United States Secretary of Education
The United States Secretary of Education is the head of the Department of Education. The Secretary is a member of the President's Cabinet, and 16th in line of United States presidential line of succession. The United States Secretary of Education deals with Education.
| United States Secretary of Education | |
|---|---|
 Seal of the Department of Education | |
 Flag of the secretary | |
| Department of Education | |
| Style | Mrs. Secretary (informal) The Honorable (formal) |
| Reports to | President |
| Seat | Lyndon Baines Johnson Department of Education Building, Washington, D.C. |
| Appointer | President with Senate advice and consent |
| Term length | No fixed term |
| Constituting instrument | 20 U.S.C. § 3411 |
| Formation | November 30, 1979 |
| First holder | Shirley Hufstedler |
| Succession | Sixteenth[1] |
| Deputy | Deputy Secretary |
| Salary | Executive Schedule, Level I |
| Website | ed.gov |
In 1979, President Jimmy Carter established the Department of Education as a cabinet-level agency. Previously, Education had been handled by the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare, henceforth known as the Secretary of Health and Human Services.
Chronological list
Source[2]
| No. | Portrait | Name | State of residence | Took office | Left office | President | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | .jpg)
|
Shirley Hufstedler | California | November 30, 1979 | January 20, 1981 | Jimmy Carter (1977–1981) | |
| 2 | 
|
Terrel Bell | Utah | January 22, 1981 | January 20, 1985 | Ronald Reagan (1981–1989) | |
|
William Bennett | North Carolina | February 6, 1985 | September 20, 1988 | |||
| 3 | |||||||
| 4 | File:Cavazos.jpg | Lauro Cavazos | Texas | September 20, 1988 | December 12, 1990 | ||
| George H. W. Bush (1989–1993) | |||||||
| – | 75px | Ted Sanders Acting |
Illinois | December 12, 1990 | March 22, 1991 | ||
| 5 | 75px | Lamar Alexander | Tennessee | March 22, 1991 | January 20, 1993 | ||
| 6 | 75px | Richard Riley | South Carolina | January 21, 1993 | January 20, 2001 | Bill Clinton (1993–2001) | |
| 7 | 75px | Rod Paige | Texas | January 20, 2001 | January 20, 2005 | George W. Bush (2001–2009) | |
| 8 | File:Margaret Spellings, official ed photo 3.jpg | Margaret Spellings | January 20, 2005 | January 20, 2009 | |||
| 9 | 75px | Arne Duncan[3] | Illinois | January 21, 2009 | January 1, 2016 | Barack Obama (2009–2017) | |
| 10 | 75px | John King Jr.[3] | New York | January 1, 2016 | March 14, 2016 | ||
| March 14, 2016 | January 20, 2017 | ||||||
| – | 75px | Phil Rosenfelt Acting |
Virginia | January 20, 2017 | February 7, 2017 | Donald Trump (2017–2021) | |
| 11 | .jpg)
|
Betsy DeVos | Michigan | February 7, 2017 | January 8, 2021 | ||
| – | .jpg)
|
Mick Zais Acting |
South Carolina | January 8, 2021 | January 20, 2021 | ||
| – | 75px | Phil Rosenfelt Acting |
Virginia | January 20, 2021 | March 2, 2021 | Joe Biden (2021–2025) | |
| 12 | 75px | Miguel Cardona | Connecticut | March 2, 2021 | January 20, 2025 | ||
| – | File:Denise L. Carter.png | Denise Carter Acting |
January 20, 2025 | March 3, 2025 | Donald Trump (2025–present) | ||
| 13 | 75px | Linda McMahon | Connecticut | March 3, 2025 | Incumbent | ||
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Living former secreatries of education
As of September 2025, there are eleven living former secretaries of education, the oldest being Joseph A. Califano Jr. (served 1977-1979). The most recent death of a former secretary of state was that of Lauro Cavazos (served 1988-1990) on March 15, 2022. The current oldest living person who has held the position of Secreatry of Education since its creation in October 1979 is Richard Riley (served 1993-2001)
However, two former secreatries, F. David Mathews (served 1975-1977) and Joseph A. Califano Jr. (served 1977-1979) served prior to the implention and founding of the Department of Education, thus being recognized as former Secreatries of Education but also Secreatries of Health, Education, and Welfare (now the Secreatry of Health and Human Services)
F. David Mathews
(1975-1977)
(as Secreatry of Health, Education, and Welfare)Joseph A. Califano Jr.
(1977-1979)
(as Secreatry of Health, Education, and Welfare)William Bennett
(1985-1989)Lamar Alexander
(1991-1993)- Richard Riley holds a news conference with a bipartisan group of congressional lawmakers.jpg
Richard Riley
(1993-2001) - Rod Paige.jpg
Rod Paige
(2001-2005) - Margaret Spellings official photo (cropped).jpg
Margaret Spellings
(2005-2009) - Arne Duncan official photo (cropped).jpg
Arne Duncan
(2009-2016) - John B. King official portrait (cropped).jpg
John King Jr.
(2016-2017) Betsy DeVos
(2017-2021)- Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, official portrait (cropped).jpg
Miguel Cardona
(2021-2025)
United States Secretary Of Education Media
Photograph of Oveta Culp Hobby, first secretary of the United States Department of Health, Education and Welfare, first commanding officer of the Women's Army Corps, and chairman of the board of the Houston Post.
Marion B. Folsom (1893-1976), Secretary of HEW.
Abraham Ribicoff (1910-1998), Secretary of HEW.
- Celebrez.jpg
Anthony J. Celebrezze (1910-1998), Secretary of HEW.
- John W. Gardner, U.S. Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare.jpg
John W. Gardner, U.S. Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare
- Robert Finch, 1967.jpg
Robert H. Finch, 38th Lieutenant Governor of California, in 1967
- ElliotLeeRichardson.jpg
Elliot Richardson, U.S. Secretary of Commerce
- Caspar Weinberger official photo.jpg
Caspar Weinberger official photo
References
- ↑ "3 U.S. Code § 19 - Vacancy in offices of both President and Vice President; officers eligible to act". Legal Information Institute. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
- ↑ "The Education Secretaries Miguel Cardona Would Follow". Education Writers Association. Archived from the original on 2021-01-13. Retrieved 2021-01-08.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Eilperin, Juliet; Layton, Lyndsey; Brown, Emma (October 2, 2015). "U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan to step down at end of year". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 23, 2016.