United States Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare

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Seal of the United States Department of Health, Education and Welfare

The United States Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare was the head of the United States Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. The Secretary was a member of the President's Cabinet. In 1979, there was a division of the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare's position into separate secretaries of Health and Human Services and Education.

Secretaries of Health, Education, and Welfare
No.	Name	Years	President(s) served under
1	Oveta Culp Hobby	1953–1955	Dwight D. Eisenhower
2	Marion Bayard Folsom	1955–1958	Dwight D. Eisenhower
3	Arthur Sherwood Flemming	1958–1961	Dwight D. Eisenhower
4	Abraham A. Ribicoff	1961–1962	John F. Kennedy
5	Anthony J. Celebrezze	1962–1965	John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson
6	John William Gardner	1965–1968	Lyndon Johnson
7	Wilbur J. Cohen	1968–1969	Lyndon Johnson
8	Robert H. Finch	1969–1970	Richard Nixon
9	Elliot Lee Richardson	1970–1973	Richard Nixon
10	Caspar Weinberger	1973–1975	Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford
11	Forrest David Mathews	1975–1977	Gerald Ford
12	Joseph A. Califano Jr.	1977–1979	Jimmy Carter
13	Patricia Roberts Harris	1979–1979	Jimmy Carter

Living former secretaries of health, education, and welfare

As of January 2026, there are two living former health, education, and welfare, the older of the two being Joseph A. Califano Jr. (served 1977-1979). The most recent death of a former secretary of health, education, and welfare was that of Caspar W. Weinberger (served 1973-1975) on March 28, 2006. The living former secretaries of health, education, and welfare, in order of service, are:

• F. David Mathews
  (1975-1977)
  Born (1935-12-06)December 6, 1935
  (age 90 years, 38 days)

• JAC AR 2007.jpg

  Joseph A. Califano Jr.
  (1977-1979)
  Born (1931-05-15)May 15, 1931
  (age 94 years, 243 days)

United States Secretary Of Health, Education, And Welfare Media

• Flag of the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare.png

  The flag of the secretary of health, education, and welfare, the predecessor to the current office

• Hobby-Oveta-Culp.jpg

  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.

• Folsom.jpg

  Marion B. Folsom (1893-1976), Secretary of HEW.

• Ribicoff.jpg

  Abraham Ribicoff (1910-1998), Secretary of HEW.

• Anthony J. Celebrezze (1910-1998), Secretary of HEW.

• 

  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