-13 at the Wayback Machine.
  2. ↑ "House Panel Bids U.S. Study Marijuana's Use and Effects". The New York Times: 62. September 7, 1969. https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1969/09/07/89369343.html?pageNumber=62. Retrieved 22 April 2017. 
  3. ↑ Zielinski, Graeme (September 15, 2001). Public Health Researcher Richard Prindle Dies. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/2001/09/15/public-health-researcher-richard-prindle-dies/cdb8089c-d960-49c6-af77-23de6552e4cf/. Retrieved 22 April 2017. 
  4. ↑ "Washington: For the Record – December 18, 1969". The New York Times: 7. December 19, 1969. https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1969/12/19/88872725.html?pageNumber=7. Retrieved 22 April 2017. 
  5. ↑ "Jesse Leonard Steinfeld (1969–1973)". SurgeonGeneral.gov. January 4, 2007. Archived from the original on December 1, 2017. Retrieved April 29, 2014.
  6. ↑ U.S. Government Accountability Office (August 27, 1974). Need for More Effective Management of Community Mental Health Centers Program: National Institute of Mental Health; Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (PDF) (Report). Archived from the original on October 6, 2022.
  7. ↑ "HHS Secretaries". National Institutes of Health. Archived from the original on September 24, 2008. Retrieved April 29, 2014.
  8. ↑ "David Satcher (1998–2002)". U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. January 4, 2007. Archived from the original on January 6, 2009. Retrieved January 22, 2009.
  9. ↑ "Satcher Sworn In As Surgeon General". CNN. February 12, 1998. https://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/1998/02/13/satcher/. 
  10. ↑ Barry, Colleen L.; Frank, Richard G. (April 1, 2002). "Economic Grand Rounds: Economics and the Surgeon General's Report on Mental Health". Psychiatric Services. 53 (4). doi:10.1176/appi.ps.53.4.409.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 "Kenneth P. Moritsugu, MD, MPH, FACPM, Rear Admiral, USPHS". Physician Assistant History Society.
  12. ↑ "Vice Admiral Richard H. Carmona, M.D., M.P.H., F.A.C.S." The White House.
  13. ↑ U.S. Surgeon General Says He Is Resigning. July 31, 2006. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2006/08/01/us-surgeon-general-says-he-is-resigning/cc6047cc-c662-4da0-a5ca-c212020388ef/. 
  14. ↑ "Steven Galson Appointed Acting Surgeon General". BioPharm International. October 9, 2007.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Phillips, Kate (October 29, 2009). Senate Confirms Surgeon General. https://archive.nytimes.com/thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/29/senate-confirms-surgeon-general/. 
  16. ↑ "Obama picks Regina Benjamin as surgeon general". Reuters. July 13, 2009. https://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE56C3HI20090713. 
  17. ↑ Stobbe, Mike (December 3, 2009). "Surgeon general: More minority doctors needed". WTOP. http://www.wtop.com/?nid=106&sid=1829595. Retrieved December 5, 2009. 
  18. ↑ Coleman, Korva (June 13, 2013). "U.S. Surgeon General Regina Benjamin To Step Down". NPR. https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2013/06/13/191283635/u-s-surgeon-general-regina-benjamin-to-step-down. 
  19. ↑ Anderson, Roger (July 19, 2013). "Lushniak Named Acting Surgeon General". Northwestern University.
  20. ↑ Callahan, Guv (April 30, 2015). "New surgeon general sworn in at Conmy Hall". U.S. Army.
  21. ↑ "Vivek Murthy dismissed as U.S. Surgeon". Yale Medicine Magazine. Winter 2017. https://medicine.yale.edu/news/yale-medicine-magazine/article/vivek-murthy-dismissed-as-us-surgeon/. Retrieved 2025-05-11. 
  22. ↑ Collier, Andrea King (May 4, 2017). "5 things to know about acting Surgeon General, Sylvia Trent-Adams". NBC News. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
  23. ↑ "Dr. Jerome Adams sworn in as U.S. Surgeon General". WTHR. September 5, 2017. https://www.wthr.com/article/news/politics/dr-jerome-adams-sworn-in-as-us-surgeon-general/531-162e4e0f-6ab2-41c3-aa05-206c5e05ea9d. 
  24. ↑ Cancryn, Adam; Ollstein, Alice Miranda (January 20, 2021). Surgeon general to step down as Biden requested. https://www.politico.com/news/2021/01/20/jerome-adams-steps-down-460726. 
  25. ↑ Diamond, Dan (2021-01-25) (in en-US). Biden to tap nurse as acting surgeon general. ISSN 0190-8286 . https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2021/01/25/biden-appoints-nurse-acting-surgeon-general/. Retrieved 2021-01-26. 
  26. ↑ "Raising the Bar - April 2021". South Asian Bar Association of Washington, D.C. April 5, 2021.
  27. ↑ "Parting Prescription from US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy". American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians. February 21, 2025.
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